Ramblin' Rose: The Music of Wayne Kramer and His Influence & Show # 1025

Wayne Kramer was co-founder and guitarist in The MC5. Formed in 1963 in Lincoln Park, Michigan, with the MC5 Kramer’s explosive guitar playing was part of a dual guitar attack with Fred “Sonic” Smith, musically one of the early proto punk bands, MC5 pulled influences from early Motown, R&B with early rock and roll sounds of artists such as Chuck Berry and also had an interest in free jazz. Alongside the high-energy performances they were also politically charged lyrically, speaking to the counterculture and underground music scenes at the time. Releasing three albums, their first album was the live album Kick Out The Jams, which was recorded over two nights in October (30th & 31st) of 1968 at the legendary Grande Ballroom in Detroit. It also featured the title classic and highly influential title track "Kick Out the Jams." Their first album was decided to be a live album due to the band’s lack of studio experience at the time. All of their efforts were put into performing live at the time, so the idea to capture the band’s live energy on record made the most sense. Kick Out the Jams, featured songs such as “Ramblin’ Rose,” “Rocket Reducer No. 62,” “The Motor City is Burning,” among others such as MC5’s take on Sun Ra’s “Starship,” which ends the album in a mixture of free jazz, rock and roll and chaos. The album was also surrounded in controversy, due to the use of the words “Kick out the jams motherfucker!” which was uttered by vocalist Rob Tyner on the recording. The linear notes by manager John Sinclair also featured profanity, which nowadays probably wouldn’t bother anyone, but back in 1969 it caused a Detroit department store to stop selling any Elektra album. They were dropped from the label shortly after.

The MC5 bounced back quickly, recording Back in the USA with future Bruce Springsteen producer Jon Landau at GM Studios in Detroit on Atlantic Records. Released in 1970, many felt Back in the USA failed to capture MC5 properly in the studio at the time, but lyrically and musically it is quite a strong album. With songs such as “Tonight,” “Call Me Animal,” “The American Ruse,” “Human Being Lawnmower,” the albums lyrics built upon the five’s political and social themes. Musically, the lean garage sounding tracks pre-dated punk and power pop musical movements that would happen within the next decade. One more album would follow in 1971, High Time before the band’s split. Produced by The MC5 and Atlantic Records engineer Geoffrey Haslam, High Time is definitely the best studio-sounding recording to be released by The MC5. Although lyrically it pulls back on the political themes a bit, musically the band is unstoppable on this record, with a strong rhythm section and dual guitar attack switching focus from track to track, this was also the first album of theirs to feature individual song writing credits. Featuring now classics such as “Sister Anne,” “Miss X, “ “Future/Now,” ”Over and Over,” and “(Skunk) Sonically Speaking,” MC5 cut loose showing the dynamics and versatility of their sound in addition to their evolution as musicians at that point in time, while never losing what made them so great in the first place. But, due to a variety of factors, such as poor album sales, heavy drug use, internal tensions and being bankrupt, the band split in 1972.

Following his time with The MC5, Kramer continued with music, however, in 1975 he was busted for dealing drugs and spent four years in prison. But, something was happening in the underground, the music of bands such as The MC5 and The Stooges were informing underground bands in the UK and all over. Kramer joined the funk rock group Was (Not Was) in 1979 and played in the New York underground music scenes throughout the 80s. He formed Gang War with guitarist Johnny Thunders also in 79. The band did not last long though, they did record some demos in the same year, as well as playing live shows for about a year, but they fizzled out shortly after that. In the 90s he began releasing solo music, signing to Epitaph Records. Despite putting out several albums and singles (including his excellent version of “The Harder They Come”), Kramer’s breakthrough solo effort came with 1995’s The Hard Stuff on Epitaph Records. Several followed, Kramer also worked as a producer and worked with other bands as well as doing some soundtrack work.

