MC5 - Kick Out the Jams
Released February ?, 1969
Rob Tyner, Wayne Kramer, Fred "Sonic" Smith, Michael Davis, Dennis Thompson
Genre: Proto-punk
Intro
MC5 is widely regarded to be one of if not THE first ever punk band. I have decided to try and find the earlier punk rock album in existence, and this SEEMS to be it. According to sources, this is the very first punk album and so therefor I'm going to review it. Crazy to think how far we've come since 1969. This album is a "live" album, so no actual studio album was recorded for these songs at the time. This is considered to be one of the most influential albums in punk history, and so here we go. How does it hold up to today's scene?
Thoughts & Feelings?
I am extremely excited to listen to this album. I have a feeling that I am not going to like it very much just because of the genre back in those days, but I am EXTREMELY excited to listen to this album. I have a feeling the quality of songs aren't going to be great.
This album makes me feel like... I'm in the alternate universe where The Crickets were the new heaviest band on the planet, but the name of the band is LITERAL, they're just a bunch of bug people smashing shit together and causing a big ruckus that the local parents don't particularly enjoy because it's too loud and it's Satan's music. I don't really know man, don't ask me to elaborate further.
It's actually extremely impressive what these guys were able to do back in 1968 when the two live concerts were recorded. It's very impressive. It's a little... absolutely balls to the walls though and I'm not exactly sure how I feel about the sound of everything but... sure why not. It's not a bad album.
Smash or Pass?
Ramblin' Rose - Smash. The vocals are fucking terrible but it's hilarious. I mean you can HEAR the early steps towards punk rock. The guitars are a bit harsher than normal back in those days. There's a pretty neat guitar solo that's cool to hear. Much appreciated. I do not like to listen to this song just because the vocals are fucking awful but it's still neat to listen to this song. I'm sure a cover of this song could easily fix the shit vocals. I hope the rest of these songs aren't like this but it's still neat to see. The ending guitar solo is pretty fucking great. A lot of elements to appreciate in this song so far.
Kick Out the Jams - SMASH. I really fucking love this song. I LOVE this song. This song is groovy as fuck and is super easy to listen to. I could easily put this in my playlist. I won't, but I could. This song is definitely more rock than punk, but that's okay the elements to begin with are there. I have a feeling this is going to be the best song on the album. Yeah this song kicks ass though, it's definitely enjoyable.
Sidenote, it's really interesting to see how many mainstream bands have covered this song. Go to YouTube and you'll see Rage Against the Machine, The Presidents of the Unites States of America, Blue Oyster Cult, Dave Grohl, etc. PRETTY fucking interesting and neat to see. I love that.
Come Together - SMASH. This song is ALSO very enjoyable. I thought this was gonna be a cover of the Beatles song, but apparently not. This song is definitely much more of a punk rock vibe than the last, and I fucking enjoy it. I have a feeling this is gonna be a short album. Makes sense. This song is great, the solo is pretty neat to hear, too. It's hard to say if I like this more than Kick Out the Jams, probably not but it's very close. I ESPECIALLY love the harsh feedback at the end. That shit is awesome.
Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa) - Smash. The FUCK is this? AYO WHAT? Hammer on and hammer offs? Is that what I'm fucking hearing?????? How the... what the fuck?? At 0.32 I hear it. What the fuck. That's fucking sick though holy hell. Yeah this song is pretty good but it is absolutely unhinged lmao it's like what the fuck is happening. Crazy that this shit was recorded like fucking 55 years ago. HOLY FUCK THAT ENDING SOLO WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON THIS SHIT IS SO GOD DAMN UNHINGED. HAHAHAHA. OKAY???
Borderline - Smash. This one was really great to start off but then all of a sudden the drugs kicked in and everyone is going fucking crazy and just yelling while the instruments are being played. I have absolutely no idea, this song is borderline batshit insane. I can't quite tell anything about this song it is just absolutely unhinged. Is there PALM MUTING IN THIS SONG? That's wild.
Motor City Is Burning - Smash. The fuck? This is definitely... interesting for sure. This is much more bluesy than I would like but whatever. That's fine. Yeah this is definitely more blues than punk rock but it's alright. Really not a lot to complain about, this was the norm in those days.
I Want You Right Now - SMASH. This is another bluesy song but it sounds much better and goes way heavier than Motor City Is Burning. This is a good song but again I wouldn't actively seek out this song or anything. It's just a pretty decent listen. All of a sudden it just becomes like a sex song though and I'm like what the fuck. THEN all of a sudden it becomes a murder scene and I'm like wHAT THE FUCK? This is a weird song but it's... pretty good actually.
Starship - SMASH. I fucking LOVE this one. Yeah this is DEFINITELY punk rock. I absolutely love this one to the point where I'm just gonna make it a silver. This song does NOT feel like it's from 1968. Crazy how good this song sounds. This song just sounds like they started going fucking crazy. This is such a weird song but I fucking love it. I feel like I'm in a fucking horror movie. This song sounds like that one scene in Willy Wonka where he's in the tunnel and all the images of the bugs and shit are going off.
Conclusion
There are many elements in these songs that hold true that punk rock energy and feeling. There is a lot to appreciate from our predecessors. Would I listen to this album again? Sure, absolutely. Would I put any of these songs in my playlist or actively search them out later? Probably not. I mean, this band is great for what they were. They were the start of something EXTREMELY important. Respect your elders. I don't particularly LOVE this album, but there is much to appreciate.
RANK: B+
What do you guys think? Do you respect the oldies for setting the stage or do you think they're little compared to the giants these days? Let me know your thoughts down below. Love you all, happy Wednesday.
- Sharky
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