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Rating: In your opinion, what is the first truly hard, violent, and devastating album in the history of rock? Well, without a doubt, I say "Kick Out The Jams" by the MC5 (Motor City Five), released back in 1969. These five guys from Detroit managed to create an album nothing short of explosive, surpassing the ordinary limits of rock already with their first album.
Recorded live in 1968 (on Halloween night) at the Grande Ballroom, which was one of the few places in Detroit where local bands could get known, "KOTJ" is a fundamental album for subsequent generations, influencing more than one genre, from punk to garage, from hard rock to metal, especially thanks to the supersonic riffs of Wayne Kramer and Fred Smith and the revolutionary screams of Rob Tyner.
John Sinclair, a very important figure in Detroit, was crucial in discovering the MC5, embracing their reactionary spirit by supporting the political lyrics of the songs and was also the mastermind behind the successful live dimension of "KOTJ", which kicks off with "Ramblin' Rose" characterized by Tyner's falsetto voice and the rawness of the guitars. And then Tyner unleashes chaos by shouting their battle cry, "Kick Out The Jams, motherfuckers!!!", their most well-known track. The riffs are sharp, the solos very acidic, Dennis Thompson's drums and Michael Davis's bass are relentless, and the ending is an abomination of distorted sounds. "Come Together" gives no escape, the power of the riff overwhelms you, a great song; "Rocket Reducer No.62" is characterized by the radio-friendly chorus, with Tyner continuously repeating I'm the man for you baby (along with the nonsensical phrase Rama lama fa fa fa), then an orgasmic solo surprises you before the final frenzy; "Borderline" especially showcases the group's collective vigor, pure energy. "Motor City Is Burning" is a long blues ride that slightly lowers the tone, but the quality remains high; "I Want You Right Now" has an eternal riff, many bands in the coming decades will copy it. The conclusion is entrusted to "Starship", eight minutes of hallucinogenic trip, something overwhelms you and you don't realize it, the guitar distortions break your legs in two, Tyner's voice takes you to a parallel universe from which it is difficult to escape, but the end comes and you can't think that a greater finale couldn't exist for a concert that only a few unsuspecting lucky ones can say they saw.
It's a pity that the MC5 did not maintain the greatness expressed in this album: later they made decent but not exceptional albums, they brushed success but didn't achieve it, they remained a semi-unknown group unlike their fellow citizens the Stooges who kept away from politics, presenting themselves to the public with the allure of ambiguity and transgression. Nonetheless, "Kick Out The Jams" will remain an immortal album that every rock music enthusiast should own.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Ramblin' Rose (04:15)
Love is like a Ramblin' Rose
The more you feed it
The more it grows,
Ramblin'Rose, Ramblin'Rose,
Come on home
Ramblin' Rose,
Is such a ball
Diamond rings
And a Cadillac car,
Ramblin' Rose, Ramblin' Rose
Come on home
Ramblin' Rose
Ramblin' around,
Ramblin' Rose
I'm gonna put you down
Ramblin' Rose, Ramblin' Rose
Come on home
Love is like a Ramblin' Rose
The more you feed it,
The more it grows
Ramblin' Rose, Ramblin' Rose
Come on home
I need a Ramblin' Rose
Ramblin' Rose
(repeat 'til end)
02 Kick Out the Jams (02:52)
Kick out the jams motherfuckers !
Yeah! I, I, I, I, I'm gonna
I'm gonna kick 'em out ! Yeah !
Well i feel pretty good
And i guess that i could get crazy now baby
Cause we all got in tune
And when the dressing room got hazy now baby
I know how you want it child
Hot, quick and tight
The girls can't stand it
When you're doin'it right
Let me up on the stand
And let me kick out the jam
Yes, kick out the jams
I want to kick'em out !
Yes i'm starting to sweat
You know my shirt's all wet
What a feeling
In the sound that abounds
And resounds and rebounds off the ceiling
You gotta have it baby
You can't do without
When you get that feeling
You gotta sock'em out
Put that mike in my hand
And let me kick out the jam
Yes ! Kick out the jams
I want to kick'em out
( guitar )
So you got to give it up
You know you can't get enough Miss Mackenzie
Cause it gets in your brain
It drives you insane
With the frenzy
The wigglin guitars girl
The crash of the drums
Make you wanna keep-a-rockin'
Till the morning comes
Let me be who i am
And let me kick out the jam
Yes, kick out the jams
I done kicked em out !!!
03 Come Together (04:29)
I AM OUT YOU ARE IN
LET US FORM A LINK
AND MOVE IN RHYTHMS
SLIDE APART AND SLIDE APART
COME TOGETHER YES
TOGETHER IN THE DARKNESS...
COME WITH ME
LET US DANCE THE
LET US DANCE THE DANCE
THE DANCE FROM WHICH ALL DANCES COME
YES TOGETHER IN THE DARKNESS
ASTOUNDING OHH
TOGETHER MAMA YES YES YES
TOGETHER MOMMA YES YES YES YES
ALL THE GUIDING RHYTHMS OF THE
ALL THE NERVE THAT TAKES A LOVER
NIPPLES STIFFEN, NIPPLES STIFFEN,
NIPPLES STIFFEN MAMA
LET ME GIVE TONGUE TO IT YES
LET ME GIVE TONGUE TO IT YES
TOGETHER IN THE DARKNESS... COME WITH ME
YES YES YES TOGETHER MOMMA
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES WOW!
