Music Review - MC5 - "Break Out The Jams"
MC5. Break out the Jams. Elektra Records. 1968. 44:01
The debut album of the Motor City Five (MC5), Break out the Jams, is a powerful album which reflects the times in which it was made. Performed with a raw ferocity that served as a clear contrast to the “flower power” atmosphere of the era, Break of the Jams serves as an influential example that later musical acts, in the United Kingdom and in the United States, would emulate. Taking on a political and cultural stand firmly rooted in the 60’s Counterculture, the MC5 combined a daring musical style with a defiant attitude, paving the way for future musical genres such as punk and metal.
The members of the MC5 were made up of working class youth, living in the shadow of the industrial city of Detroit, home of the automotive industry and the influence of Motown. Living in a decidedly conservative city, the MC5 were marked as subversive with their long hair (or giant afro in the case of vocalist Rob Tyner), outlandish dress, and loud and profane music. The energy of the MC5’s shows, confined early to the Detroit/Michigan area, gained a reputation as some of the best live performances in the decade. In 1967, the MC5 picked up John Sinclair, founder of the White Panther Party, as their manager and entered into rock n’ roll climate devoid of critical political debate. Seeing themselves as fighting against the Establishment, the songs of the MC5 stood in clear contrast to popular musical ballads such as the “Green Berets” or Merle Haggard’s “Okie from Muscogee”.
Cementing the image of political rockers and Counterculture icons was the MC5’s performance at the “Festival of Life” concert held during the August 1968 protests of the Chicago Democratic Convention. Performing under lawless conditions, the peals of MC5’s amplifier distortions reverberated through the air as tear gas, protesters, riot police, and helicopters mingled in the summer heat. The MC5 would be the sole band to perform, with other scheduled bands such as Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead fleeing the scene. The raw stand against authority set apart the MC5 from the other “hippie” bands, indicating the MC5 were the band concerned with social revolution, and was willing to do something about. The Chicago performance, as well as sold-out shows in Detroit, earned the MC5 (and their opening act and future punk legends, Iggy Pop and the Stooges) a recording contract with Elektra Records.
Break out the Jams, the MC5’s debut album, sought to capture the power of their live show. Thus, it was decided that the album was to be recorded live at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit on the nights of October 30-31, 1968. Break Out the Jams begins with an introduction from the MC5’s “religious leader and spiritual advisor”, J.C. Crawford. This political revolutionary, who influenced and drove much of the political message behind the MC5, issued a command to the audience tinged with the influence of salvation gospel music. Crawford proclaimed: “I wanna hear some revolution out there, brothers, I wanna hear a little revolution…”, exhorting the audience that “…each and every one of you to decide whether you are gonna be the problem, or whether you are gonna be the solution!” Crawford closed his statement, all the while with energy building, “Brothers, it's time to testify and I want to know, are you ready to testify? Are you ready? I give you a testimonial, THE MC5!!!”
What followed this invocation was a sonic blast featuring surging guitars, high-pitched vocals, and frenetic pace. Opening with “Ramblin’ Rose”, Rob Tyner’s strained vocals barely keeps up with the surging guitars of Wayne Krammer and Fred “Sonic Smith”, the pounding drums of Dennis Thompson, and the bass of Michael Davis. The energy of “Ramblin’ Rose” was shared by the title track, “Kick out the Jams”, the intro of which would stir later controversy and censure. The phrase “Kick out the Jams” symbolized the energy and radical abandon of the band: Tyner’s introductory scream to “Kick out the jams motherfuckers!!!”, while energizing the crowd, doomed the track to edits so it could receive radio play.
Wayne Krammer expressed later that the MC5 had a simple goal; “…our political program became dope, rock & roll, and fucking in the streets.”[1] These simple points would greatly influence the dogmatic foundation of punk and metal, as metalheads and punk rockers would establish similar standards in their own music. The lyrics of “Kick out the Jams” succinctly express the above ideas. The MC5’s pre-show marijuana binges helped them “…all [get] in tune/ And when the dressing room got hazy now baby”, while the sexual energy of “I know how you want it child/ Hot, quick and tight/ The girls can't stand it” fueled the frenetic pace of the music. Lyrics from “Rocket Reducer No. 62 (RAMA LAMA FA FA FA)” echo the proclivity for chemical assistance: “…some good tokes and a six pack/We can sock 'em out for you, baby”.