Wayne Kramer seemed to always be working on something. He even released a free jazz album titled Lexington with the Lexington Arts Ensemble. The music was put together for a PBS documentary The Narcotics Farm, about the Federal Narcotics Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. This free jazz album was inspired in part also by Kramer’s time in prison where he played in a prison band called Street Sounds with jazz trumpeter Red Rodney. Rodney is a jazz legend who played with the Charlie Parker Quintet, the two studied music together while incarcerated with Rodney giving Kramer music lessons. Also when the Lexington album was released in 2014, it charted at #6 on the Billboard Top Jazz Charts. The MC5 reformed in different incarnations several times (in 2001 and again in 2018).

In 2009, Kramer, along with his wife Margaret Saddi Kramer and British musician Billy Bragg, started Jail Guitar Doors, an organization that brought instruments to prison inmates in hopes of rehabilitating inmates through the transformative power of music. The non-profit organization was named after a song of the same name by The Clash, which references Kramer’s incarceration. Kramer published his memoir The Hard Stuff: Dope, Crime, the MC5 and My Life of Impossibilities in 2018 and was set to release a new MC5 album, featuring surviving MC5 member Dennis “Machine Gun” Thompson, alongside several other musicians prior to his passing in February 2024. Kramer and his music influenced generations of musicians and helped to lay the groundwork for what would become known as punk rock.

Ramblin' Rose Playlist (Originally Aired On February 10th, 2024):

1.  The MC5 - Ramblin’ Rose (Kick Out the Jams - Elektra - 1969)
2.  The MC5 - Human Being Lawnmower (Back in the USA - Atlantic - 1970)
3.  The MC5 - Miss X (High Time - 1971 - Atlantic)
4.  The MC5 - I Can Only Give You Everything (The Big Bang!: Best of The MC5 - Rhino Records - 2000)
5.  Wayne Kramer & The Pink Fairies - If You’re Going to the City (Cocaine Blues - Total Energy - 2000)
6.  Gang War - Crime of the Century (Demo) (Crime of the Century - Sonic Records - 1996)
7.  Gang War - Hey Thanks (Live) (Johnny Thunders & Wayne Kramer's Gang War! - Jungle Records/Skydog Records - 2020)
8.  The MC5 - Kick Out the Jams (Single Version) (Kick Out the Jams - Single - - Elektra - 1969)
9.  The MC5 - Tonight (Babes in Arms - ROIR - 1983)
10. The MC5 - Poison (High Time - 1971 - Atlantic)
11. The MC5 - Look What You’ve Done Done ('66 Breakout - Total Energy - 1999)

12. The MC5 - The Motor City is Burning (Thunder Express - Skydog International - 1992)
13. Wayne Kramer - Get Some (Ramblin' Rose - Single - - Stiffwick - 1978)
14. Wayne Kramer - The Harder They Come (The Harder They Come - Radar Records - 1979)
15. Wayne Kramer - Street Warfare (Negative Girls - Single - Pure and Easy Records - 1983)
16. Wayne Kramer - Junkie Romance (The Hard Stuff - Epitaph Records - 1995)
17. The MC5 - I Just Don’t Know (The Big Bang!: Best of The MC5 - Rhino Records - 2000)
18. The MC5 - Looking At You (Back in the USA - Atlantic - 1970)
19. The MC5 - Thunder Express (The Big Bang!: Best of The MC5 - Rhino Records - 2000)
20. The MC5 - Gold (Babes in Arms - ROIR - 1983)
21. The MC5 - Starship (Kick Out the Jams - Elektra - 1969)

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the February 10 file to download/stream the episode.

Coming Up on Revolution Rock in February 2024 & Shows # 1023, 1022, 1021

It’s February and that means theme month has arrived for Revolution Rock. Every episode that airs in February will be devoted to a specific theme. Dave and Adam have some cool programming lined up ranging from our annual Black History Month program to our Revolution Surf episode. Revolution Rock can be streamed and downloaded from cjam.ca (and also after it airs on this website). Revolution Rock became a syndicated program back in 2020 and can now be heard on several different campus/community radio stations across Canada in addition to CJAM FM.

