MC5 “Back in the USA” released on this date, January 15th, 1970. Back in the USA is MC5′s first studio album release, following their live record Kick Out the Jams from 1969. I love the cover: gritty, sweaty 70′s boozed-up dirtballs who looked like they just crawled out of their tour van after 3 weeks with no showers.

Back in the USA has two classic rock-n-roll covers: Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti” and Chuck Berry’s “Back in the USA.” The rest of the album is MC5 stripped-down originals, including a lovely ballad (“Let Me Try”), hard rocking tracks with insane guitar (“Looking at You”), social commentary on late 60′s/early 70′s youth (“High School” “Teenage Lust”) and songs that ‘condemn a system which eats its young, filling their heads with lies before sending them off to war’ (“The American Ruse”) (quote from Allmusic’s Jason Ankeny).