The Cherry Slush — “I Cannot Stop You”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 3, 2025

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,545) The Cherry Slush — “I Cannot Stop You”

This “classic [Dick Wagner* written] fuzztastic garage smasher”(narinderdhanjal221, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps7nuiVqr-o) by Saginaw, Michigan’s finest features “angry dismissive lyrics of a formerly rejected boyfriend who just just doesn’t care anymore. Brilliantly introduced by a sweeping Fuzz Guitar and drum combination”. (Manshipsrarevinyl, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bqvg8ny7auU&pp=ygUhdGhlIGNoZXJyeSBzbHVzaCBpIGNhbid0IHN0b3AgeW910gcJCWIABgo59PVc) “I grew up with these guys in Michigan. They were local legends.” (tyroneshoes4049, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y8r7gm_Ah0)

Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame tells us that:

In order to get the record distributed nationally, the band signed and the master tape was leased to U.S.A., a small Chicago label that had a # 1 hit in 1967 with “Kind Of A Drag” by The Buckinghams. “I Cannot Stop You” also had all the signs of also being a national hit upon its release. It got airplay in major markets, was a pick hit in both Billboard  and Cash Box magazines, and entered  Record World magazine as #93 in the nation. Quite unexpectedly, however, the record stalled and failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100 [reaching #119]. The Cherry Slush would go on to record one more single for the U.S.A. label before the company filed for bankruptcy.

https://michiganrockandrolllegends.com/hall-of-fame/legendary-mi-songs/78-i-cannot-stop-you

Jason Ankeny tells us of the Slush:

Saginaw, Michigan garage band the Cherry Slush formed in mid-1965, teaming singer Danny Parsons, guitarist Mark Burdick, bassist Art Hauffe, keyboardist Brian Bennett, and drummer Dick Coughlin. Originally known as the Wayfarers and later the Captives, in late 1966 the group tapped local legend Dick Wagner — of Detroit sensations the Bossmen and the Frost, and later a sought-after session player — to produce their debut single, “She’ll Be Back.” The record earned regional attention, and the Cherry Slush next traveled to Cleveland to cut the follow-up, 1967’s “I Cannot Stop You.” The single was a smash throughout southeast Michigan, reportedly selling in excess of 75,000 copies. With guitarist Gene Bruce replacing Burdick, the band recorded its third single, “Day Don’t Come,” at Chicago’s famed Chess Studios; though another local blockbuster, it failed to garner attention outside of the Detroit scene. In late 1968, the Cherry Slush recorded their final single, a cover of the Beatles’ “Birthday.” The following year, the band dissolved.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-cherry-slush-mn0000111165#biography

* Greg Prato writes:

As one of renowned producer Bob Ezrin’s hired guns throughout much of the ’70s, guitarist Dick Wagner lent his playing (and in some cases, songwriting) talents to some of the decade’s biggest hard rock albums, including Lou Reed’s Rock N’ Roll Animal, Alice Cooper’s Welcome to My Nightmare, and Kiss’ Destroyer.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dick-wagner-mn0000822292#biography

Here are Dick Wagner’s Bossmen’s mellower original version:

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