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Rating:
The album I am about to review is the second album following the explosive debut of the MC5 with "Kick Out the Jams". This second album by MC5 titled "Back in the Usa", in honor of Chuck Berry, was produced by music critic Jon Landau, future producer of Bruce Springsteen and Shania Twain, and perhaps for this reason it is much more ''mellow'' than their debut, being a mix of blues rock, garage rock, rock, and proto-punk. Now I will proceed to the actual review of the album.
The album opens with the cover of Little Richard's famous 1955 song Tutti Frutti, which the MC5 make much more rock while not losing the cheerfulness of the original version. The second track, Tonight, is a great blues rock/rock track and the track after Teenage Lust follows its lead, although it makes the song more engaging, ending with a great drum piece. Let Me Try, on the other hand, is a ballad that I would define as psychedelic rock style with sounds that remind me of Planet Caravan by Black Sabbath, for example....
Looking At You, on the other hand, is a fast-paced garage rock / proto-punk track that brings back the sound of their debut, just like the next track, High School, with the same sound although Davis' bass is very present, and I would further define it more as a proto-Ramones song than a proto-punk one.....
Call Me Animal is a garage rock track in every respect, but the next song, American Ruse, is a song that lashes out against the hypocritical idea of freedom taught in the United States, and remains one of the most beautiful tracks on the album.
Shakin' Street, in my opinion, remains the worst track on the album, a song I find repetitive and filler amid an underrated album. In the next song, The Human Being Lawnmower, the MC5 lash out against the Vietnam War.
The last song is a cover of the Chuck Berry single from 1955, his song Back in the USA, which is not completely overhauled by the group.
Weighing up this album, I would say it is not like the debut, "Kick Out the Jams" but perhaps precisely because of this, it is underrated, though it remains a good album. One of the weaknesses of the album in my opinion is its duration of only 28 minutes with 11 songs present.
TRACKLIST
1-TUTTI FRUTTI (Little Richard cover)
2-TONIGHT
3-TEENAGE LUST
4-LET ME TRY
5-LOOKING AT YOU
6-HIGH SCHOOL
7-CALL ME ANIMAL
8-THE AMERICAN RUSE
9-SHAKIN' STREET
10-THE HUMAN BEING LAWNMOWER
11- BACK IN THE USA (Chuck Berry cover)
LINEUP
Rob Tyner - vocals
Wayne Kramer - guitar
Fred ''Sonic'' Smith - guitar
Michael Davis - bass
Dennis Thompson - drums
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Tonight (02:29)
First Verse
Sittin’ In The Classroom
Feel Your Heart Goin’ Boom
You Start To Get The Feelin’
And Your Head Begins To Reelin’
And Ya Can’t Hear What The Teachers Say
Because The News Is Going Down
About The Rock And Roll Dance In Town
And You Know I Just Gotta Hear That Band Play
Chorus
Tonight X 6, Oh Tonight
Second Verse
Well, Tuesday Got The Letter
The Army Thinks I Better
Get Myself Down There Right Away
It’s Not That I’m Lazy
I’m Just Too Crazy
To Be Goin’ Doin’ Things That Way
Because The Kids Will Be In Town
And The Jams Will Be Going Down
I Wanna Do Things The Natural Way
Repeat Chorus
Bridge
Every Day You Can Hear ‘em Say
Ya Gotta Get Down In The Usa……tonight
Ok Kids………….It’s Rockin’ Time
Guitar Solo
Repeat Bridge
Third Verse
Sun Starts Goin’ Down
I Call My Girl Up On The Phone
I Said I’ll Pick You Up At Eight
At Last We’ll Be Alone
I Hop In My Machine
You Know I Gotta Make The Scene
Dancin’ Through The Crowd
Say The People Goin’ Wild
When The Bands Really Rockin’
Theres Just No Stoppin’
My Girl Begins To Twirl
The Room Begins To Whirl
It’s Outta This World
It’s Outta This World
Repeat Chorus
Hey Now Everybody I Gotta Get Movin’
I Gotta Muscle Me Up Some Action
Well I’ll See You All Later
Well Bye Bye
03 Teenage Lust (02:36)
Back in Lincoln Park where I was mostly raised
Hanging around town where I got totally crazed
Surrounded by bitches who wouldn't give it in
Who thought that getting down was an unnatural sin
I'd whisper "Baby baby help me, you really must,
I need a healthy outlet
For my teenage lust"
So I moved into the city to improve my chances
I chased them at the bars and I grabbed them at the dances
They'd huggy snuggle kissy but they'd never go all the way
They'd cringe like in terror when they hear me say
"Baby baby help, you really really must
I need a healthy outlet
For my teenage lust!"