Songs like “Rambin’ Rose”, “Kick out the Jams”, and “Rocket Reducer No. 62”, and the last, sprawling track “Starship” express the influence of psychedelic rock and LSD inspired imagery which had gripped the late 60’s music scene. Other songs revealed a deep blues influence, such as “Motor City Is Burning”, a musical depiction of the riots which had gripped Detroit in 1967. The rage and violence of those times is expressed with melancholy wails from Tyner:
What stood at the finish of the album with a mix of psychedelic rock forays, blues, and high speed power chords, an album which still reflects the energy of their live performances three decades later. Reception of Break Out the Jams by critics, however, was mixed. Lester Bangs of Rolling Stone called them “…ridiculous, overbearing, pretentious…”, stating the MC5 ripped off songs from the likes of The Who, Barret Strong, and the Troggs.[2] Richard Goldstein of Village Voice, however, favorably compared Wayne Krammer with The Who’s Pete Townshend, noting that “both perform with the reverence which is the most authentic kind of commitment a musician can display.”[3] If the MC5 were derivative or indeed pretentious, an explanation to the lasting power of Break Out the Jams is in order.
What these and other critics failed to observe is the powerful effect Break Out the Jams would have on later artists, especially in the cross pollination of musical styles from Britain to America. A decade after its release, the MC5 debut album’s influence was keenly felt as the early American punks like the Ramones and the New York Dolls emulated the energy and attitude of the MC5, and their fellow Detroit rockers Iggy Pop and the Stooges. This early punk sound and the culture of the New York scene then diffused across the Atlantic, to be picked up by British punk progenitors like the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Buzzcocks. These trans-Atlantic punk bands would emulate the speed, heavy riffs, and potent energy that characterized the MC5. Former guitarist of punk band Bad Religion, Brett Gurewitz, says of MC5 guitarist “Brother” Wayne Krammer and his fellow musicians, “He’s the seminal protpunk guitar god.”[4] Ironically, Wayne Krammer noted decades later his initial aversion to being linked with the punk scence. Following incarceration in the1970’s for drugs, Krammer initially thought, “I’m not involved in this punk thing at all, because punk in jail is a different thing.”[5]
Heavy metal’s emergent bands are also heavily indebted to the MC5, with Alice Cooper, and fellow Detroit musicians Ted Nugent and Grand Funk Railroad paying homage in their work. Another British connection emerged as Led Zeppelin’s pioneering metal sound dominated American pop charts, a sound indebted to the MC5. Even in the 1990’s, bands like metal-punk-rap hybrid Rage Against the Machine have commented on the explicit influence of the MC5, producing covers of “Kick out the Jams” and forging songs like “Testify”. Influencing the 70’s sound of punk and heavy metal, the music of the MC5 today provides “…revelations to Clash partisans and Metallica fans alike.”[6]
Despite the powerful political messages, the lasting legacy of Break Out the Jams was the musical style. Raw, fast, and loud, the music of the MC5 often conflicted with the sensibilities of the age. With fellow Counterculture enthusiasts would want them to conform to the hippie lifestyle and energy rooted in “flower power”, the MC5 were harbingers of a future punk chic fueled by an industrial dynamo. MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson summed it up well: “I mean, we all grew up on drag races. But fast cars and drinking beers doesn’t quite go with brown rice and Zen. There’s a clash right there. It’s not even a political clash, it’s a cultural clash.”[7] Bob Dylan and Joe Baez weren’t their models – “As far as I was concerned, none of them could play,” were the feelings of Wayne Kramer. “They were all folk-guitar players who had all just bought electric guitars. They didn’t know how to get that sound, that rock distortion. They didn’t know about energy and feedback.”[8] The rock of the MC5 had more in common with the mind-altering psychedelia of Jimmy Hendrix than the political outrage of Bob Dylan.
The MC5 served as a musical bridge from the psychedelic rock of the 1960’s to the harder, faster sound to characterize metal and punk in the 70’s and 80’s. Performing in a special place and time, Break Out the Jams is a unique album because it captures the musical power of the late, revolutionary 1960’s and serves as a harbinger for the music that would capture the imagination of the youth of Britain and America in the following decades. Break Out the Jams will remain a powerful historic recording, painting a sonic portrait of the turbulent Vietnam era and building a foundation for future music to come.
Mr. Misanthrope
[1] McCain, Gillian, and McNeil, Legs. Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk. (Penguin Books, NY, 1996). 46.
[2] Bangs, Lester. “Kick out the Jams”. Rolling Stone. April 5, 1969.
[3] Goldstein, Richard. “Kick out the Jams” Village Voice. Dec. 1968
[4] Appleford, Steve. “Wayne’s World”. Rolling Stone. May 18, 1995. Issue 708. 30.
[5] ibid.
[6] McLeese, D. “Replays” Rolling Stone. February 20, 1992. Issue 624. 42
[7] McCain, Gillian, and McNeil, Legs. Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk. 72.
[8] Appleford, Steve. “Wayne’s World”. Rolling Stone.