King of Soul: The Music of Sam Cooke and other Soul and R&B Selections
February 3rd, 2024
7-9 PM EST
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

Who was the real Sam Cooke? It is one of the many mysteries left after the artist’s premature death in 1964. Like any person, he was many things, so many that these facets often appear to be in contradiction. He was a schmaltzy crooner and a throat-rending RnB showman, a gospel-singing spiritualist and a licentious lothario, a shrewd businessperson and an influential Civil Rights activist. Sixty years after his murder, the pieces of this puzzle remain. Will we ever know who exactly this golden-voiced “King of Soul” was?

Live at the Harlem Square Club was originally recorded in 1963, the Sam Cooke of Live at the Harlem Square Club is not the pop balladeer of “You Send Me” and “Wonderful World,” nor is it the contemplative singer from Night Beat (released in 1963). This Sam Cooke is energy incarnate, hard-hitting and raw. Standards like “Cupid” and “Having a Party” receive new life, as Cooke howls through his back catalog. Fiery passion and intensity replaces the slickness of the studio recordings. Perhaps this performance was too intense, as executives at Cooke’s label decided releasing the boisterous performance would jeopardize their star’s pop persona. The label canned this release in favour of the schmaltzy Sam Cooke Live at the Copa, but thankfully, the record saw a proper release in 1985 and has since been rightfully recognized as one of the greatest live rock/pop recordings ever released.

On this episode we will be celebrating Black History Month by featuring a selection from Cooke’s discography, including several tracks from the Live at the Harlem Square Club in addition to music from other R&B and soul artists.

Ramblin' Rose: The Music of Wayne Kramer and His Influence
February 10th, 2024
7-9 PM EST
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

Wayne Kramer was co-founder and guitarist in The MC5. Formed in 1963 in Lincoln Park, Michigan, with the MC5 Kramer’s explosive guitar playing was part of a dual guitar attack with Fred “Sonic” Smith, musically one of the early proto punk bands, MC5 pulled influences from early Motown, R&B with early rock and roll sounds of artists such as Chuck Berry and also had an interest in free jazz. Alongside the high-energy performances they were also politically charged lyrically, speaking to the counterculture and underground music scenes at the time. Releasing three albums, their first album was the live album Kick Out The Jams, which was recorded over two nights at the legendary Grande Ballroom in Detroit. It also featured the title classic and highly influential title track. After two more albums (Back in the USA and High Time), the band split in 1972.

Following his time with MC5, Kramer continued with music, however, in 1975 he was busted for dealing drugs and spent four years in prison. But, something was happening in the underground, the music of bands such as The MC5 and The Stooges were informing underground bands in the UK and all over. Following his time in jail he started Jail Guitar Doors, an organization that brought instruments to prison inmates in hopes of rehabilitating inmates through the transformative power of music. The non-profit organization was named after a song of the same name by The Clash, which references Kramer’s incarceration. In the 90s he began releasing solo music, signing to Epitaph Records. The MC5 reformed in different incarnations several times (in 2001 and again in 2018). Kramer published his memoir The Hard Stuff: Dope, Crime, the MC5 and My Life of Impossibilities in 2018 and was set to release a new MC5 album, featuring surviving MC5 member Dennis “Machine Gun” Thompson, alongside several other musicians. Kramer and his music influenced generations of musicians and helped to lay the groundwork for what would become known as punk rock.

On this episode, Revolution Rock will devote an entire episode to the music of Wayne Kramer and his influence.

