Reviews (page 2 of 7)
This was so fun, and absolutely remarkable for the time they did it. And it’s their debut album too? Omg
This kicks so much ass on so many levels. Fred Smith and Wayne Kramer are both fucking unreal guitarists, capable of blasting out both simple riffs/power chords and incendiary solos, and sounding absolutely incredible either way. Dennis Thompson and Michael Davis are such a powerful rhythm section; Thompson’s drumming in particular reaches Moon-like status at certain points. Rob Tyner has the perfect voice for this project, and he delivers the political messages of these songs with all the urgency they deserve. In terms of musical prowess and adventurousness, as well as pure visceral expression, they’re right up there with The Stooges and Velvet Underground as the most important groups of this genre and time period. I think this completely rules in almost every single way. 4.5/5
a joyous eruption of fiery, inspirational rock and roll
very cool, wish I had seen this one live
Bliss. The drive, the energy, the excitement!
Yes. Yes!
Banger
I can answer most of the complaints about the album’s sloppiness with “that’s punk rock, baby.”
Mosrites
MC 5stars, motherfuckers!
but what time is love
based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based based
Pretty important stuff here. A great listen from a fundamentally impactful band.
Hell yes. If all '60s music sounded like this, the Baby Boomers would have actually accomplished something.
Snarly, gnarly, not a garden party. So way ahead of its time. Just rip roaring fabulous.
You’d be hard pressed to find many bands willing to issue a live recording as their debut album, but such was the lore and magic of the Motor City 5 and their de facto residency at Detroit’s Grande Ballroom. They were a band with a lights-out rhythm section, a potent guitar attack in Wayne Kramer and Fred “Sonic” Smith, and a rock and roll emcee frontman in Rob Tyner who had clearly studied the greats like James Brown and Cab Calloway. What’s amazing about them is how they were creating a powerful noise racket that was way ahead of its time and building the template for punk, yet they were also dutiful and reverent historians of rock, blues and even jazz. In a perfect world, they would have gone on to rule the ‘70s. Alas, the world wasn’t ready for their revolutionary political rhetoric, their sonic bombast or probably even the callous use of the word “motherfucker."
FIVE STARS, MOTHERFUCKERS! (also, how fucking prescient is that opening monologue!?)
Didn't know. Great.
Fucking shit yeah, now that is a great record! Wayne is such a killer guitarist
"Brothers, it's time to testify and I want to know, are you ready to testify? Are you ready? I give you a testimonial, the MC5"!!!! F.... yeah!!!!!
On fire.
High octane rock from a bunch of fellas that can barely play their instruments or sing worth a shit....loved it.
KICK OUT THE JAMS MOTHAFUCKAAAAAAA!!!!
Fantastic
Genuinely a spiritual experience of an album. Holy hell what an absolute destroyer. Motherfuckin’ righteous rust belt rage.
One of the greatest live albums of all time; pure energy. 10/10 Best Tracks: "Ramblin' Rose" "Kick Out the Jams" "Come Together" "Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)" "Borderline" "Motor City Is Burning" "I Want You Right Now"
faltam palavras pra descrever um disco tão perfeito. MC5 e Stooges são o melhor do garageiro proto-punk alto e barulhento
Aptly named album Has barroom brawl energy As guitars battle
4.5
This album, for me, is kind of like an inside-out shit sandwich. The first and last numbers are the shit, and the "bread" is on the inside. I think bread is a good description too, because all those middle tunes comprise no-frills, staple rock and roll fodder that satisfies completely, even if the taste is nothing special. At least, they satisfied me enough to forgive the shit on the outside and give this album five stars, and to add it to my Tidal library.
Brash and sexy, bring on the noise
4.5
This has every different kind of rock on it! Punk, psych, & roll, blues! Great fun.
Goddddammmmnnn right!
Ammen dét her er tæske fedt! Den skal spilles næste gang der er bal, med alle dem som kan lidt spar 2!
What a fantastic album! I really loved the thrashy, heavy, punk sound from this band. I never heard of them until now and I will definitely keep this album in my records! So good! Favorite Song(s): "Kick Out the Jams", "Rocket Reducer", "Motor City Is Burning"
Rama lama fa fa fa!
I don't get it. How can your debut album also be a live album. It's like the chicken and the egg. Did the music some first or the tour. In order to tour, you've gotta have music that people have listened to, which, you know, requires an album unless you were playing on the corner or in the subway. Anyway, live album.... but then again... this can't possibly be a compilation because they don't have any other albums in order to compile from. What a quandary I'm found myself in. Well, given that they compiled something out of nothing...
