Search - Mc5 :: Big Bang: Best of the Mc5

When Rock Really Meant Rebellion

Joseph P. Darak Jr. | Gallup, NM United States | 11/06/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
I bought this cd in a nostalgic mood to obtain the notorius song Kick Out The Jams which has stuck in my head since my youth. I had no memory of any other Mc5 song. Wow, what a pleasant surprise to be hit with an hours worth of high energy, blistering, mind expanding, even thought provoking rock with a radical/rebellious attitude. All the songs are good. It's a very energizing experience. You get a garage rock sound on the first 3 tracks, then a fury of revolution rock, then some relatively layed back tracks from their second album that are interesting and stand on their own, a precurser to the punk sound. The tracks from their 3rd album are my favorites. The song skunk attempts with great success to merge hard rock with the free form jazz sound of Sun Ra. I think that ones a masterpiece. The final song was recorded after the third album when they unsuccessfully looked for a new record deal. It's a great high energy driving rock song. This group was talented, and ahead of their time. It's too bad they didn't continue. The direction they were heading in was full of amazing possibilities. This is a great album. I wish there was more rock music today that sounded like the Mc5. They stand the test of time. Rock Rebellion at its best."

Rock N Roll

RubberShoez | Bedford, TX USA | 07/01/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I love this CD. This is real Rock N Roll. It's all I need when driving down the interstate on a hot summer day. If you're a casual MC5 fan, this is the only CD you really need to kick out the jams."

Ka-boom!

R. Mix | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 08/05/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There aren't many bands who would feel at home on the 'Nuggets' box set and a Sun Ra tribute CD. But one, a bunch of radical Detroit garage punks with free-jazz hearts would--the MC5.



Their short-but-influential career was besotted by almost too much choice. Like unruly children, all three MC5 albums go off in different directions. Not the best way to build an audience, even in the anything-goes climate of the early-seventies. But Rhino's MC5 compilation 'The Big Bang!: Best of the MC5' pulls it all together, and builds a powerful case for the Motor City Five's legacy.



Opening with a locally-recorded single, "I Can Only Give You Everything" points the way to 1969's 'Kick out the Jams', with its hard-as-nails riff and pounding beat. Two more singles follow before 'Bang!' sinks its archival teeth into 'Jams'. This is the MC5 at their most feral and brilliant. The transcendant metallic chaos of "Kick out the Jams", "Ramblin' Rose", "Come Together" and "Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)" ensues.



'Bang!' then turns its attention to 'Back in the U.S.A.', a 1970 attempt to focus the MC5's free-ranging muse on a song-oriented album. The collection does a good job of presenting 'U.S.A.'s strengths, and even adds weight to 'U.S.A.'s anemic production. "Tonight", "Teenage Lust", "The American Ruse" and "The Human Being Lawnmower" sound far-better than I remember. ("Ruse" is one example of why the MC5 were the target of so much law enforcement attention.)



But following in the wake of 'Jam's wild-eyed radicalism, the comparatively tame 'U.S.A.' failed to chart. That left the band in dire financial straits, and desperately needing to reconnect with their audience. 1971's 'High Time' was the result. And judging from the material presented on 'Bang!', possibly their best.



Abandoning the concise song structures of 'U.S.A.' (and producer Jon Landau), the MC5 stretched out and followed their free-jazz desires. "Sister Annie", "Over And Over" and "Skunk (Sonicly Speaking)" shine with inventive arrangements and instrumentation, and the blistering guitar tandem of Fred "Sonic" Smith and Wayne Kramer. But ultimately, 'High Time' failed to chart as well, providing the end, if not the means, for the MC5.



The MC5 never enjoyed a high profile front man ala the Stooges' Iggy Pop, making it unlikely their albums will ever see the remastered and expanded treatment accorded '1969' and 'Funhouse'. Which makes 'Bang!' all the more critical. It integrates material from five different sources into one cohesive document. One that secures the MC5's place as one of the most-influential bands to ever plug into an amp.



Pay whatever you need to get it, but get it. Yeah, it's that good.



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