MC5 (short for Motor City Five) was a hard rock band formed in Detroit, Michigan, USA in 1964 and active until 1972, comprising Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitars) Michael Davis (bass), Rob Tyner (vocals), and Dennis Thompson (drums).
Finding relatively little success during their career, apparently in spite of landing on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in 1968, the MC5 are now seen as an important hard rock group: their three albums are regarded as classics, and they exerted an influence on hard rock, metal and especially punk rock. All three original MC5 albums are available on CD. The Atlantic label albums are handled by co-owned Rhino Records.
Beginning in Detroit, the MC5 quickly earned a reputation for their live performances. They became accquainted with fellow South-Eastern Michigan bands The Stooges and Up, and major record labels expressed an interest in the group. As related in the notes for reissued editions of the Stooges' debut album, Danny Fields of Elektra Records came to Detroit to see the MC5. At Kramer's recommendation, he went to see the Stooges. Fields was so impressed that he ended up offering contracts to both bands.
The MC5 established themselves with their first album, Kick Out the Jams, recorded live on October 30 and 31, 1968. Containing such songs as the proto-punk classics "Kick Out the Jams" and "Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa", heavy blues number "Motor City is Burning", and the spaced-out Sun Ra cover "Starship", the album is generally regarded as one of the best live rock and roll records. Critic Mark Deming notes that Kick "is one of the most powerfully energetic live albums ever made ... this is an album that refuses to be played quietly."[1] Contemporary rock writer Robert Bixby stated that the sound of the MC5 was like "a catastrophic force of nature the band was barely able to control."
The album caused some controversy due to the title track's rallying cry of "Kick out the jams, motherfuckers!" (censored to "Kick out the jams, brothers and sisters!" on later pressings of the LP; restored to the original lyrics when released on CD) and manager John Sinclair's inflammatory liner notes (Sinclair was politically active with the White Panther Party and Fifth Estate). According to Kramer, the MC5 of this period was politically influenced by the "intercommunalism" of Fred Hampton and the Black Panther Party.[2][[ The MC5's 1968 release of their extended cover of John Lee Hooker's "Motor City is Burning" praises the role of Black Panther snipers during the Detroit Insurrection of 1967.
Their second album, Back in the USA, produced by future Bruce Springsteen mentor Jon Landau, virtually provided a prototype for punk rock with its short, fast, hard-edged angry guitar rock. Their third album, High Time would also prove influential on 1970s hard rock bands like Aerosmith and KISS. Both Back in the USA and High Time lost money for Atlantic Records, which dropped the band.
On February 13, 1972, Michael Davis left the band. The remaining members recorded three new songs - "Gold," "Train Music," and "Inside Out" - in London shortly afterwards for the soundtrack of a film called Gold. This would be the band's final recording session. The band broke up shortly afterwards amidst drug-related problems.
2003 saw the three surviving members of MC5—Kramer, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson—performing as MC5 at the 100 Club in London with Fred 'Sonic' Smith's place being taken by Nicke Andersson of The Hellacopters, vocal chores being filled by David Vanian of The Damned, Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, Ian Astbury of The Cult, and singer Kate O'Brien, as well as seeing Charles Moore and Buzzy Jones reprise their roles in the brass section from the High Time album.
In 2004, the band set out on an extensive world tour using the name DKT/MC5. As with the 100 Club concert, a host of special guests joined them on tour such as Mark Arm of Mudhoney, Nicke Royale of The Hellacopters, Evan Dando of The Lemonheads, Marshall Crenshaw, and others. Since February 2005, Handsome Dick Manitoba has been singing lead for the band.
Fred "Sonic" Smith formed a new group called Sonic's Rendezvous Band and released several albums; he later married singer Patti Smith and retired from music to raise a family.
Wayne Kramer made scattered appearances on other people's records before being incarcerated for drug offences (whilst in prison, Kramer was unexpectedly reunited with MC5 bassist Michael Davis, also behind bars on a drug charge). Since his release, Wayne Kramer returned to the music industry, and has released several solo albums.
Singer Robin Tyner died in 1991, and guitarist Smith died in 1994.
2003 saw the three surviving members of MC5—Kramer, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson—performing as MC5 at the 100 Club in London with Fred 'Sonic' Smith's place being taken by Nicke Andersson of The Hellacopters, vocal chores being filled by David Vanian of The Damned, Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, Ian Astbury of The Cult, and singer Kate O'Brien, as well as seeing Charles Moore and Buzzy Jones reprise their roles in the brass section from the High Time album.
In 2004, the band set out on an extensive world tour using the name DKT/MC5. As with the 100 Club concert, a host of special guests joined them on tour such as Mark Arm of Mudhoney, Nicke Royale of The Hellacopters, Evan Dando of The Lemonheads, Marshall Crenshaw, and others. Since February 2005, Handsome Dick Manitoba has been singing lead for the band.
