MC5 - Back in the USA

Written By: Moti Kupfer

Release date - 15.01.1970

Not once, not twice, have I praised of the city of Detroit and its immense contribution across the entire musical spectrum, but why listen to me at all? Just look at Alice Cooper, an uncompromising glam rock provocateur who moved to the Motor City to form his band. Cooper believed Detroit was the epicenter of a developing subgenre he called “Angry Hard Rock”, and he repeatedly pointed to MC5 (short for “Motor City Five”) as one of the city’s most dominant and extraordinary forces.

Cooper said there was nothing like "MC5" anywhere else in the US. Their sound was a blazing mix of hard rock, blues, free jazz, touches of psychedelia, and a remarkably unique tone, topped off with a James Brown–style stage performance.

Cooper was far from alone in his admiration. "MC5’s" debut studio album, “Back in the USA”, inspired generations of musicians, among them "The Clash", "Motörhead", "The KLF", and "The White Stripes". Tom Morello went even further, writing that “they basically invented punk rock.”

"MC5" were formed in 1963 in Lincoln Park, Michigan, out of two local rock bands, “Vibratones” and “Bounty Hunters”. As some members left for college, the more committed musicians regrouped under the leadership of Wayne Kramer, eventually solidifying a lineup that could already draw enough crowds around Detroit to quit their day jobs and live off the band.

Kramer felt the group needed direction and brought in Rob Derminer, a few years older than the rest and deeply immersed in Detroit’s radical political underground. Derminer initially auditioned as a bassist, briefly filling the role in 1964, but it quickly became clear that his real strength was as a frontman. His commanding stage presence and booming baritone voice reflected a deep love of American soul and gospel. He soon renamed himself Rob Tyner, after jazz pianist McCoy Tyner, and stepped fully into the role of vocalist. Management duties eventually fell to Ann Marston, a former national archery champion and beauty queen.

The classic "MC5" lineup featured vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred “Sonic” Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson. Tyner also coined the band’s new name, "MC5", a direct nod to their Detroit roots. By 1965, with Davis and Thompson in place, the band had fully stabilized.

Musically, "MC5" reflected Kramer and Smith’s growing obsession with free jazz. Both guitarists drew inspiration from Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp, Sun Ra, and late-period John Coltrane, as well as from Sonny Sharrock, one of the few electric guitarists working in a free-jazz context. The result was a raw, fused style unlike anything heard before in rock music.

Playing almost nightly across Detroit and its surroundings, "MC5" quickly earned a reputation for ferocious live performances. Rock writer Robert Bixby described their sound as “a catastrophic force of nature barely under the band’s control.” Fans likened the aftermath of an "MC5" show to a delirious exhaustion similar to that following “a street fight or an orgy.” Their stage shows were confrontational and theatrical, sometimes involving unloaded rifles and simulated assassinations, while LSD and marijuana were part of the band’s daily reality.

By the summer of 1968, "MC5" had become leaders of the emerging hard rock scene, mentoring local bands such as The Stooges and The Up. Major labels began circling. Politically, the band was heavily influenced by Black Panther ideology, activist Fred Hampton, Beat poets like Allen Ginsberg and Ed Sanders, and modernist thinkers such as Charles Olson. Under the guidance of radical poet and activist John Sinclair, "MC5" became deeply involved in leftist politics.

National attention arrived with their debut album, "Kick Out the Jams", recorded live in October 1968 and released in January 1969. The album caused immediate controversy, most famously due to the shouted line “Kick out the jams, motherfuckers!” A public backlash, combined with a highly publicized dispute involving Detroit retailer "Hudson’s" and "Elektra" Records, ultimately led to "MC5" being dropped by the label and signing with "Atlantic".

Their second album, “Back in the USA”, produced by John Landau, later known as Bruce Springsteen’s mentor, was a radical departure. Instead of raw live chaos, Landau pushed the band toward tightly structured, fast, and furious rock and roll, effectively laying down a blueprint for punk rock. The production was cleaner, the songs shorter, and the energy more focused. Apart from Tyner’s unmistakable voice, the band was almost unrecognizable compared to “Kick Out the Jams”.

The album embraced youthful themes with tracks like "High School" and "Teenage Lust", alongside covers of Chuck Berry and Little Richard, yet it never abandoned "MC5’s" rebellious core. Songs such as "American Ruse", "Human Being Lawnmower", and "Call Me Animal" carried a sharper political edge, rooted in the band’s firsthand experiences at events like the 1968 Democratic National Convention protests against the Vietnam War.

"American Ruse" stands as one of MC5’s defining moments, using tight, relentless rock and roll as a weapon against what the band saw as deception and hypocrisy within the U.S. government. It remains a powerful example of how “Back in the USA” balanced raw teenage energy with militant political awareness, securing its place as one of the most important proto-punk albums ever recorded.

For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music

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