I think the most remarkable thing about this is that it’s late 60s. If it was I’m the late 70s I could get it. But this ran way ahead of its time.
ahhh that is where kiss got their sound from
10/10 genius proto-punk, absolutely loved this I would love to start listening to their other stuff
4.5 this is amazing and so not what i was expecting! the first song set the bar high but the rest didn’t disappoint. i also listened to jeff buckley’s cover of the titular song and it’s stunning. mc5 were wayy ahead of their time this shit still slaps even though i don’t usually enjoy live albums. hard to choose a favourite but i want you right now followed by starship is one of the best song pairings i’ve heard in a while and such a good end to the album. there were moments i found myself tuning out of and i don’r remember being blown away by borderline hence the reduction of .5 but really overall i had an amazing time with this.
Are we allowed to give 7 stars?
Fuck you! This is the high society, this is the real high society!!! 🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕
Generally don't care for live albums, but I wanna be part of the solution, man!! Fuck yeah!!!
Man, 1969, what a time to be alive. And this album is ALIVE. Absolutely electric. You can hear a revolution. You can hear everything that punk rock would become. It goes 0-60 in 3 seconds flat and never takes any 1 of those 10 feet off the gas. (Except for in those pesky fade-outs which seem entirely unnecessary today and are probably just a relic of where and when this album was mixed. And honestly, there’s a bit of of character and appeal in that imperfection. A certain marinade for the raw flavor dished up across all 8 tracks.) I’ve never listened to MC5 or heard of this album. But this is just awesome. Great, great live album. THIS IS THE HIGH SOCIETY. I dig the experimental bend in “Starship” but don’t dig that song as a closer. This needed a high energy encore to take us home. 4+, rounding-up-to 5 STARS! Also just so great to hear a punk band behind before there was any inclination of what a punk band was. A punk band pulling on all their influences from rock n roll, to blues, to drawn-out, experimental droning. Just following taste and natural inclination, these 5 created something wholly new. Not unlike that which that other 5—Grandmaster Flash’s—created with the Message.
L O U D
Pure Pre-Punk, Detroit style. Power rock at its finest.
Might be a 5. This is right, electrifying, and a taproot for my favorite features in music. Kick Out the Jams was of course a stellar song but that intro, and every other song was blistering
Great punk album! I loved it!
More bands should make their live albums their first album.
This album totally rocked! Super impressed, one of the best punk albums—or live album I've ever heard. Had never heard of these guys but will dig into them more and for sure being replaying this. Really resonated with me upon first listening.
Hard fast 60s in your face rock. Totally my style.
"Brothers and sisters, the time has come for each and every one of you to decide whether you are going to be the problem or whether you are going to be the solution." Well, this record is undoubtably the solution. Absolute masterpiece.
Find me another punk band who can play seven quality songs and then record the absolute insanity of Starship; Won't be easy. The solos leave something to be desired. That about sums it up: This was an energizing listen, stands up against the intervening decades of music, and still sounds like it's coming from the bottom of a dirty bucket. What more can a guy ask for?
Holy fuck. Let me repeat that just in case you didn't catch it the first time. HOLY FUCK. The energy emanating from this album could power all the homes in Detroit for a year. It's rare that a band's debut album is a live album, but I can see why in this case. It's hard to overstate the power of this album and its importance in the history of rock n' roll. Gotta give it up to my motor city homeboys the MC5. 5 stars.
KICK OUT THE JAMS MOTHERFUCKERS PREFS: TOUT MOINS PREF: RIEN
Let's be honest with ourselves, live albums are a bit shit, that's just a fact. Capturing the magic of a great band live is nigh on impossible. So if this truth is held to be self evident and Kick Out The Jams is this good, MC5 must have been an absolute force of nature to see live in person. This is everything that is good about rock n' roll - heavy, high energy, raw, intelligent, super cool, sleazy, punky, bluesy - all the good adjectives. So effortlessly iconic that they have the dubious honour of having their logo worn by teenager influencers who wouldn't know a white panther if it jumped up and bit a hole in their $100 t-shirt. KICK OUT THE JAMS MOTHER FUCKER!!!
First time listening to MC5, and Iv had this on repeat all day. This is one of the best live albums Iv ever heard. Brilliant and can see the influence this band had on punk music that was to follow. The mix of blues and garage rock and the raw aggression and high energy makes it a five star album in my book.
Fantastic album one of the best live albums of all time - Raw true insperaters love this album
Great performance, great songs!
I'd heard this before, thanks to The KLF and Primal Scream. It really is phenomenal, lightning in a jar energy. Wish I'd been there, dude.
So much fun
chaotic, rebellious energy, motherfuckers!
Great album
One of the all-time great live records. Definitely a favorite of mine.
I WANNA SEE SOME REVOLUTION
Garage rock with true punk spirit. Points off for being a live album and the weird falsetto vox on the opener.
Didn’t know what to expect and was thrown by the intro and even more thrown when the first track kicked in. That vocal was strange! But after that it was an absolute joy to listen to. Gone was the weird vocal, and we got a full on rock, blues, metal-ish rousing album. Loved it.
Exploding chaos of ramshackle high energy. I love the furious spirit of this overdrive blues jam proto-punk freakout, but I wouldn't drop the needle on it everyday.
