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The MC5 and Wayne Kramer Reviewed on this page: Kick Out The Jams - Back In The USA - High Times - Dangerous Madness Detroit's MC5 was not only the best rock band to come out of the Midwest in the 60s, but arguably the ultimate inspiration for the whole punk rock movement nearly a decade later: if you're looking for pissed off, revolutionary lyrics and an uncompromising garage rock sound, you can't do much better than this. The group recorded precious little before its 1972 meltdown and never sold a lot of records. But together with "baby brothers" and fellow Detroit rockers Iggy Pop and the Stooges, the MC5 had a direct, undeniable impact on the New York underground bands like the New York Dolls, which eventually made them the grandfathers of punk rock. After a raucous, out-of-control live debut record that put them squarely in the heaviest possible acid rock territory (Kick Out The Jams, 1969), the group did a surprising about-face with a sharply written, intentionally retro-sounding ode to mid-60s rock and R & B (Back In The USA, 1970). Their third and last album (High Time, 1971) retreated again to acid rock experimentation, but sported enough proto-punk masterpieces like "Over And Over" to make it a classic. When talented, over-the-top vocalist Rob Tyner left the group, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith tried to keep things going for a few months and then threw in the towel. Kramer soon landed in prison on a drug charge and spent the rest of the 70s behind bars, while Tyner and Smith drifted in and out of the music industry, failing with their solo careers. By the end of the decade Smith had ended up meeting Patti Smith and becoming her husband; he spent the 80s and early 90s living in retirement with her, before dying in 1994. Around 1980 Kramer briefly worked with ex-New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders in a band called Gang War. He kept a fairly low profile during the 80s, but did apparently show up on some records by Was (Not Was). By the time Kramer finally got started with a serious solo career in 1995, he'd cycled back to the high-volume, bread and butter rock sound of the MC5, so most of his easily available recent records are worth a spin. Wayne Kramer runs his own home page, and it's pretty informative and not too commercialized. Lineup: Michael Davis (bass), Wayne Kramer (guitar, backing vocals), Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar), Dennis Thompson (drums), Rob Tyner (lead vocals). Band collapsed, 1972. Tyner died, 1991. Smith died, 1994. Kick Out The Jams (1969) Recorded at a single Halloween show and "produced" after a fashion by Elektra records masterminds Jac Holzman and Bruce Botnick, this is a muddy, messy, ear-busting live album that captures the band's feral intensity and angry left wing politics, but doesn't communicate the rock 'n' roll mastery they got across on their next two discs. Parts of the record are plenty good, strongly recalling the furious live sound of the contemporary Who (title track). Their blazing take on the roots rock standard "Ramblin' Rose (a 1962 hit for Nat "King" Cole) is set apart by Tyner's wild-eyed falsetto, and the stomping, early Hendrix-like "Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)" has one of the greatest guitar licks of the late 60s. Most of the time, though, there's so much out-of-control, screechingly distorted guitar bluster that you can barely even make out Tyner's shrieking, gut-spilling vocals ("Come Together," not the Beatles song; "Starship," a painful rewrite of the Sun Ra tune with an abysmal, overlong guitar noise-plus-mantra freakout section). There's a surprisingly pedestrian six-minute Chicago blues dressed up with revolutionary lyrics ("Motor City Is Burning"), and some of the writing just isn't very sharp (the oddly organized "Borderline," like the Jefferson Airplane at its loudest; the plodding cover tune "I Want You Right Now," whose "Wild Thing"-like riff and super-heavy acid rock guitar work again recall Hendrix). Still, though, Kramer and Smith's twin lead guitar attack is impressive, and it's unquestionably one of the most exciting live rock records of the decade. (JA) Back In The USA (1970) A bizarre concept album cooked up by the group and producer Jon Landau. With every other high-profile rock band then indulging in sound collages, wacked-out instrumentation and lengthy jams, they correctly figured that nothing could be stranger than a set of two-minute, bread-and-butter rock tunes capped by bitter left wing protest lyrics ("The American Ruse"). Landau compresses and brightens the mix and the group delivers taught, punchy arrangements, creating a purist rock vibe that's straight out of 1965: several tracks sound exactly like early singles by the Who ("Teenage Lust"; "Shakin' Street") or the Beatles ("The American Ruse"), and elsewhere they play with already out-of-date sounds like a wimpy electric organ ("Tonight"), handclaps and crude dynamics ("Call Me Animal"), Motown rhythms ("High School"), or smooth Otis Redding-style 12-bar balladry ("Let Me Try"). Just to get the point across, they bookend the record with tongue-in-cheek tough-guy recreations of hits by Little Richard ("Tutti-Frutti") and Chuck Berry (title track). A couple tracks do have an audible late 60s sheen, but even those are so concise and energetic they utterly stand apart ("Looking At You"; "The Human Being Lawnmover"). Kramer and Smith pound out blazing chords and screeching riffs while Tyner exhorts the masses with the earnestness of a Baptist preacher, and it all works brilliantly. Only the short running time and excessively thin, intentionally retro production keep this from being a total classic. (JA) High Time (1971) The band's third and last LP has a much more contemporary feel but is every bit as memorable. (JA) Death Tongue (Kramer: 1991) Kramer's first solo album is a clumsy, generic-sounding collaboration with guitarist Mick Farren, who also contributed to his later records. John Collins takes over most of the vocals, and they use a drum machine instead of a real drummer. Not recommended. (JA) The Hard Stuff (Kramer: 1995) His first serious solo record. (JA) Dangerous Madness (Kramer: 1996) Self-produced. (JA) Citizen Wayne (Kramer: 1997) With David Was producing, this is a slightly more adventurous effort than the last two records, sporting keyboards and nods in the direction of techno. No band here other than a drummer, so Kramer also handles bass. (JA) LLMF (Kramer: 1998) A respectable, but basically run of the mill live record featuring a power trio. (JA) Mad For The Racket (Mad For The Racket: 2001) A collaboration between Kramer and Brian James, with contributions by Brock Avery, drummers Clem Burke and Stewart Copeland, and Guns 'n' Roses bassist Duff McKagan. (JA) Kick out the jams, motherfuckers!  Main page   New additions   Pop: 00s  90s 80s 70s 60s 50s  Latin/Jazz   Top 20: DBW JA   E-mail