Systems Edge: A Dion Lunadon Radio Special
February 17th, 2024
7-9 PM EST
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

High-energy rock and roll music is something that has been present in everything that Dion Lunadon has been involved with. Starting out in New Zealand and performing with bands such as The Snitches, Nothing At All, The Rainy Days, he would form The D4 with fellow vocalist/guitarist Jimmy Christmas in the late 90s, along with drummer Rich Mixture and bassist English Jake. The band began to strike a chord as the early 2000s garage rock revival began to take off alongside bands such as The Hives, The Strokes and The White Stripes. The D4’s first release was the album 6Twenty. Released in 2001 and named after a guitar amplifier, the album featured six singles several of which charted in the UK. After touring the US and different parts of the world (in addition to being featured on US late night TV shows such as David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel) and two full-length albums, The D4 called it quits in 2006. Dion would go on to perform briefly with a new band after relocating to the US called The True Lovers in 2010 pulling in more soul and blues influences, following that he joined as bassist in the noise rock band A Place To Bury Strangers. In 2017, Dion released his first self-titled solo album, featuring intense and uncompromising rock and roll sounds. Leaving APTBS around 2020, Dion switched focus to his solo work releasing Beyond Everything in 2022 on In The Red Records and touring with a new live band. A third full-length followed also on In The Red in late 2023/2024 called Systems Edge.

On this episode we will dig deep into Dion Lunadon’s discography, playing selections from his solo work, The D4, Nothing At All and other bands he has been involved with in addition to an interview with Dion Lunadon. 

Revolution Surf 2024
February 24th, 2024
7-9 PM EST
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

Every February, Revolution Rock does theme month based episodes, but it all began with an annual surf rock episode in the early halcyon days of the program. The tradition continues this year at the end of February. The influence of surf music is everywhere. You can find it in movies, TV shows and it pops up in other genres as well. The crack of the reverb and twang is hard to miss, but there have also been several bands that you might not expect to have done surf songs. For example, Johnny Thunders covered The Chantays classic “Pipeline” on So Alone in 1978 (it was also a staple of his live set), The Replacements did “Buck Hill” on 1983’s Hootenanny, even members of Devo formed a band called The Wipeouters and released their own unique take on the surf genre titled P’ Twaaangg!!! in 2001.

On this episode of Revolution Surf, we will feature several surf songs by bands you might not expect to have done a surf song, in addition to a selection of new and old international surf bands. This program will also feature friend of the show and graphic designer/illustrator extrrodinaire Greg Maxwell (also known as The Ugly Vision).

Check out the most recent episodes/playlists of Revolution Rock below:

Show 1023 (Originally Aired January 27th, 2024)(Positive People, Brian Eno, Big Star, Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, The Verlaines, Devo):

1.  Window Lamp - Screen Zombie 
2.  Private Lives - Get Loose 
3.  Positive People - Siren 
4.  Positive People - Another Self 
5.  Merin - A Place That Time Forgot 
6.  Packs - AmyW 
7.  Corridor - Mourir Demain
8.  Paul Jacobs - Expensive 
9.  Outta Controller - Gimme Nothin’ 
10. Hot Garbage - Mystery
11. Brian Eno - Baby’s On Fire 
12. Brian Eno - Blank Frank
13. Big Star - Mod Lang
14. Big Star - September Gurls
15. Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changin’ (Demo)
16. Bob Dylan - The Ballad of Hollis Brown 
17. Muddy Waters - My Home is in the Delta 
18. Muddy Waters - You Can’t Lose What You Never Had 
19. Weed - Puncture 
20. Cameronoise - Hillbilly Heroin 
21. The Sweet Kill - Forbidden 
22. Devo - Ton O’ Luv 
23. Victor Dimisch Band - It’s Cold Outside
24. The Verlaines - New Kind of Hero 
25. The Terminals - Batwing 
26. The Expendables - Head for the Hills

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the January 27 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 1022 (Originally Aired On January 20th, 2024)(Shangri-Las, Packs, Ty Segall, Ducks Ltd.):