What they lack in musicianship, they more than make up with charisma. I’d take this over some pretentious pube-dying prog crap any day.
Classic Rock. Dig it
Better than Coldplay
iwie nice
Aujourd'hui on se tape un gros morceau, un gros morceau du genre de ceux qui ont redessiné la carte du rock mondial. L'album Kick Out The Jams est un joyeux bordel, un melting-pot infernal qui crépite d'éléments garage rock, de blues poisseux, de hard rock naissant et même de space rock complètement perché. Le groupe se payant même le luxe de petites sessions de jam et d'improvisations sauvages, notamment sur le titre "Spaceship", qui ressemble à un décollage de fusée foiré sous acide. Pour l'époque, c'était d'une lourdeur absolument colossale, presque terrifiante. On est clairement plus proche du heavy metal naissant et des délires surwattés de Blue Cheer que de la pop gentillette qui squattait les ondes. Avant de commencer, il faut être honnêtes deux minutes : la production et la qualité sonore globale ne sont ni les meilleures du monde, ni les pires. C'est juste correct, brut, sans fard. Les tonalités des instruments sont parfois carrément bizarres, presque stridentes, mais c’est ce qui fait le charme de la chose. Côté écriture, c'est du solide, les chansons sont mémorables et, miracle pour un album de cet acabit, elles sonnent toutes différemment les unes des autres. Les paroles sont bonnes, même si elles restent très superficielles. Mais le vrai miracle de Kick Out The Jams, c'est la performance pure, car le groupe déborde d'une énergie brute, lourde, pleine d'angoisse adolescente et rebelle. Rob Tyner est phénoménal au chant, accrocheur en diable avec sa voix de baryton survoltée. Le duo de guitaristes formé par Wayne Kramer et Fred Smith est tout simplement dantesque, lourd et puissant. Kramer pousse même la chansonnette sur "Ramblin' Rose". Derrière, Michael Davis assure grave à la basse et Dennis Thompson cogne sur ses fûts comme un bûcheron sous amphétamines. Et cerise sur le gâteau, même la pochette est réussie. Bref, une expérience d'écoute explosive pour un album qui n'a rien perdu de sa superbe. Pour apprécier cette immersion dans la fournaise de Détroit, il faut bien comprendre le séisme culturel que ce disque a provoqué en sortant des entrailles du Grande Ballroom. Quand on pose l'aiguille sur cette galette, ce qu'on prend en pleine poire, ce n'est pas une réédition polie ou un produit calibré pour nostalgiques en quête de sensations fortes, c’est le témoignage d'une époque charnière où le rock jouait sa peau sur chaque accord et refusait de s'aligner sur les standards commerciaux d'une industrie déjà bien trop propre sur elle. Il y a un sentiment d'urgence absolue qui transpire par tous les pores de cet enregistrement, une tension palpable qui s'explique aussi par le contexte incendiaire de la fin des années soixante où la jeunesse ne voulait plus simplement écouter de gentilles ballades mais avait besoin d'un exutoire sonore à sa hauteur. C'est précisément pour cela que l'album reste une référence incontournable de ce pavé de Robert Dimery, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, car il capture un instant de pure folie collective, un moment de grâce chaotique où la frontière entre la scène et le public explose complètement sous la pression d'un déluge de décibels. Kick Out The Jams, c'est l'album d'un groupe de gamins qui n'avaient pas peur de tout foutre en l'air et qui, par leur approche viscérale, lourde et irrévérencieuse, ont redessiné la carte du rock mondial bien avant que les majors ne récupèrent le moindre gramme de cette rébellion. En fin de compte, que l'on qualifie cette décharge de garage rock outrancier, de blues muté sous stéroïdes ou de hard rock balbutiant, l'important réside dans cette sincérité désarmante et cette absence totale de compromis qui continuent de hanter les platines plus de cinquante ans après sa captation. Si ce premier opus du MC5 demeure à ce point séminal, c’est qu'il refuse de vieillir ou de se plier à une quelconque analyse académique rassurante ; il s'écoute le potard de volume poussé à fond, dans un salon transformé en zone de combat, pour rappeler à quiconque s'est égaré dans la pop tiède ce que signifie réellement l'expression faire du bruit. C’est rugueux, c'est parfois discordant, mais c'est exactement cette imperfection magnifique qui en fait un chef-d'œuvre brut et la preuve ultime que le rock se vit d'abord avec les tripes.
Aye very good
This was class
8/10
Reipasta menoa oli. 4/5.
short and electric
This one rocks. Like actually rocks. It's raw and brimming with energy, to the point where you can actually hear the punk genre being birthed in real time. A lot of people would say it's a bit too rough around the edges, but to me that's where MC5's debut is at its finest. How has this eluded me for so long? A banger of a live album. Favourite track: Rocket Reducer No. 62 Least favourite track: Starship
i enjoyed it
A live album but a pretty damn fun one. There's some killer riffs and tracks here, and the energy of the live performance comes through the audio as well.
