Anyone remember the politically subversive 60s rock band the MC5?

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

They were formed in Detroit (MC for Motor City) in 1964. They’ve been called the innovators of punk rock in the 60s before the Ramones. One listen to their hit Kick Out The Jams and you’ll know why. The lyrics of their songs were anti-establishment and they had ties to the far left including the Black Panthers and the founder of the White Panthers, John Sinclair, who was their de facto group manager. They appeared at the protests of the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago and played for over eight straight hours when the other acts didn’t show up. Only Phil Ochs, Neil Young, and Country Joe and the Fish made it to the protest concert.

Here’s their protest song Motor City Is Burning about the 1967 Detroit 12th street riot where 43 people were killed and nearly 500 wounded by the police and National Guard. Almost 2,000 buildings were destroyed and over 7,000 people arrested. It was one of the deadliest riots in U.S. history and started when police roughed up the black patrons of an after hours club in a raid which led to open fighting in the streets for five straight days.

This is an example of the group’s blusier sound. By the way, I love the thick, fat blues tone that lead guitarist Wayne Kramer gets out of his Orange amplifier and that vintage Epiphone Wilshire guitar.

Here’s an example of the punk sound of the group that proved to be very influential on the later punk rock movement. This song has been covered by Blue Oyster Cult, Rage Against The Machine, and several others.

[MiddleFingerMom]

1. I saw them at the Lake Odessa All-Day Music Fest in September of 1972.

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I heard about the festival at the last minute and thought it was a 3-day event. I tried to get some housemates
to go with me (we had a pseudo-commune in a Jackson, Mich apartment), but I realized that if I didn't leave
RIGHT away, I was just going to keep getting stoned with everyone else and not make it, so I left at midnight
the night before the show.
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Scrounged for food. Left with a baggie of sunflower seeds in one pocket and a baggie of Froot Loops in the other.
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30 minutes to hitchhike the first 25 miles or so... 5-1/2 hours to hitchhike the last 5-10 miles.

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Tickets were $8 and I had $8 in my pocket.
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Got picked up by a van full of hippies the last 5 miles, who bought me breakfast at a diner and, when we got
to the show and found that tickets at the door were $10, gave me the other two dollars.
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Much pot. The last 3 bands were The MC5, Ted Nugent (in between his Amboy Dukes and Gonzo periods, before
he went wingnut) and Bob Seger (in between his Bob Seger System and Silver Bullet periods).
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The MC5 were the WORST out-of-tune, out-of-timing garage band you could ever imagine and they were fucking
INCREDIBLE. SO much energy. They called fans onto the stage with them and eventually it was shoulder-to-shoulder
and the promoter came out, took the mike away and told the crowd if they didn't get off the stage, they were gonna
shut the show down. The singer grabbed back the mike, said, "FUCK HIM... THIS IS YOUR SHOW NOW!!!" and they
finished their set.
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They were amazing.
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[hibbing]

2. Kick out the jams m' f'er n/t

[PufPuf23]

3. LOUD!! Saw then at Fillmore West in SF 69 or 70 nt

[Zorra]

4. Sure, I remember MC5. Kind of early garage blues punk crossed with "psychedelic"

rock. They mostly had/have a dedicated cult following.

Ever heard this one? It's early proto garage punk, and it's one of the first songs I learned to play on the guitar.

[olddots]

5. only about 30 years ahead of the times

[abq e streeter]

6. Hell yeah.

[kwassa]

7. Wayne was married to Patti Smith, wasn't he?

Detroit was a great music town.

[abq e streeter]

10. That was Fred "Sonic" Smith

[Moondog]

8. Sure. Kick Out The Jams!

[nomorenomore08]

9. Before my time but... YES!