1.  The Shangri-Las - Dressed in Black
2.  The Shangri-Las - Dum Dum Ditty
3.  Packs - Missy
4.  Packs - HFCS
5.  Dana Gavanski - How to Feel Uncomfortable
6.  Sleater-Kinney - Untidy Creature
7.  Shadow Show - Aunt Maizy
8.  It’s All Meat - Feel It
9.  Ducks Ltd. - Train Full of Gasoline
10. Ty Segall - Egg Man
11. Sprints Shaking - Their Hands
12. Sprints - Adore Adore Adore
13. Spectres - AM Gold
14. Pissed Jeans - Moving On
15. Look Blue Go Purple - Safety in Crossword
16. The Great Unwashed - Born in the Wrong Time
17. The Axemen - Rocks in My Heart
18. The Fall - Room to Live
19. The Exploding Budgies - Hank Marvin
20. Fever Feel - Running Through An Open Door
21. Breeze - Disposable
22. Folly Group - Strange Neighbour
23. The Bug Club - Four Sisters
24. Rick White - Big Mess
25. Rick White - My Cage
26. Klark Kent - Thrills (Demo)
27. Women - Untogether

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the January 20 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 1021 (Originally Aired On January 13th, 2024) (Shadow Show, Dog Day, Joni Mitchell, Two Dollar Bill, Gram Parsons):

1.  Shadow Show - Mystic Spiral
2.  Daniel Romano’s Outfit - Field of Ruins
3.  Dog Day - Suffer Surfer
4.  Dog Day - Wasn’t It Nice
5.  Angel Face - You’re No Angel
6.  Imploders - What Do You Want?
7.  Psychic Void - Something Sweet
8.  Neil Young & the Santa Monica Flyers ft. Joni Mitchell - Raised On Robbery
9.  Joni Mitchell - People’s Parties
10. Gram Parsons - Return of the Grevious Angel
11. Two Dollar Bill & His Bad Pennies - Newfoundland Bullet (Live)
12. Bob Dylan - Can’t Wait (Version 2)
13. The DoubleHappys - Needles & Plastic
14. The Sneaky Feelings - Someone Else’s Eyes
15. Jean-Paul Sartre Experience - Jabberwocky
16. The Bats - Had to be You
17. The Gordons - I Just Can’t Stop
18. Tall Dwarfs - Shade for Today
19. Mo Troper - Citgo Sign
20. Diners - So What
21. Wetface - Man in Love
22. Aversions - New Whip
23. Ghost Woman - Highly Unlikely
24. Bog Moss - Dayglow Tree
25. Bloodshot Bill - You Gotta

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the January 13 file to download/stream the episode.

Revolution Bo Diddley & Show # 473

 

Often called “The Originator”, Bo Diddley has influenced everyone from Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, to The Velvet Underground, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley and The Yardbirds. It is suffice to say that his influence is everywhere. Bo Diddley had a signature beat which was based on African Clave rhythm, which is now viewed as a cornerstone of Rock and Roll music everywhere. Bo Diddley had a classically trained background in music, but became interested in the guitar at an early age. He would mix styles such as R&B, Blues, and African and church music blending the styles into his own unique sound. He once said that he played the guitar like he was playing the drums. He had this to say of his first single in 1955:

“I made 'Bo Diddley' in '55, they started playing it, and everybody freaked out. Caucasian kids threw Beethoven into the garbage can.”

And that couldn’t be anymore true, once he put out his first release in 1955, it made people rethink music, which as a result went on to influence some of the most influential artists of the 20th century in music. Bo Diddley was also known for his own specific type of guitar that was once called a “cigar box shaped” guitar by Dick Clark. This square shaped guitar was nick named “The Twang Machine” by Bo Diddley and was originally made by “The Originator” himself in 1958 so that he could jump around on stage more when playing live. In addition to these things, Bo Diddley was also recognized for his unique abilities as lyricist. Bo Diddley went on to release 24 full length studio albums, not counting singles and compilation albums. His influence is everywhere and his music is still relevant and influential today.

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For the next few week’s I will be filling in for the time slot prior to mine from 9 AM – 10:30 AM on CJAM 99.1 FM. Each of these shows will focus on Roots Rock oriented genres. This week the first hour and a half of music was devoted to Bo Diddley’s music and influence. He has a wealth of material and the show focused on his own material, covers done by other artists and some obscure Bo Diddley songs. The second half of the show was my usual mix of music you would find on Revolution Rock, playing several artists including two rare recordings from the MC5's Purity Accuracy boxed set.

