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

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Kramer compiled an all-star alt-rock backup band who totally nailed the music and energy of the original MC5. Kim Thayil of Soundgarden killed it on guitar, replacing the legendary original Fred Sonic Smith.

On bass was Faith No More’s Billy Gould (replacing original Michael Davis) and  on drums (replacing Dennis Thompson) was Fugazi’s Brendan Canty. On lead vocals was someone I’ve never heard until now, Marcus Durant of Zen Guerrilla, but holy shit – he was everything Rob Tyner was: messy and frizzy ‘fro’d, intensely soulful, flamboyantly bursting with energy and simply amazing. All those shoes were tough to fill and these guys did it and then some.

My friend Chris snagged the setlist after the show.

The bulk of the show was a fairly exact recreation of the original Kick Out the Jams, MC5′s debut originally recorded in the fall of ‘68 at Detroit’s Grand Ballrooom. It hit #30 on the charts and the single “Kick Out the Jams” hit #82. The entire album – and concert – is dirty garage proto-punk at its absolute finest. Highlights of the show of songs from the album for me were “Rambling Rose,” “Kick Out the Jams” and “Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa).” Non-Kick Out the Jams songs at the show were “Shakin’ Street,” “Call Me Animal,” “Let Me Try” and “Looking at You” – all from MC5′s first studio album Back in the USA. My favorite of the night was “I Can Only Give You Everything,” originally by Them, and released by MC5 as their debut single in ‘67.

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“Ramblin’ Rose” is a cover of the song originally written by Marijohn Wilkin and Fred Burch, recorded first by Jerry Lee Lewis and also covered by MC5 on their 1969 Kick Out the Jams LP. “Get Some” is by Kramer and fellow Pink Fairies (as well as the Deviants member) Mick Farren, the same version of the track that is on this single appeared on the 2000 comp Wayne Kramer/Pink Fairies Cocaine Blues: ‘74-78.

This single was released as a fundraiser for Kramer during his incarceration in a Kentucky prison for dealing coke. The back of the record sleeve says “This record cost £1.00. Wayne Kramer was once in a band called MC5. He is currently serving five years for conspiracy to traffic in cocaine. £1.00. Do not pay less or more.” Mick Farren was the driving force behind the fundraising. About the effort Kramer said, “While I was in the penitentiary, he wrote me at one point that all the bands over there were outraged that I had to go to prison and a couple of labels had gotten together – Stiff Records and Chiswick Records – and they were gonna put out two of those tracks as a benefit for me, and they were gonna give me all the money when I got out of prison, which was really a brotherly thing for them to do, considering that most people come out of prison with what they have when they go into prison, which is nothing, and that’s generally the reason they wind up going back to prison. But when I came out, I had like 2000 dollars as a cushion to help me adjust to life back on the street. It really, really made the difference for me…not that I would have gone back to dealing drugs or selling stolen TVs or guns or whatever, but it really did…a couple grand, y’know, straightens you out. Takes the pressure off.”

Runout Groove Side A: RELEASE WAYNE KRAMER Runout Groove Side B: FREE WAYNE KRAMER

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According to Kramer’s liner notes, “The MC5 on this record are at the beginning of the process of finding out who we were. Not yet the zealous revolutionaries to come. Not yet conscious of the work of Coltrane and Sun Ra or Archie Shepp or Albert Ayler, but stretching and searching for own voice. Working out these new ideas in music. Pushing the sound further than any of our contemporaries in the Detroit music scene.”

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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).

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The LP is not surprisingly very Stooge-esque and lo-fi: it was compiled from Asheton’s cassette recordings of the sessions rather than the original masters. “I Can’t Quet Ya” is classic 70′s rock – I can almost picture a muscle car blaring this track out of its AM radio. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Soldiers” is another great 70′s garage-y song – it was later covered by The Hitmen in 1981.

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