| | MC5 Back In The USA CD MC5 Discography of CDs
 (4 Customer Reviews)
Since it was impossible to top the in-concert exuberance of their debut, KICK OUT THE JAMS, the MC5 re-emerged with a more refined sound for their sophomore effort, 1970's BACK IN THE U.S.A., their first studio record. The music is comparable to other Detroit proto-punk rockers of the same era (the Stooges, Alice Cooper, etc.). As with the aforementioned peers, raw garage rock serves as the main ingredient for most of BACK IN THE U.S.A. Producer Jon Landau may have lessened the volatility of the MC5 as compared to JAMS, but the band was equipped with another great set of songs.
Two covers bookend BACK IN THE U.S.A.--an uptempo reading of Little Richard's rock & roll standard "Tutti Frutti" kicks things off in fine fashion, while the album-closing title track was originally done by Chuck Berry. The original material ranges from the abstract "The Human Being Lawnmower" to the heartfelt soul ballad "Let Me Try," a surprise highlight. Nervy, high-octane rockers bristling with pure adolescent energy--"Teenage Lust" and "Call Me Animal," among them--balance politically charged tracks like "The American Ruse." BACK IN THE U.S.A. may have been the MC5's most conventional album, but it is still an endlessly listenable rock & roll classic.
Originally released on Atlantic (8247).
Live Recording
MC5: Fred "Sonic" Smith (vocals, guitar); Rob Tyner (vocals); Wayne Kramer (guitar); Michael Davis (bass instrument); Dennis Thompson (drums).
Liner Note Author: Dave Marsh.
Additional personnel: Danny Jordan (keyboards).Rolling Stone (5/14/70, p.52) - "...Chuck Berry simply oozes from the album...a very conscious attempt to do for teenage America what the rock and roll of the Fifties did instinctively and naturally--create a young community of spirit, affection, excitement, and self-conciousness..." -Greil Marcus
Entertainment Weekly (9/11/92, p.90) - "...MC5 played simple songs with ferocious, claustrophobic energy, taking cues from Chuck Berry and setting an incendiary rock & roll standard that still stands..." - Rating: A
Q (7/93, p.110) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...The finest hours of Detroit's nearly men, MC5...[the album] opts for a crackling, toppy sound...an energetic reinvention of classic rock moves spiced with their radical politics..."
Alternative Press (11/92, p.79) - "...Harnessing their manic energy to an extremely precise rock & roll format, producer Jon Landau and the band created an unique no-frills sound which has endured as one of punk's ancestral inspirations....A furious testament..." MC5 Back In The USA Songs Back In The USA Music Review Average Rating: (4 out of 5 stars)   A Rock and Roll Classic!
Song for song I'd have to rank this (slightly) ahead of Kick Out the Jams. Almost every song is a rock & roll / power pop gem, but the absolute highlight, of course, is Looking At You -- their seminal 2-chord wonder that helped spawn the punk movement. OK, maybe that's an exaggeration (lots of songs, esp from Detroit bands) can make this claim. Other gems include American Ruse, High School, as well as Tonight and Shakin' Street (which borders on mellow). Every rock and roll fan should have this album without question.
Submitted by Jason (New York, NY) 
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5 star for two songs
whilst i do believe that mc5 contributed greatly to the rock idiom's originality (that free jazz streak was really original) they always tended to have too many bad songs in their few albums. On the other hand the american ruse and shakin street are two absolute must as far as i am concerned.
Submitted by christophe (london, england)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Jeez!
This album totally rocks, it's possibly slightly light on the bass, but it rocks as hard as 'Kick Out The Jams' but with more catchy songs and less experimental soloing.
Submitted by eddtipton (Hereford, England)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No  Talk about your average Yawn Festival
This CD Sucks. It sounds like it was recorded in a bushel basket. Recording: F Performance: F+ A garage band that should of never left the garage. I rest my case.
Submitted by Johnny (I live in a van down by the river)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 0 of 2 found this helpful.
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Purchase Back In The USA CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Black Sabbath Master Of Reality CD (1971)
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The album's opening track, "Sweet Leaf," a salute to one of the band's favorite smokeable substances, contains one of metal's heaviest guitar riffs, courtesy of Tony Iommi. Another eternal band favorite is the grim, post-nuclear war tale "Children of the Grave." Vocalist Ozzy Osbourne is in fine voice on "After Forever" and "Lord of this World," while the more tranquil "Solitude" and the instrumental Iommi compositions "Embryo" and "Orchid" offer a bit of variety. Though not quite ...
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While the title track is the album's best-known song, SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH proved to be another in a long line of 100% filler-free records from Ozzy and co. Highlights included the creepy "Who Are You?," plus the Tony Iommi riff-mongers "A National Acrobat," "Killing Yourself to Live," and "Sabra Cadabra," a song that Metallica would cover on its 1998 release GARAGE INC. You'll also find one of Sabbath's most haunting yet serene instrumentals, "Fluff," ...
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PARANOID proved to be Black Sabbath's most focused, consistent, and successful record. Leaving behind the amorphous, extended jams of their debut for focused songs and a more structured sound, Black Sabbath virtually wrote the book on heavy metal with the ominous, unforgettable riffs, thunderous rhythms, and dark themes on this release. There are some up-tempo rockers, the famous title track for one, but for the most part PARANOID oozes along like a bad dream, as on the slinky, creepy opener, "War Pigs," or the lumbering thud of "Iron Man" (which boasts one of the most indelible electric guitar riffs in rock history).
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By the end of the '70s, though Black Sabbath remained a top concert draw, its albums had become increasingly erratic and sub-par when compared to its earlier master works. Singer Ozzy Osbourne's growing disillusionment with the band had reached a boiling point, especially after it took so long to complete 1978's NEVER SAY DIE, the original line-up's final album. Though the album's title might suggest that the band had reconciled its differences (Osbourne had already left the band once previously, only to return shortly afterwards), the turmoil spilled over onto the recording.
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Unhappy with the more cultivated sound of their sophomore release BACK IN THE U.S.A., the MC5 returned to the barnstorming rock & roll that characterized their debut, KICK OUT THE JAMS, on their third and final album, 1971's HIGH TIME. While JAMS was a live recording, HIGH TIME was created in the studio, but does manage to retain the rough and spontaneous edge of their debut. Unfortunately, the album didn't serve as the MC5's big commercial breakthrough (although it deserved to), and the quintet broke up in a shroud of bickering and drug abuse soon after.
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