Ja jävlar. Ibland är live-album ändå ballt. Det är inte superavancerat precis, men energin och stämningen kommer tydligt genom lurarna. Tycker även det är rätt bra, i sin råa form!
An amazing document of a period in time - the MC5, kicking out the jams in rough, loud, manic, sweaty rock 'n' roll fashion. This is totally my 'jam', and I'm happy to keep kickin' it out on the regular.
So yesterday I gave Creedence props for being different in 1969. Clearly I know nothing about music in 1969 as this album was released the same year and is so far away from what I was expecting. I can see influences down the line from here. Light years away from Frank Sinatra who held the top single on the British charts in 1969 or The Seekers with the top album. Nothing really stood out in terms of I want to hear that again but this album is why I am here on the generator. Thanks.
It takes 5 seconds to know MC5 ain't messing around and it only takes 5 seconds more to know if it's your bag or not. Kick Out The Jams is in the pantheon of All-Time Bangers, a five star song if ever there was one, and the rest of the record isn't half bad either.
One I had heard of but never listened to. I am not a huge fan of blues rock but there is a visceral quality to this that I did really enjoy. I really enjoyed the guitar tone as well, which had a pleasing balance of clarity and fuzzy sludge.
Messy, raucous, sloppily played, terribly recorded but I really liked it. Just raw energy from both the band and crowd really captures the vibe of a gig well and despite there being other live recordings we’ve listened to so far, this has done it best. I’m struggling to articulate quite why this vibed with me despite my criticism of other albums being potentially quite picky and am now seemingly happy to put all that to one side. Maybe the songs are just that much better and played more with feeling rather than with a requisite amount of technical prowess.
Actually really awesome. Cool to hear proto punk
Another awesome live album….I guess I love live albums the most when they’re high-energy balls-to-the-wall affairs. This is certainly that. Must-listen #341.
real. visceral. rock. punk?
No idea? Omg! I never heard any of this before! Not a bit. This is 🔥 MC5, where have you been my whole life? I just wish the production was better. Wish I had been alive to see them live. Boolean rating: oh yes! Very glad to have heard before I die
Only know Kick out the Jams, pleasantly surprised but this album!
Hard as hell and before it’s time. Sounds like the 70s for sure. Also has some punk-esque energy at times. Surprised I’ve never heard of these guys.
This is a gem, a garage rock masterpiece of the highest, and lowest, order. I can't say there is a “great song” here. Maybe Kick Out The Jams but overall, it's the vibe, the attitude, the delivery, and the overall lack of professionalism that I just absolutely love. I'm being harsh, but the songs here are just an excuse for these guys to crank up the amps and, well, kick out the jams
Abrasive proto-punk that’s truly kicks ass. The live recording really helps with this. Definitely influential for the development of punk rock. Favorites were Ramblin’ Rose, Kick Out The Jams, Borderline, and I Want You Right Now.
81/100.
Stunning and energetic rock that sounds ahead of its time
4*
Lots of fun! Proto-punk is great! Good live sound, even with bad sound quality, great high-energy show.
Quite a gamble to start your discography off with a live album. This one is really iconic and influential, sounds like Punk music a decade before Punk. It feels like a bit of an unfocused mess though. The 60's extended Psychadelia fueled jams are in full effect here. Sometimes you're just listening to a wall of noise and feedback and guitar crunches. Still cool, but I prefer their tighter studio work.
Four stars motherf#%ker!
This album is... nice. Better than what I thought it would be considering how it started, but I had many expectations, and it's not near what I thought. I am going to be fair, and I'm not going to judge this album by my the way it corresponds to my expectations. It's pretty good. Actually, but it's not much of an enjoyable album, and there are things that don't work so well. It's a live recording, a very good one, but maybe the magic of the music in here would have sparked in the concert itself because, in audio, it's not that much. It's an album with good songs, some interesting parts, but not much more. It's not very enjoyable (at times it is, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't make me feel enthusiastic about it at all), but it's quite nice. The songs are good. There so much energy. Well, I've liked it, to be honest, but it hasn't impressed me much.
This shit is raw as fuck! Great live album, incredibly influential to punk music too
Alright so my version of the album is specifically titled "Kick Out The Jams [Live] [Japan Remastered]", i don't know if it's a different version of the Live album chosen because I'm using YT Music and not Shittify Right off the bat I can say that the cover of "Kick Out The Jams" by The Presidents Of The United States Of America is way better. Ending off with "Starship" was certainly, um.. an interesting experience! Overall, the concert recordings were pretty fun to listen to. Very impressive for its time of 1969. My favourite track is "I Want You Right Now" but the slurping and smacking their lips at the middle part f*cking killed me dude
Unknown to me but enjoyable
A really high energy live album. I normally hate live albums, but this one felt like you could pick up the crowd feeding off the band, and the band feeding off the crowd. They get very unglued about halfway through, like the speed wore off and they were running of whatever hallucinogenic mix they had cooking in their systems. I couldn't finish the last track. My Rating: 4/5
Quite liked it overall, a good sound
Lite 4, cool proto punk
Album #1,061 I heard this once before, I think, and I thought it was alright. This time, I thought it was a little better than alright. Energetic, loud rock that peters out at the end with some psychedelic stuff I didn't care much for. Other than that, great. It really reminded me off KISS' live stuff. The singing style just had to have inspired Gene Simmons.