The debut album of the Motor City Five (MC5), Break out the Jams, is a powerful album which reflects the times in which it was made. Performed with a raw ferocity that served as a clear contrast to the “flower power” atmosphere of the era, Break of the Jams serves as an influential example that later musical acts, in the United Kingdom and in the United States, would emulate. Taking on a political and cultural stand firmly rooted in the 60’s Counterculture, the MC5 combined a daring musical style with a defiant attitude, paving the way for future musical genres such as punk and metal.
The members of the MC5 were made up of working class youth, living in the shadow of the industrial city of Detroit, home of the automotive industry and the influence of Motown. Living in a decidedly conservative city, the MC5 were marked as subversive with their long hair (or giant afro in the case of vocalist Rob Tyner), outlandish dress, and loud and profane music. The energy of the MC5’s shows, confined early to the Detroit/Michigan area, gained a reputation as some of the best live performances in the decade. In 1967, the MC5 picked up John Sinclair, founder of the White Panther Party, as their manager and entered into rock n’ roll climate devoid of critical political debate. Seeing themselves as fighting against the Establishment, the songs of the MC5 stood in clear contrast to popular musical ballads such as the “Green Berets” or Merle Haggard’s “Okie from Muscogee”.
Cementing the image of political rockers and Counterculture icons was the MC5’s performance at the “Festival of Life” concert held during the August 1968 protests of the Chicago Democratic Convention. Performing under lawless conditions, the peals of MC5’s amplifier distortions reverberated through the air as tear gas, protesters, riot police, and helicopters mingled in the summer heat. The MC5 would be the sole band to perform, with other scheduled bands such as Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead fleeing the scene. The raw stand against authority set apart the MC5 from the other “hippie” bands, indicating the MC5 were the band concerned with social revolution, and was willing to do something about. The Chicago performance, as well as sold-out shows in Detroit, earned the MC5 (and their opening act and future punk legends, Iggy Pop and the Stooges) a recording contract with Elektra Records.
Break out the Jams, the MC5’s debut album, sought to capture the power of their live show. Thus, it was decided that the album was to be recorded live at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit on the nights of October 30-31, 1968. Break Out the Jams begins with an introduction from the MC5’s “religious leader and spiritual advisor”, J.C. Crawford. This political revolutionary, who influenced and drove much of the political message behind the MC5, issued a command to the audience tinged with the influence of salvation gospel music. Crawford proclaimed: “I wanna hear some revolution out there, brothers, I wanna hear a little revolution…”, exhorting the audience that “…each and every one of you to decide whether you are gonna be the problem, or whether you are gonna be the solution!” Crawford closed his statement, all the while with energy building, “Brothers, it's time to testify and I want to know, are you ready to testify? Are you ready? I give you a testimonial, THE MC5!!!”
What followed this invocation was a sonic blast featuring surging guitars, high-pitched vocals, and frenetic pace. Opening with “Ramblin’ Rose”, Rob Tyner’s strained vocals barely keeps up with the surging guitars of Wayne Krammer and Fred “Sonic Smith”, the pounding drums of Dennis Thompson, and the bass of Michael Davis. The energy of “Ramblin’ Rose” was shared by the title track, “Kick out the Jams”, the intro of which would stir later controversy and censure. The phrase “Kick out the Jams” symbolized the energy and radical abandon of the band: Tyner’s introductory scream to “Kick out the jams motherfuckers!!!”, while energizing the crowd, doomed the track to edits so it could receive radio play.
Wayne Krammer expressed later that the MC5 had a simple goal; “…our political program became dope, rock & roll, and fucking in the streets.”[1] These simple points would greatly influence the dogmatic foundation of punk and metal, as metalheads and punk rockers would establish similar standards in their own music. The lyrics of “Kick out the Jams” succinctly express the above ideas. The MC5’s pre-show marijuana binges helped them “…all [get] in tune/ And when the dressing room got hazy now baby”, while the sexual energy of “I know how you want it child/ Hot, quick and tight/ The girls can't stand it” fueled the frenetic pace of the music. Lyrics from “Rocket Reducer No. 62 (RAMA LAMA FA FA FA)” echo the proclivity for chemical assistance: “…some good tokes and a six pack/We can sock 'em out for you, baby”.
Songs like “Rambin’ Rose”, “Kick out the Jams”, and “Rocket Reducer No. 62”, and the last, sprawling track “Starship” express the influence of psychedelic rock and LSD inspired imagery which had gripped the late 60’s music scene. Other songs revealed a deep blues influence, such as “Motor City Is Burning”, a musical depiction of the riots which had gripped Detroit in 1967. The rage and violence of those times is expressed with melancholy wails from Tyner:
Ya know, the Motor City is burning people,/ there ain't a thing that whiteNoting their identification with the White Panthers, and perhaps yearning for the idea African-American authenticity, the vocals scream;
society can do/ My home town burning down to the ground/ worser than Vietnam.
