The MC5 – Looking At You
The MC5 – Teenage Lust
The MC5 – Let Me Try
In my book you’d be hard pressed to find a better year than 1970 in American Rock’n’Roll. That year saw a lot of mighty fine releases, including Loaded, the final Velvet Underground record and Lick My Decals Off, from Captain Beefheart, but in my mind three stand out, particularly for their influence on hard rockin’ music in the ensuing decades. I’ve already covered one of the records in this trinity, the Flamin’ Groovies’ Flamingo, the other is from the Stooges, Funhouse, and then this one rounds out the set, Back In the U.S.A. by the Motor City Five.
After all that wildness on their debut live record, you might have expected “USA” to sound closer in spirit to the Stooges “Funhouse,” but with direction from first time producer John Landau, the band crafted something that must have been unexpected to many of their fans. A stripped down, lean sound that was real focused and a stark contrast to the washes of feedback and careless playing on Kick Out The Jams. However, of their three records, this one seems to capture all the myriad, seemingly contradictory, aspects of the band most fully, their love of 50s rock’n’roll and rhythm & blues (“Tutti Frutti,” and the title cut), radical politics (“American Ruse” and “The Human Being Lawnmower”), and good old-fashioned (well I guess not that old fashioned at the time) youthful hedonism (“Tonight,” and “Shakin’ Street”).
I think the first time I heard this record it was difficult for me to enjoy it, since “Kick Out The Jams” was my introduction and “High Times” was the second thing I heard. This record barely seemed like the same band. But over the years this one is the record that has my favorite MC5 tracks, especially “Looking At You,” which is my “Teenage Kicks,” just a perfect rock’n’roll song that I could listen to on repeat for a year and never grow tired. For the life of me though, I can’t explain why Wayne Kramer’s solos continually grab me. If I think about them they seem pretty simplistic, the first one just goes up and down the fretboard, no big whup, on the second one he basically just plays the same two notes for 15 seconds then some trilling and we’re back to feedback sustains, but how everything comes together within the context of that rhythm, Tyner’s vocals and that feedback on the sustains just drives me wild every single time. If we ever have kids, this will likely be the first song that they learn to sing (okay…maybe the second one after this).
“Teenage Lust” and “Let Me Try” follow each other on the album and present interesting counter-points. “Teenage Lust” is the quintessential sex-obsessed and sex-starved teenage anthem, where our hero only finds “release” once he starts to “shake my ass and sing in a rock’n’roll band.” Coming directly after all of that, it’s possible to take “Let Me Try” as insincere. It almost sounds like the subject of “Teenage Head” running game on some groupies, but (particularly spurred by my wife who absolutely adores “Let Me Try”), I refuse to be cynical about the sentiment and see it as one of the sweetest and most heartfelt rock songs of any time.
In recent years there have been a couple of reissues to include alternate takes from these sessions, including a superior version of “Shakin’ Street.” I’m hopeful that this record will one day get the kind of lavish boxed set that the Stooges’ Funhouse received in 2000. It certainly deserves it.
Cheers,
Michael
Added bonus, here are the boys “performing” “American Ruse” on the Lively Spot, which I believe was a Detroit area show. I just can’t imagine a similar song being played on a similar show in our contemporary cultural landscape, which probably speaks to how relevant “American Ruse” is after 40 years…