Line #31 Music/MC5


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MC5.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Brothers, it's time to testify and I want to know, are you ready to testify? I give you a testimonial: THE [=MC5=]! The classic lineup, from left to right: Fred "Sonic" Smith, Dennis Thompson, Rob Tyner, Wayne Kramer, Michael Davis]]
3
4	->'''''"KICK OUT THE JAMS, [[PrecisionFStrike MOTHERFUCKERS!]]"'''''
5	-->-- '''[=MC5=]''', "Kick Out the Jams"
6
7	The [=MC5=] were a highly influential rock band from UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}} (their name meaning "Motor City 5"), active between 1964-1972. They're known for being one of the leading {{Protopunk}} bands (alongside the Music/VelvetUnderground and Music/TheStooges--incidentally from Ann Arbor, which isn't far from Detroit--among others) that helped inspire the PunkRock movement.
8
9	Oh, and they were also one of the first bands, along with Music/TheFugs, to [[PrecisionFStrike put out a song with the word "fuck" in it uncensored]].
10
11	The band's members were:
12	* Rob Tyner - vocals
13	* Wayne Kramer - guitar, backing vocals
14	* Fred "Sonic" Smith - guitar, backing vocals
15	* Michael Davis - bass
16	* Dennis Thompson - drums
17
18	The band had a short career, releasing only three albums before breaking up. However, these albums proved to be [[TropeMaker enormously influential]]. Boasting Kramer and Smith's furious guitar playing, Tyner's strong vocals, and the solid support of the Davis-Thompson rhythm section, the sheer energy and fury of the band combined with the undoubtedly {{Epic Riff}}s they wrote and their "back-to-basics" rock 'n roll sound became a key influence on PunkRock. While their debut album ''Music/KickOutTheJams'' ([[RunningGag MOTHERFUCKERS]]) is one of the most highly acclaimed live albums ever made, their other albums ''Back in the USA'' and ''High Time'' aren't anything to sneeze at either.
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20	While everybody loves [=MC5=]'s volatile proto-punk sound, nobody is really rushing to emulate their far-left politics and affiliation with radical groups such as The White Panther Party (through their manager John Sinclair). To be fair, even they didn't last more than a year in their extreme political affiliation and had a falling out with Sinclair.
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22	Wayne Kramer died on February 2, 2024, at the age of 75, leaving Dennis Thompson the last surviving member of the [=MC5=].
23
24	Discography:
25	* ''Music/KickOutTheJams'' (1969) - LiveAlbum
26	* ''Back in the USA'' (1970)
27	* ''High Time'' (1971)
28	----
29	!!Tropes:
30
31	* AuthorFilibuster: ''Kick Out the Jams'' (MOTHERFUCKERS) opens with a long speech by the band's "spiritual advisor" Brother J.C. Crawford before they kick into the first song.
32	* TheBandMinusTheFace: Kramer, Thompson, and Davis reunited the band in 2003 and have toured since without Smith or Tyner, who both died.
33	* CoverVersion: "Ramblin' Rose" by Music/JerryLeeLewis, "Motor City Is Burning" by Al Smith, "I Want You Right Now" by... some guys, "Tutti Frutti" by Music/LittleRichard and "Back in the USA" by Music/ChuckBerry.
34	** "Kick Out the Jams" (MOTHERFUCKERS) itself has been covered quite a bit. And Music/{{The Damned\|Band}} have made their cover of "Looking at You" a concert staple.
35	* EpicRocking: "Motor City Is Burning", "Starship", "Sister Anne", "Future/Now"
36	* HighSchoolRocks: "High School"
37	* ImageSong: "Kick Out the Jams" ([[OverlyLongGag MOTHERFUCKERS]])
38	* NiceJewishBoy: Brother Wayne's Jewfro had a respectable circumference but Brother Rob's is an all-time great.
39	* PrecisionFStrike: KICK OUT THE JAMS MOTHERFUCKERS!
40	* ProtestSong: "Motor City Is Burning", "The Human Being Lawnmower", "The American Ruse", "Future/Now".
41	* PunkRock: Massive influence.
42	%%* RatedMForManly
43	* SubduedSection: "Motor City Is Burning", "Starship", "Future/Now", "Over And Over".
44	* SurprisinglyGentleSong: You know, for a RatedMForManly balls-out furious proto-punk band, they've got the way-out spacey "Starship", "Let Me Try" and the second part of "Future/Now".
45	* ThreeChordsAndTheTruth: What else?!

Context Music / MC5