Unrelated Segments

The Unrelated Segments were a garage rock band from Detroit, Michigan, whose popularity peaked in 1967. Although the band never became big national stars, they were enormously popular at a local level. Of their three 45 RPM releases, two of them made Billboard's Regional Breakout charts (being a chart one level below Billboard's Bubbling Under Chart).

With the onslaught of compilation LPs and CDs celebrating the original punk rock from the 1960s, which began with "" in 1972, the Unrelated Segments become a widely known garage rock band among collectors, although to the general rock public they still remain obscure. Reissues of their recordings are widely available.

Their first record, "Story of My Life," was a Detroit Regional Breakout for one week in April 1967. Their followup, "Where You Gonna Go" was a Detroit breakout in October 1967. Their last record (many say their best), "Cry Cry Cry" bombed completely.

45 RPM Discography

*Story of My Life / It's Unfair - HBR 514 (1967)
*Where You Gonna Go / It's Gonna Rain - Liberty 55992 (1967)
*Cry Cry Cry / It's Not Fair - Liberty 56052 (1968)

Taylor, Michigan-based teen rockers the Unrelated Segments formed in late 1966 around the nucleus of singer Ron Stults and lead guitarist Rory Mack, who together previously teamed in the short-lived Village Beaus. Also including rhythm guitarist John Torok, bassist Barry Van Engelen and drummer Andy Angellotti, the Segments wrote their first original, "The Story of My Life," after just their second rehearsal session; they soon entered the local United Sound studio to record the track, issuing it as their SVR label debut single in early 1967. A massive hit on Detroit radio, the song also gained significant airplay in other pockets of the Midwest, and that summer the Unrelated Segments returned to the studio to cut their second single, "Where You Gonna Go?; " another local smash, it helped the group land live dates at the famed Grande Ballroom opening for acts including Spirit, Spencer Davis Group and Jeff Beck Group. They also opened for the likes of the Who and the MC5. "Cry, Cry, Cry" followed in the summer of 1968, but failed to match the success of its predecessors; Angellotti was soon dismissed from the line-up, replaced by Ron Fuller who brought a style of drumming akin in style and showmanship to the biggest English bands. After Van Engelen was drafted to serve in Vietnam in early 1969 the Segments recruited new guitarist Daryl Gore, with Torock moving to bass. After changing their name to simply the U.S., they recorded a handful of unreleased tracks before disbanding as the decade drew to a close The band re-formed and changed the name to “Lost Nation” and recorded on the Rare Earth (Motown) label. In 1998, the Cicadelic label released a comprehensive collection of the Segments' music titled Where You Gonna Go? Jason Ankeny, All Music GuideMany years earlier, the Cicadelic release was predated by S.V.R.'s own compilation of released material by the Unrelated Segments and other groups that were recorded by the studio and appeared on its label, as well as those songs licensed to other labels. This was released as a 12" vinyl LP and on CD, and the recordings were from the original masters, with the compilation mastered by the same studio personnel as the original 45s. This compilation is distinctly different from any later, inferior pirated variations.--Jim Thompson.