{"id":522,"date":"2013-11-12T17:04:38","date_gmt":"2013-11-12T17:04:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/batterymedia.com\/blog\/?p=522"},"modified":"2013-11-26T23:58:42","modified_gmt":"2013-11-26T23:58:42","slug":"rs-446-mc5-back-in-the-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/batterymedia.com\/blog\/?p=522","title":{"rendered":"RS #446: MC5,\u00a0Back In The USA"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"MC5,
Meanwhile…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

#447<\/p>\n

MC5,\u00a0Back In The USA<\/em><\/h3>\n
\n

Release Date:<\/strong>\u00a01970
\nPreviously Owned:<\/strong>\u00a0No
\nFirst Time Listen:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes<\/p>\n

Impressions:\u00a0<\/strong>All I knew of the Motor City 5 from before was “Kick\u00a0Out The Jams,” and, for whatever reason, they didn’t win me over. Let’s just say I respected them more than I enjoyed them.\u00a0Time for a deeper dive<\/span>\u2026\u00a0They waste no time with a p<\/span>retty lean, mean rocking opening cover of “Tutti-Fruitti.” The sound is a little compressed and thin at times, but it’s exciting to hear this proto-punk, uber-garage band shaking off the hippie\u00a0pretensions of the previous decade with a primal back-to-basics ’50s sound on fast forward. Love the way “Teenage Lust” gallops along (“I need a healthy outlet for my teenage lust!”) Guitarists\u00a0Wayne Kramer and Fred “Sonic” Smith spin out awesome crunching riffs and go-for-broke soloing. Really, if you don’t like this, then you don’t like rock and roll music. They sound like a no-gimmick version of what KISS wishes they\u00a0could be\u00a0like…with much better chops to boot. They slow things down for the ballad “Let Me Try” but for the most part keep up the pace and even sneak in some of their lefty politics in “The American Ruse” or “The Human Being Lawnmower.” Not sure they exactly invented punk or even metal on this record, but they sure came up with good road map for future bands to follow.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Starred Songs:\u00a0<\/strong>“Tonight,” “Looking at You,” “Shaking Street”
\n<\/span>Sneaky Tracks:\u00a0<\/strong>“Teenage Lust,” “High School”
\n<\/span>Should this album be on the\u00a0list?<\/strong>\u00a0Yes
\n<\/span>Will you listen to this again?\u00a0<\/strong>Yes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Verdict:\u00a0<\/b>Driving Detroit primal proto-punk from the ashes of ’60s that’s no-nonsense and just plain rocks.
\nRating:\u00a0\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n