OH GOD, IT’S GETTING CLOSER
OH AND WHEN IT GETS CLOSER
OH GOD IT’S SO CLOSE NOW
GOD IT’S SO CLOSE YES YES YES
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
ALL RIGHT BUILD TO A RISING
BUILD TO A GATHERING
BUILD TO A QUAKING
BUILD TO ERUPTION
BUILD TO A PEAK AND
FALL GASPING OVER
TOGETHER YES TOGETHER IN THE DARKNESS
OWWW! NOW, NOW, NOW, OWWW! YOWWW!
04 Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa) (05:41)
After some good tokes and a six pack
We can sock 'em out for you
Till you're flat on your back
You know i got to keep it up
Cause i'm a natural man
I'm a born hell raiser
And i don't give a damn
I'm the man for you baby
I'm the man for you baby
I'm the man for you baby
I'm the man for you baby
I'm the man for you
Workin' here before your momma
soakin wet
You think you're satisfied
You ain't seen nothing yet
I said WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA'AM
I'm a born ass pincher
And i don't give a damn
(chorus)
lead…
Rama lama fa fa fa…
You can lay it down on me, momma
Any old time
We can shimmy so good
We'll both be stoned O-Mind
I'm irresistably bad
The cooles' what am
Robin Tyner's the name
And i kick out the jams
(chorus)
05 Borderline (02:54)
I'm at my borderline
I'm at my borderline
Love you girl, but I just don't know why
I, have to love you so.
When I make love to you
when I make love to you
Love is true, but I just don't know why
I, have to love you so.
Need you girl, can't say why
come on over here, love me now
you know you know, you got to know,
you're movin around, pushin me past
my borderline, yeah yeah.
It's about time
it's about time
Love you girl, but I just don't know
why I have to love you so.
Need you girl, can't you feel
I just got to know, if it's real
Big and strong, hard and fine,
but you're movin around, pushin me past
my borderline, yeah yeah
ooooooooooh, ooooooooooh
I'm at my borderline
I'm at my borderline
I'm at my borderline
06 Motor City Is Burning (06:04)
Ya know, the Motor City is burning babe,
there ain't a thing in the world that they can do.
Ya know, the Motor City is burning people,
there ain't a thing that white society can do.
Ma home town burning down to the ground,
worser than Vietnam.
Let me tell you how it started now ...
it started on 12th and Clairmount that morning.
It made the beat cops all jump and shout,
Ah said, it started on 12th and Clairmount that morning,
It made the pigs in the street freak out.
The fire wagons kept comin', baby,
but the Black Panther snipers wouldn't let them put it out, wouldn't let them put it out, wouldn't let them put it out.
Guitar solo "get it on ... "
Well, there were fire bombs bursting all around, people, Ya know there were soldiers standing everywhere.
I said there was fire bombs bursting all around me, baby, Ya know there was National Guard everywhere.
Ah can hear my people screaming.
Sirens fill the air, fill the air, fill the air.
Guitar solo
Your mama papa don't know what the trouble is
you see, they don't know what it's all about.
Ah said, your mama papa don't know what the trouble is, baby,
they just can't see what it's all about.
Read the news, read the newspapers, baby?
You just get out there in the street and check it out!
Guitar solo
Ah said, the Motor City is burning, people,
I ain't hanging round to fight it out.
Ah said, the Motor City is burning, people,
just not hang around to fight it out.
Well, I'm taking my wife and my people and ???
Well, just before I go, baby, ???? ,
firemans on the street, people all around,
Now, I guess it's true,
I'd just like to strike a match for freedom myself,
I may be a white boy, but I can be bad, too.
Yes, it's true now, yes, it's true now.
Guitars, end
"Let it all burn! Let it all burn!"
08 Starship (08:24)
Starship, starship take me
Take me where I want to go
Out there among the planets
Let a billion suns cast my shadow
Starship, starship take me
Stretch our legs in time and space
Take a passage through the vacuum
Let me feel the stars burnin' on my face
Ten for the gravity, checkpoint
Nine for polarity, checkpoint
Eight for the (?)
Seven for the prismatic time warp
Six for the spirit of the captain, captain
Five for the power of the nucleus nebula
Four for the eyes, ears, nose, think, feel, speak
Three for the many levels
Two for the chromosome
One for the energy
One for the energy
One check
One check
One check
One check
One check
One check
Leaving the solar system
Leaving the solar system
Leaving the solar system
Leaving the solar system
Leaving
Leaving
Leaving
Leaving
It's cold in sunfire glory
From this point I rise to infinity
There is a land whose beauty is almost
Unimaginable to the human mind
In a daze we stand there and look further
Than the ordinary eye can see
Children, far above the roof of this world
We can encompass vistas of the worlds
There is a land where the sun shines eternally
Eternally, eternally
Out there in outer space is a living
Blazing fire so vital and alive
That it burns our eyes to witness it's spendor
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Other reviews
By telespallabob771
MC5 represents what the world could have been today.
Listening to them, it’s hard not to nod and smile, and think about how to make a change.
By Sempresolointer
Kick Out The Jams is the proof that people like Wayne Kramer and Rob Tyner can change music.
They just wanted to scream their anger and play like crap and this was the secret of the already mentioned Iggy Pop.