Yes I do now baby, my teenage won't make
Away much longer
I really need release
It means so much to me
How can a young Midwestern boy
Live in such misery?
Then one day I had the perfect plan
I shake my ass and scream "Get a rock'n'roll band!"
From now on there'll be no compromising
Rock'n'roll music is the best advertising
"Baby I can help, you know I got the guts
I'll be the healthy outlet
For your teenage lust!"
Come on darling come on baby
This teenage lust is driving me crazy
I gotta have it baby, I can't do without
When I got the feeling I got to work it out
I ain't got no time, for messing around
So come on bitch you've got to get down
Come on darling come on baby
This teenage lust is driving me crazy
05 Looking at You (03:03)
When it happened
something snapped inside
made me want to hide
all alone on my own
all alone on my own
I stood up on the stand
with my eyes shut tight
didn´t want to see anbody
feeling happy
having a good time, now hey
doing alright doing alright,
doing alright doing alright
Looked hard into the dancing crowd
felt like screaming out loud
I saw you standing in there
I saw your long
saw your long hair
opened up my eyes, baby
you made me
realize all I want to do
all I want to do now, girl
is look at you looking at you baby,
look at you, looking at you baby
yeah, yeah, hey
Looked hard into the dancing crowd
I felt like screaming out loud
all I wanna do all I wanna do
all I want to do
is look at you looking at you, baby
look at you, looking at you baby
looking at you looking
at you looking at you, baby
you baby you baby you baby, yeah
06 High School (02:42)
(Woh, come on)
The kids want a little action
The kids want a little fun
The kids all have to get their kicks
Before the evening's done
'Cause they're goin' to
(High school) rah, rah, rah
(High school) sis, boom, bah
(High school) hey, hey, hey
You better let them have their way
They only wanna shake it up, baby
Dance to the rockin' bands
They only want a little excitement
They like to get a little outta hand
'Cause they're goin' to
(High school) rah, rah, rah
(High school) sis, boom, bah
(High school) hey, hey, hey
You better let them have their way
/ INSTRUMENTAL /
The kids know what the deal is
They're getting farther out everyday
We're gonna be takin' over
You better get out of the way
'Cause we're goin' to
(High school) rah, rah, rah
(High school) sis, boom, bah
(High school) hey, hey, hey
You better get out of the way
(High school) rah, rah, rah
(High school) sis, boom, bah
(High school) hey, hey, hey
You better get out of the way
(High school) rah, rah, rah
(High school) cha, cha, cha
(High school) hey, hey, hey
You better get out of the way
(High school) rah, rah, rah
(High school) cha, cha, cha
(High school) hey, hey, hey
You better get out of the way
(High school) rah, rah, rah
(High school) sis, boom, bah
(High school) hey, hey, hey
You better get out of the way
07 Call Me Animal (02:06)
First Verse
I Take A Laser Beam And I Use It Like A Stone Axe Baby
I Take The Present, Past, And Future Mama, And Blast
It Out My Thorax -Hey, Hey, Hey…
Chorus
Call Me Animal, That's My Name
Call Me Animal, I'm Not Ashamed
Call Me Animal, This Is Your Hour
Call Me Animal, You've Got The Power
Second Verse
I Use The Juju Of My Ancestors
To Drive This Piece Of Meat
I Scream The Music Of The Pleistocene
Just Because It's Got A Good Beat, Hey, Hey
Chorus
Call Me Animal, That's My Name
Call Me Animal, I'm Not Ashamed
Call Me Animal, This Is Your Hour
Call Me Animal, You've Got The Power
Animal, Animal, Animal, Animal
Chorus
Call Me Animal, That's My Name
Call Me Animal. I'm Not Insane
Call Me Animal, This Is Your Hour
Call Me Animal, You Got The Power
Animal, Animal, Animal, Animal…..( Repeat To Fade )
08 The American Ruse (02:31)
They told you in school about freedom
But when you try to be free they never let ya
They said "it's easy , nothing to it"
And now the army's out to get ya
Sixty nine America in terminal stasis
The air's so thick it's like drowning in molasses
I'm sick and tired of paying these dues
And i'm finally getting hip to the American ruse
I learned to say the pledge of allegiance
Before they beat me bloody down at the station
They haven't got a word out of me since
I got a billion years probation
Sixty nine America in terminal stasis
The air's so thick it's like drowning in molasses
I'm sick and tired of paying these dues
And i'm sick to my guts of the American ruse
Phony stars, oh no! crummy cars, oh no!