Part One:
Revolution Diddley Play List:

1. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley (single - 1955)
2. Bo Diddley - Bring It To Jerome (Bo Diddley - 1958)
3. Bo Diddley - The Great Grandfather (Go Bo Diddley - 1959)
4. The Juvenilles - Bo Diddley (History of Northwest Rock Vol. 4 Battle of the Bands - 2009)
5. The Ugly Ducklings - Hey Mamma Keep Your Big Mouth Shut (Somewhere Outside - 1967)
6. The Gruesomes - I Can Tell (Gruesomania - 1987)
7. Captain Beefheart - Diddy Wah Diddy (single - 1965)
8. The Clash - You Can't Judge A Book By Looking At The Cover (Golden Bullets Bootleg - 2001)
9. Bo Diddley - Surf, Sink or Swim (Surfin' With Bo Diddley - 1963)
10. Bo Diddley - Aztec (Bo Diddley Is A Lover - 1961)
11. Super Blues (Bo Diddley, Little Walter, Muddy Waters) - You Don't Love Me (You Don't Care) (Super Blues - 1967)
12. Bo Diddley - Rock & Roll (Rare and Well Done - 1991)
13. Bo Diddley - Bo Meets The Monster (single - 1958)
14. Light Bulb Alley - Who Do You Love? (The Sound of Things - 2011)
15. King Khan & The Shrines - Crackin' Up (The Supreme Genius of - 2008)
16. Ronnie Hawkins - Who Do You Love (The Roulette Years - 1995)
17. The Pack A.D. - Blackout (Funeral Mixtape - 2008)
18. Jesus & Mary Chain - Bo Diddley is Jesus (Barbed Wire Kisses - 1988)
19. Bo Diddley - Pills (single - 1961)
20. New York Dolls - Pills (New York Dolls - 1973)
21. The Rolling Stones – Please Go Home (Between The Buttons - 1967)
22. Bo Diddley - Gunslinger (Bo Diddley Is A Gunslinger - 1960)

Download part one (Revolution Diddley) here.

Part Two:
Revolution Rock Play List:

1. The Seeds – Try To Understand
2. The Epics – Humpty Dumpty
3. Actual Water – Ivory & Oak
4. Gold Country – Carried Away And The Wind
5. Chad Vangaalen – Molten Light
6. J Mascis – Not Enough
7. Robin Tyner & The Hotrods – Till the Night Is Gone
8. Ultravox! – ROckWrok
9. The Terminal Sunglasses – Antenna Dilemma
10. The Catch – Competition
11. Chang-A-Lang – Vigilante Man
12. The Forgotten Rebels – Me Generation
13. X – Sugarlight
14. Joy Division – Disorder
15. Vic Goddard & The Subway Sect – Johnny Thunders
16. Fergus & Geronimo – Spies
17. The Howlies – Walk On Home
18. Raised By Weeds – Trip To The Ocean
19. Deja Voodoo – Bo Diddley's Cat
19. Deja Voodoo - My Girlfriend
20. The Fall – Mr. Pharmacist
21. The Hives – Find Yourself Another Girl
22. MC5 – One Of The Guys
23. MC5 – Sister Ann (W Sonic On Guide Vocals)

Download part two (Revolution Rock) here.

Subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Thunder Express...Show # 303

In March 1972, The MC5 recorded a live in studio session, it was also broadcast on TV. They recorded six songs at Herouville Castle in France, one of them being a new song and another being a cover of a Rolling Stones song ("Empty Heart"). The songs are available on a bootleg titled Thunder Express, but a remastered version of the song "Thunder Express" can be found on a greatest hits CD released by Rhino Records in 2000 titled Big Bang: The Best of The MC5. The song "Thunder Express" is itself one of the last original MC5 songs before their split. The song uses a standard blues pattern, but comes off with an original Rock and Roll intensity that matches songs such as "Sister Anne". The sessions feature English bassist Steve Moorhouse and was one of the last recording sessions the band did. This song along with three more songs that were recorded for the Gold soundtrack serve as the last original compositions by the band. The MC5 split in 1972/1973 following a live New Year's Eve show at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit.

