Line #9 Music/MC5 - TV Tropes


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.
19
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.
21
22	Wayne Kramer died on February 2, 2024, at the age of 75. Dennis Thompson died on May 8, 2024, also at the age of 75, effectively putting an end to 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