Cheap guitars, oh no! Joe's primitive bar... nah!
Rock'em back, Sonic !
The way they pull you over it's suspicious
Yeah, for something that just ain't your fault
If you complain they're gonna get vicious
Kick in the teeth and charge you with assault
Yeah, but i can see the chickens coming home to roost
Young people everywhere are gonna cook their goose
Lots of kids are working to get rid of these blues
cause everybody's sick of the American ruse
Well well well , take a look around !
Well well well , take a look around !
Well well well , take a look around !
Well well well , take a look around !
Well well well , take a look around !
09 Shakin' Street (02:21)
Little Orphan Annie and Sweet Sue too / They've been coming around / Gives 'em somethin' to do / Their mamas all warned 'em not to come to town / It got into their blood / Now they gonna get down / Shakin' street it's got that beat / shakin' street where all the kids meet / Shakin' street it's got that sound / Shakin' street say you gotta get down / Streetlight Sammy decided to make the trip / All the way from New Jersey / On his girlfriend's tip / He pulled into town and met Skinny Leg Pete / Said come here, boy I heard about the streets / I heard about the place where all the kids go / Now, I'm about to flip / I just gotta know about / Well the kids on shakin' street never give in / 'Cause all of their lives they've been livin' in sin / You know that they're bad / You know that they're mad / They take for the takin' / They shake for the shakin' / Shakin' Shakin' Shakin' / The folks keep complaining they find it so shockin' / All the kids wanna do is just keep on rockin' / They ain't got no time to think about stoppin' / They gotta get down and do a little stompin' / Now Sally Baker wants to shake her shaker / And Bobby C. says he's gonna take her to / Shakin' street . . .
10 The Human Being Lawnmower (02:24)
CAN YOU HEAR ME?
HOPE YOU CAN
LISTEN HERE CLOSELY YOU'LL UNDERSTAND
THERE'S AN ANCIENT RACE OF KILLER APES
THEY USED A THIGH BONE
MILLIMETER BY MILLIMETER
MILLIMETER BY MILLIMETER
SIX TIMES HOT AS THE SUN
DIDN'T MEAN TO HURT ANYONE
DIDN'T MEAN TO HURT ANYONE
SORRY, SORRY . . . YEAH
THEY'LL TRY AND FORCE YOU TO HELP THEM
DO WHAT THEY DO WHAT THEY DO
SO THEY'LL HUNT AND THEY'LL HOUND YOU
CHASE AND SURROUND YOU
TILL YOUR STANDING BEFORE
THE HUMAN BEING LAWNMOWER
CHOP, CHOP, CHOPââ
11 Back in the USA (02:26)
Well, oh well, I feel so good today
We just touched ground on an international runway
Jet propelled back home from overseas to the USA
New York, Los Angeles, oh how I yearned for you
Detroit, Chicago, Chattanooga, Baton Rouge
Let alone just to be back in Chuck Berry's old Saint Lou (Let me hear it once more!)
/ INSTRUMENTAL /
Did I miss the skyscrapers, did I miss the long freeway
From the coast of California to the shores of the Delaware Bay ?
Well, you can bet your life I did 'til I got back in the USA
(Come on, boy!)
/ INSTRUMENTAL /
Lookin' hard for a drive-in, searchin' for a corner cafe
Where hamburgers sizzle on an open grill, night and day
Yes, and a jukebox jumpin' with 'Welcome back in the USA'
I'm so glad I'm livin' in the USA
I'm so glad I'm livin' in the USA
Anything you want, they got it right here in the USA
I'm so glad I'm livin' in the USA
I'm so glad I'm livin' in the USA
Anything you want, they got it right here in the USA
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By nix
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