Mitch Ryder's Bumpy Ride

FOR TWO YEARS in the middle of the '60s, Mitch Ryder couldn't have been any hotter: the frenetic, soul-inspired frat-rock that he and the Detroit Wheels manufactured was one of the most exciting sounds on the radio, a blast of purely American noise that drew on James Brown, Little Richard, and Motown. There was, it seemed, no stopping them from becoming one of the decade's biggest acts. You will not find many things that Bruce Springsteen and Ted Nugent agree on, but you will find each of them testifying on behalf of this raucous band from Michigan.