I'd just like to strike a match for freedom myself/ I may be a white boy,
but I can be bad, too.
What stood at the finish of the album with a mix of psychedelic rock forays, blues, and high speed power chords, an album which still reflects the energy of their live performances three decades later. Reception of Break Out the Jams by critics, however, was mixed. Lester Bangs of Rolling Stone called them “…ridiculous, overbearing, pretentious…”, stating the MC5 ripped off songs from the likes of The Who, Barret Strong, and the Troggs.[2] Richard Goldstein of Village Voice, however, favorably compared Wayne Krammer with The Who’s Pete Townshend, noting that “both perform with the reverence which is the most authentic kind of commitment a musician can display.”[3] If the MC5 were derivative or indeed pretentious, an explanation to the lasting power of Break Out the Jams is in order.
What these and other critics failed to observe is the powerful effect Break Out the Jams would have on later artists, especially in the cross pollination of musical styles from Britain to America. A decade after its release, the MC5 debut album’s influence was keenly felt as the early American punks like the Ramones and the New York Dolls emulated the energy and attitude of the MC5, and their fellow Detroit rockers Iggy Pop and the Stooges. This early punk sound and the culture of the New York scene then diffused across the Atlantic, to be picked up by British punk progenitors like the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Buzzcocks. These trans-Atlantic punk bands would emulate the speed, heavy riffs, and potent energy that characterized the MC5. Former guitarist of punk band Bad Religion, Brett Gurewitz, says of MC5 guitarist “Brother” Wayne Krammer and his fellow musicians, “He’s the seminal protpunk guitar god.”[4] Ironically, Wayne Krammer noted decades later his initial aversion to being linked with the punk scence. Following incarceration in the1970’s for drugs, Krammer initially thought, “I’m not involved in this punk thing at all, because punk in jail is a different thing.”[5]
Heavy metal’s emergent bands are also heavily indebted to the MC5, with Alice Cooper, and fellow Detroit musicians Ted Nugent and Grand Funk Railroad paying homage in their work. Another British connection emerged as Led Zeppelin’s pioneering metal sound dominated American pop charts, a sound indebted to the MC5. Even in the 1990’s, bands like metal-punk-rap hybrid Rage Against the Machine have commented on the explicit influence of the MC5, producing covers of “Kick out the Jams” and forging songs like “Testify”. Influencing the 70’s sound of punk and heavy metal, the music of the MC5 today provides “…revelations to Clash partisans and Metallica fans alike.”[6]
Despite the powerful political messages, the lasting legacy of Break Out the Jams was the musical style. Raw, fast, and loud, the music of the MC5 often conflicted with the sensibilities of the age. With fellow Counterculture enthusiasts would want them to conform to the hippie lifestyle and energy rooted in “flower power”, the MC5 were harbingers of a future punk chic fueled by an industrial dynamo. MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson summed it up well: “I mean, we all grew up on drag races. But fast cars and drinking beers doesn’t quite go with brown rice and Zen. There’s a clash right there. It’s not even a political clash, it’s a cultural clash.”[7] Bob Dylan and Joe Baez weren’t their models – “As far as I was concerned, none of them could play,” were the feelings of Wayne Kramer. “They were all folk-guitar players who had all just bought electric guitars. They didn’t know how to get that sound, that rock distortion. They didn’t know about energy and feedback.”[8] The rock of the MC5 had more in common with the mind-altering psychedelia of Jimmy Hendrix than the political outrage of Bob Dylan.
The MC5 served as a musical bridge from the psychedelic rock of the 1960’s to the harder, faster sound to characterize metal and punk in the 70’s and 80’s. Performing in a special place and time, Break Out the Jams is a unique album because it captures the musical power of the late, revolutionary 1960’s and serves as a harbinger for the music that would capture the imagination of the youth of Britain and America in the following decades. Break Out the Jams will remain a powerful historic recording, painting a sonic portrait of the turbulent Vietnam era and building a foundation for future music to come.
Mr. Misanthrope
[1] McCain, Gillian, and McNeil, Legs. Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk. (Penguin Books, NY, 1996). 46.
[2] Bangs, Lester. “Kick out the Jams”. Rolling Stone. April 5, 1969.
[3] Goldstein, Richard. “Kick out the Jams” Village Voice. Dec. 1968
[4] Appleford, Steve. “Wayne’s World”. Rolling Stone. May 18, 1995. Issue 708. 30.
[5] ibid.
[6] McLeese, D. “Replays” Rolling Stone. February 20, 1992. Issue 624. 42
[7] McCain, Gillian, and McNeil, Legs. Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk. 72.
[8] Appleford, Steve. “Wayne’s World”. Rolling Stone.
posted by Mr. Misanthrope at 8:27 AM
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