Menudo arranque! Son cañeros, para reescuchar
4/5
I probably listened to this at some point previously, although I don't imagine I properly appreciated it. It's a live recording from 1969, so it sounds like shit, but this album fucking ROCKS. Obviously, "Kick Out the Jams" has a certain raw energy that made it such a famous statement of early punk, but most of the rest of this album has a similar smash-the-fucking-drumkit, start-a-bonfire energy. I imagine they got tired playing for eight damn hours at the DNC. What I wouldn't pay to hear that. Other highlights beyond "Kick Out the Jams" include "Ramblin' Rose" "Motor City is Burning" and especially "Rocket Reducer No. 62 - Talk". These dudes were real ones.
Can they play well or write complex songs? No. But, really, who gives a shit? There are far more important things happening on this record than songwriting and musicianship. I've listened to dozens of albums during this project with incredible songwriting and musicianship, and none of them made me want to grab this world and shake it till all the evil currently wreaking havoc fell out like loose change and breath mints. Oh, that there were a dozen bands just like them at our current moment in history (and not just trying to monetize themselves on various platforms). MC5 rocks and they rock with intention.
This was a great surprise.
A revelation. Ferocity personified. And not nearly as abrasive as I had been led to believe. Full of hooks and insane,Tasmanian Devil-level energy. It's easy to see how this was so influential. Genuinely ahead of its time. The dual-guitar attack sounds unlike anything from the era and the singer is homely- one of the best things a frontman can be. And is there a bigger flex than releasing a live album as your debut? To anyone who thought playing rock and roll was about being aloof and keeping feeling at arms length, this album is fierce rejoinder. I wish someone had played it for me in middle school!
It's iike if Jimi Hendrix was in a proto-punk band, pretty good stuff.
Very interesting live album, kinda wish I was there
Sort of exhausting but hey at least it’s fun.
Hell yeah🤘🏼
Klassisk rock. Godt liveopptak. Men litt synd at introen er kulere enn musikken.
543/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
that was pretty good! I didn't like Starship that much but I loved their energy and that really early punk sound, definitely 4 stars here
Kind of an insane album for a debut and I like their recorded stuff better overall. There's no denying that this is super influential, particularly to NYC punk like the New York Dolls. The songs for me are not super fantastic, but I was definitely invested.
SO I've lived in Detroit which means I've heard this album a lot lol
First track has a bit of 50’s rock and roll then becomes pretty angry, straight into kick out the jams and from then on (apart from the odd track) it’s just in your face, loud, aggressive and just what you expect from the reputation it has. Absolute banger! Hard to believe it’s 1969
Detroit’s iggy and the stooges
I do appriciate the influences that this album had and created. Its cool to see the start of punk and when they leaned into psych and blues I was totally there for it. Other than that, I just don't love the punk sound. 7/10
I'm usually not one for Live records but this was a blast. No notes!
Ramblin' Rose 3.7 Kick Out the Jams 4.2 Come Together 3.5 Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa) 3.7 Borderline 3.5 Motor City Is Burning 3.6 I Want You Right Now 3.6 Starship 3.7 Score: 3.6875
It’s a sloppy mess and that is the point. Raw, energetic, basic. Yeah he doesn’t seem to be able to hit any particular note. Sloppy is a nice term for the instrumentation. But It rocks and again that’s the point. Music can be a technical expression of human accomplishment that we can marvel at, but it can also be this raw expression of fun, fury and noise. Someone somewhere at sometime was going to make this mess of an album, record that pure activity and essence of all of us that have rocked out in the proverbial garage at some point, however shit we were. 4 Star.
I'm not normally a fan of live albums, but this one really turns me out. "Kick Out the Jams" has always been a favorite, but "Rocket Reducer No. 62 - Talk" is definitely up the list for me. This album has an interesting energy to it. You really feel like a part of the crowd. It's a great listen.
super veel instrumenten vond ik wel een vibe
Good rock and roll. Maybe got a bit screechy at times and still not a huge fan of the live album format in general, but overall pretty fun and high energy.
7/10
Wow! really interesting recording. Starts with the classic intro question - Are you going to be part of the problem or are you going to be a part of the solution? This MC5 live album clearly pays its dues to rock and roll history, but also points the way towards a punk and new wave sound that would emerge in future years taking inspiration from this band
Fabulous album. A lot of live albums I feel can be quite gratuitous in their capturing of the stage experience, five-hour drum solos being a particular bete noir, but this is pretty much is succinct in its garage rock ferocity. Love the Space Rock song at the end.