More information about MC5 can be found in the following posts:

A True Testimonial: The Story of The MC5
MC5 Cover Artist Article

This Week's Play List:

1. 101ers - Surf City
2. 4/4 - Systematic
3. The Blitzz - So Free
4. The Fans - You Don't Live Here Anymore
5. The Victims - I Understand
6. The Perks - McPig
7. Silent Mercenaries - I Wanna Be An Accountant
8. Venus Envy - Hole in My Heart
9. Spiral Scratch - Nightcrawler
10. Dream Dates - Mess You're In
11. Regulators - What's in the City
12. Hot Hot Heat - Zero Results
13. Gemma Ray - Looking the World Over
14. Teenage Fanclub - The Fall
15. Dr.Dog - The Unicorn
16. The Saints - A Minor Aversion
17. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - At The Border, Guy
18. Albert Hammond Jr. - In Transit
19. Burnt Ones - Alright (Sha-La-La)
20. Simply Saucer - Dance the Mutation
21. Buzzcocks - I've Had Enough
22. MC5 - Thunder Express

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for June 8th. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

A True Testimonial...The Story of The MC5 & Show # 260

In 1964, The MC5 formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan. Short for "Motor City Five", the band consisted of Rob Tyner on vocals, Pat Burrows on Bass, Bob Gaspar on drums, and Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith on guitar. By 1965, MC5 had been experimenting with their sound and Pat Burrows and Bob Gaspar left the group. They would be replaced by Michael Davis on bass and Dennis Thompson on drums. This line up of the band can be seen as the classic line up of The MC5. Their music was influenced by Chuck Berry, Dick Dale, The Ventures, R&B and Soul music, and Free Jazz. They would also be influenced by bands such as Rolling Stones, The Who, Little Richard, Sun Ra and John Coltrane. They built up a following by securing a residency at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit. Soon they had audiences of 1000 plus, showing up their live shows, which were often radical and chaotic.

1967 saw the release of the MC5 single "I Can Only Give You Everything". It was also around this time that they acquired band manager John Sinclair. Sinclair was a previously a teacher, but soon became known for his political views and radical protests. His views were applied to The MC5's music and this would be evident on their first full length album, Kick Out The Jams. The album would be released through Elektra records. The band was signed by Danny Fields (who would also sign The Stooges).

Released in 1969, Kick Out The Jams was a live album. It was recorded on October 30th and 31st of 1968 at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit. The album is a live assault from beginning to end. It contains Proto-Punk classics such as "Kick Out The Jams", "Motor City is Burning", and "Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa). It also contained "Ramblin' Rose" a cover song and several other MC5 original compositions. The album also drew in some controversy from the bands record company due to the fact that Rob Tyner shouts "Kick Out The Jams Mother Fuckers!" before the song "Kick Out The Jams". This caused the record company to issue a censored version where the words "Brothers and Sisters" are used instead. This was rumoured to be done without the bands knowing. Despite this fact, the album went to #30 Billboard Charts, but this would be the bands last release on Elektra. They would be dropped shortly after.

Next the band signed to Atlantic Records. With Sinclair no longer being the bands manager, MC5's music displayed a new kind of energy. Their next album Back In The USA, was released in 1970. Produced by John Landau (who would later be known for his work with Bruce Springsteen), the sound and production of the album would be different than the bands previous efforts. The band and some fans stated their dislike for the album upon its original release, but fans of the band have since come to like the album. The album did not do as well as the bands first, it would reach #137 on the Billboard album charts. The album is sandwiched between two cover songs. It starts off with a cover of Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" and ends with the song "Back In The USA" by Chuck Berry. In between there are nine MC5 original compositions. Songs such as "Shaking Street", "Looking At You", "High School", "The American Ruse" and "Tonight" all show off the bands energy and love of music. It is pure Rock and Roll.

