The agit-rockers from the "Motor City" Detroit took their motto ("Drop all inhibitions!") Literally. Hard, uninhibited and snotty, they rocked through their repertoire and are not without reason considered the forefathers of punk alongside the Stooges. The sheer energy of the quintet around guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, later Patti Smith's husband, still electrifies to this day. "We were punk, before punk. We were new wave, before new wave. We were metal, before metal. We were even" MC "before Hammer." So Rob Tyner, the singer and frontman of the MC5, in 1991 (the year of his death) about his band. And if you listen to the speech at the beginning of the gig in Detroit's Grande Ballroom by John Sinclair (manager of the MC5),
"Brothers and sisters, I wanna here some revolution out there. Brothers and sisters, the time has come for each and every one of you to decide whether you are gonna be the problem or whether you are gonna be the solution. Are you ready to testify? The MC5! " And just like that, the riffs of "Ramblin 'Rose" ring out - a fast, pounding pre-punk song. "Kick Out The Jams" then really ignites the revolution. (In 1969 a lot of US record stores refused to stock this album, claiming it was obscene !!). More garage rock punk classics follow, until "Motor City Is Burning" proves the groove and the skilful improvisation talent of the band Band's talent for improvisation. "I Want You Right Now" and "Starship" a cover of Sun Ra then take this to the extreme. A true masterpiece, one of the best live albums ever, simply ahead of its time! Now available on vinyl again.