Such a kick ass live performance. You can feel and hear the energy and urgency and what blows me away is imagining how explosive this must have sounded like at the time. There are nods and love for what came before but a propulsion forward that kicks open the doors for what’s to come.
I really like the raw energy of this one. IDK the original songs but these live versions sound like they're bringing it.
I want my guitar to sound like this
Kinda bad before realizing it was 1969. Actually pretty innovative for the time, proto punk or something
An awesome band paving the way for future awesome bands
Another case of wrong assumptions. Somehow I thought MC5 was like an 80's hiphop band. This album was awesome. It was raw and fresh. I would have absolutely loved going to this show and seeing them live. Incredible energy.
Energetic, raucous and fun. I'm not sure it quite rises to the level of revolutionary.
A quite wild ride here. It's not always actually super enjoyable, but it's got such a lot of energy. As usual with live albums, it mostly made me wish I was seeing it live. Even so, a really interesting and evocative listen.
Not a classic but good in its day
Yikes
i love how noisy this is. that closer is batshit crazy.
A tour de force of protopunk garage rock.
The singer can’t sing, the musicians can’t play their instruments, but this goes hard as hell. Kick out the jams, motherfucker!
I think the live, raw, dirty rock is my favorite music sound from the 1960s.
Pretty good actually. Surprisingly good protopunk
4.5
The energy on this is crazy but it’s also badly recorded and badly played and the songs and sort of ok. But I like energy
Brothers and sisters, are you ready for the revolution? The unrelenting energy and raw power of Detroit rock? It's messy, it's polemic, it's imperfect, but it's powerful, primal, and will kick you on your ass. This live album marks perhaps the origins of punk, and is a staple of the hard rock counterculture rooted in blues and psychedelia. On the surface the message is political, which dates it to distinctly late 60s and early 70s messaging, but its guitars, its force of sound, is about ten years ahead of its time, and still as loud and in your face today as in 1969. The message is not deep. This is not the hippie movement of peace and flowers. This is a war for change, a screaming plea for people to rise up together against the oppressors, a message relevant to Vietnam, to Reaganism, to 9/11-era warmongering, to Trump fascism. It's at once a sad reminder that 65 years later the revolution still has not come, but also an anthem for progress yet to be made.
Loud, distorted, pre-punk psychedelic rock. All about the noise. Way ahead of its time. That time is 5 seconds to decide your reason to be on the planet, to be part of the solution.
Normally I'm not a big live albums guy (which is what I usually say right before ripping into whatever live album I've just finished with) but this was great. Love the energy and passion on every track. This must have been a fantastic show to see live. Sure the last two songs kinda drop off but I can forgive that because the rest of it is so good.
Huh doesn't have the famous intro shout. But really all the talk of revolution and hard rocking imply the "motherfuckers!" anyways. Such a hilarious thesis statement to start Ramblin' Rose with that falsetto, really sets the tone.
This is a classic for sure. Detroit energy to the max. Just not a fan of the sound quality
The sound of the end of the 60s. Nothing hits like the title track but I appreciate the surprising mix of hippy jam band and furious punk rock.
Reading the reviews for this one is hilarious. It’s pretty much a “love it or hate it, no in between” record. As I’m listening, I can say I don’t really understand why it’s so polarizing. It’s pretty solid and enjoyable. Granted, the first track is rough if you need a singer who is conventionally good at singing, but if you can get over that (and really just for that first track), it’s a fun record. I bet MC5 was a killer live show. This is a tough one to rate. I usually don’t care all that much about the protopunk bands (looking at you, Stooges), but I like the energy and I’m digging the songs. I might actually throw this into the regular rotation. 4/5
Classic early punk sound from one of the legends, this is what a live album should be all about, loud, chaotic and full of energy
Context is key here. This came out in Feb 1969 and nothing else had this level of furious energy. It blew minds and inspired tons of bands. Is the singing good? No. Is the guitar playing good? Sometimes. Is it extremely important to the punk and hard rock movements? Hell yes. And none of our stupid, fucking opinions change that. That said, it is a cd I have owned for 30 years and rarely listen to so I can’t give it more than a 4. Basically 2 points for the music and 2 for importance.
Solid live rock and roll from back in the day. Not sure it belongs on a must hear list, but still good.
Messy, but intentionally so. This was solid. 3.5
I can't believe this was 1969! Practically the only thing that makes this understandable is VU, elements of Led Zep / Rolling Stones and the White Album and the Stooges, but this is INCENDIARY! Not what I would normally choose but undoubtedly important and impressive.
Kicked out. Unjamed.
Entgegen aller Erwartung ziemlich unterhaltsam!