The bands third and final album High Time was released in 1971. The eight track album featured songs such as "Sister Anne", "Baby Won't Ya", "Over and Over", "Gotta Keep Movin'" and "Poison". The band was much happier with the production style of this album and experimentation took the bands Rock style to the next level. Songs such as "Future/Now" and "Skunk (Sonically Speaking)" are good examples of this. Since Back In The USA and High Time did not sell well, Atlantic Records dropped the band from the label. In February of 1972, bassist Michael Davis left the MC5, he was replaced by Steve Moorhouse. The band did one final recording session in London, recording three songs "Inside Out", Train Music" and "Gold". These songs were made for the soundtrack to a film titled Gold. After a New Years Eve concert at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit in 1972/73, The MC5 split up.

Following the bands break up, several of the bands members were involved with different music projects. Fred "Sonic" Smith formed the Sonic's Rendezvous Band. They only released one single "City Slang", although now there are numerous other songs from the band available. Fred Smith also married musician Patti Smith in 1980 and retired from music. On November 4th, 1994 Fred Smith passed away following a heart attack. Wayne Kramer returned to music in 1995 with the album The Hard Stuff and has since released numerous other interesting solo albums. Rob Tyner produced several bands and released several solo albums as well. In 1991, Rob Tyner (real name Rob Derminer) passed away following heart failure.

During the bands absence from playing live and releasing music, The MC5 have had a large influence on music going onto influence the likes of 70s Punk music and numerous other Rock music groups. In 2003, Wayne Kramer, Dennis Thompson, and Michael Davis reformed The MC5 for a live show in London. Nicke Andersen (of The Hellacopters) filled in for Fred Smith on guitar, and the vocals were covered by Dave Vanian (of The Damned), Ian Astbury (of The Cult), and Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead. In 2004, the band changed their name to DKT/MC5 and went on a world tour. This time the band included several other guest musicians such as Mark Arm (of Mudhoney) and Evan Dando of The Lemonheads. Starting in February of 2005, Handsome Dick Manitoba (of The Dictators) has been singing with the group.


Despite the fact that the MC5 only had 3 albums, The MC5 have several bootlegs out there. There are recordings of live shows, demos, and studio work. In 2004 a box set titled Purity Accuracy was released compiling band rehearsals, demos, and live recordings. There was also a greatest hits compilation released in 2000, titled The Big Bang!: Best of the MC5. In 2002, a documentary of The MC5 was made titled MC5: A True Testimonial, which is highly recommended.

Play List:

1. Undertones - You've Got My Number (Why Don't You Use It)
2. Luger Boa - I Wanna Girlfriend
3. True Lovers - Guilty Pleasure # 9
4. Them - You Just Can't Win
5. James OL & The Villains - Last Lemmings Over The Cliff
6. Muddy Waters - Tom Cat
7. Chuck Berry - Jaguar and Thunderbird
8. The Sonics - Shot Down
9. Two Star Tabernacle - Sixteen Tons (Live)
10. Ugly Ducklings - I Wish You Would
11. Teenage Head - Let It Show
12. The Spys - I Wanna Be Like You
13. Lost Patrol - In Your Eyes
14. The Famines - Free Love is a Sales Technique
15. Supergrass - Sun Hits The Sky
16. Heat-Ray - C`mon C``mon C`mon
17. The Pixies - Where is My Mind?
18. Mudhoney - Ounce of Deception
19. MC5 - Call Me Animal
20. MC5 - Gold
21. The Saints - No Time
22. Clap Clap Riot - Thief
23. Dirty Pretty Things - Tired of England
24. Magazine - I Love You You Big Dummy (BBC Session)
25. The Kinks - Apeman

To download this week's show visit the CJAM archives and select the files 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on August 4th, 2009.

MC5 Videos:

Black To Comm (1967)
Kick Out The Jams (Beat Club)
Kick Out The Jams (Live Wayne State University 1970)
Ramblin' Rose
Looking At You (Live)