After the first two songs, I thought I'd just do a "Oh, like Blue Cheer, #223, but for punk" and then rather dismissively say something along the lines of "contemporary rock noise on 11" and "cool artifact" before ending with a "but ..." and ultimately give it three stars. BUT. Then I happened to poke around Youtube for a bit and *seeing* them opened up a fresh appreciation and I listened to the thing with a different set of ears. This is wild. This is cool. A keeper. Strong 4.
pace changes too much but overall the album is good, the fact that it is a live album with the actual live bits included is nice
sick
This totally doesn't sound like an album made in the Sixties. It so punky, so energetic. Having a live recording as your debut album is a bold move, but totally encompasses the personality of the band. The total setlist might not be the strongest, but the attitude and innovation make up for it.
Hard to overstate the importance, though.
Like others have said, the quality of the vocals and music isn't great, but I still have to appreciate this for the sheer energy and being a forerunner of punk. Pretty amazing for 1968 and being a debut album. It was also interesting reading about the controversy around the "MF" in Kick Out the Jams (see Wikipedia).
Wild rock and roll played on, and often way past, the edge of control, descending into a noisy furvour of wah wah and feedback and pounding drums. An inspiration to millions of garage rockers, amped up punks and stoned shredders. It's basic blues rock in the 60s mould, so there's something over familiar and a bit boring about it at root, but it's played with exhileritating abandon you just have to kick along.
i don’t mess with live albums!!!! 3.5 but i’m rounding up today because i feel generous
It’s angry and loud and madness and wonderful. -1 since the best song on here is a cover
I I I I I'M GONNA I'M GONNA KICK EM OUT KICK OUT THE JAMS!!! Edit Mar 27 2026: 5 --> 4. I haven't played this album *as* much. Maybe if I play it more in the future I will bump it up more
Har aldrig lyssnat på MC5 förut, men väldigt häftigt band och livealbum. Sjukt att det är inspelat 1969, låter väldigt punkigt för den tiden.
I heard it before once or twice at a friend's place. I remember I liked it, but it's better than I remember. Favorite song: Kick out the jams.
Such a bold move to make your first album a live album! Honestly, this just rocks in a way that it's surprising was possible in 1969 (or 1968 when it was recorded). The label proto-punk works well for these guys. It's funny to think of the controversy about the language at the beginning of Kick Out the Jams...it was a different time, for sure. I am impressed with the album, though I thought some of the songs dragged on a bit, especially toward the end. Still, cool album!
Never really listened to these guys before and I wasn't able to give this as much of my attention as I wanted to. But I really liked what I heard. Unbelievable energy. I'll revisit this. I don't think I'll ever really get into them because they're just a little too far before my time, but I'm glad this came up. Hard to believe this was recorded in the 60s. 3.75 stars, rounding up to 4.
7.4
Amazing performance. Minus one star for the blues noodling.
Super cool live album, very political, very punk. I liked it a lot! Very raw and real (helped by the fact it's live) Very cool overall.
This was probably an incredible gig.
⭐︎4.3 イギーポップと並ぶパンクの源流に位置するバンド。 69年とは思えないほど激しい。けど、一曲だけサイケっぽい曲があるあたり時代を感じた。
Psyched I'm finally really listening to this band — it's moments like this where this site/project really shine. Feels like Spacemen 3 borrowed heavily from these guys – the riff in MC5’s Come Together is remarkably similar to SP3’s Take Me To The Other Side, which is fine, I'm all for this shit. Give me that raucous give me that noise.
Nice to listen to rock and roll in such a funny and energic way. 9/10
Listened Before? N Kick ass album. Raw energy and attitude. Drugs and alcohol, sex and revolution! Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Kick Out the Jams
Interesting proto-punk with a blues heart. Small amounts of psychedelia poke through as well, especially on Starship.
I love how divisive this album is. It’s either brilliant or awful. I definitely am in the former camp: I love the raw energy of this proto punk live show. I celebrate the jagged vocals and the clangy crashing sloppy fast instrumentals. That said, the spoken word bits of Starship are completely unnecessary. Nearly perfect apart from that.
Rough
I would have loved to have been in this band. That last track was definitely not what I was expecting, but I was totally on board the starship!
++: Ramblin' Rose, Kick Out the Jams, Come Together, Borderline, Motor City Is Burning, Starship +: Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa) +-: I Want You Right Now 8,5/10
Energy is off the charts here. Love this.
Liked this a lot, properly raucous and didn’t at all sound like it came out in 1969
awesome album. Never listened to this album, but the greatest hits had a lot of them on there. So damn good. Powerful. Noisy. Sloppy. Angry. Damn the man!
Pretty cool early punk. 3.5/5 would listen again
4.0/5.0: Great
this one is interesting. its very poorly produced, even by live album standards, and the audio balancing is all over the place. that said i did really enjoy the songs and the fact that its live helps bring the energy needed for songs like this.
Pretty heavy for 1969, alot of bands covered it
4 star. Some songs were hit or miss. Liked the general vibe though!
I think the intro set my expectations too high the actual music was a slight letdown. Love the chaos of the performance though
The audio has such high clarity for a live album. It feels like it was very ahead of its time too with lots of elements you didn't typically hear in 1969. It's like they heard Helter Skelter and made an entire album out of it and I'm all for it. Much better than I expected having never heard of MC5 before.
Regardless of influence, I enjoyed this one! Raucous, sloppy, and brimming with energy - exactly what a hard rock live record should be.
very much needed to hear an album like this one. sounded insane for a live album recorded in the late 60's. i know the people there were popping the fuck off. i must find footage. guitar outro on rocket reducer was crazy. will be relistening.
This goes harder than I've been renting recently, but I just know that I'd enjoy rocking out to this at a festival or concert!
Love their energy and the way they impacted punk in America. But you have to be in the right space to listen to this album. High energy for sure.
If I could give decimals this would be a 3.9
So while reviewing RATM’s debut, I said a whole lot of stuff about that word “motherfucker”, and oh oh oh did I not then totally grasp precisely how loaded with rock n’roll history that tight little portmanteau is. “Kick out the jams motherfuckers” might have been a call to action too far for mainstream America to get behind in 1969, but I guess that’s their loss. Five minutes into this album, I’m telling Fleur that there’s no way I could have liked the Beatles in the late 60s if this is what they were up against. This is simply fucking fantastic – not a single moment wasted, every moment demonstrably wasted. Almost 60 years later, my enthusiasm for this record transforms into a mess of limbs. I’m air guitar. I’m air drums. I’m warbling along like whatever that dude’s doing in the background too. I just love it. MC5 need no introduction, but if we must insist on one – let it be “kick of the jams, motherfuckers” and let that be that forever.
Rollicking freaky good time here. Plenty of high octane blues and edge to usher out the hippie generation to a period where the doors are opening to the upper animosities of punk.
This was a fun record. It felt different than other live recordings. Felt more like you had a front row seat right at the edge of the stage.
At the height of 60s flower power, there was MC5 kicking out regular terminal stasis in the American ruse. That guitar! Those elegant vocals! Over too soon.
I had never heard of this band before and I am glad I know them now! Fast, hard, punk rock with great energy throughout. It was so punchy and electric, had me ready to run. One of the better live albums I've heard
This album must be on here for impact more than for its overall quality. While the music on here was never very sophisticated or interesting (though I did enjoy "Motor City Is Burning" and "I Want You Right Now") the energy was certainly there. I'm guessing given its 1969 release that it was a massive influence on punk and garage rock and was therefore ahead of its time. This is some pretty wild stuff and I'm assuming the live version is here because of the high energy?
60’s rock
This was great fun. Must have been incredible to be there.
4.5 more fun, crazy, important than relistenable.
Love the raw power of this album, some of it definitely pre-punk punk. Others rely a bit on 50s rock and roll riff which with their power gets nice and crunchy 8.66 ★★★★
3.5/5
Niche for sure and the spooky psychedelia of Starship threw me off, but fans of every form of punk should check this out. I'm not sure if the people of 69 where ready
Ik snap nog altijd niet het punt van live albums hierin, maar dit was wel best cool. Maar ja... 't is nog altijd een live album. 3.5
I did not not see this one coming. Everyone knows kick our the jams from some movie or TV though I can place which one. It's loud it's wild it's in your face. It's kick ass and doesn't give a shit about much else beyond that. I'm a big punk guy so seeing it's first little baby steps or at least the first moments of existence. Cool cool cool love it
Pretty cool album sonically speaking. Felt like if the stooges and early led zeppelin had a baby. Lyrically and vocally it had great attitude but wasn't very catchy. Still enjoyed it
Punk before punk, would have been a fun gig to be at
Wow! I knew the name, but did not know that this is what it was all about! If I didn't know better, I would have assumed this was the late 70s or even much later. The fact that they were this aggressive and raw, but also tight, at this point in history, is so awesome. There's a mix of jazz, R&B, blues, hard rock, and more on here.
I wouldn't want to be a housemate of these guys, but the album is a blast.
Bitchin psychopathic hard rock. Wayne Kramer and MC5 is insane. Really great rythmn and blues here at just a high decible and high energy. Its hard to hate, I get if it ain't your taste but the late 60s early 70s were fun. Key to note here Iggy pop and the stooges were better at this than MC5 though.
Better than the Beatles
Awesome energy comes across despite the rubbish recording quality. Good album, all the more so given that it dates all the way back to 1969
The songs are full of energy and it sounds like they would have been a blast to see live. I'm not a huge fan of live albums though, and most of the songs are pretty straightforward. It was a fun listen but probably not something I'll return to.
Solid. Maybe the exception to the rule re: live albums.
Nice and Noisy. Starship is perfect.
Very punk, for 1969. In some ways, harder and more radical than Jimi. I will need to listen to it a few times to get a hang of the music, but this 60s acid rock is delicious, so I'll enjoy it some more. 4/5
Må have være vildt nok at være i den første moshpit nogensinde
Aside from the Stooges, I cant think of another band from the late 60’s who influenced punk and alternative music as much as MC5. They really deliver a frenetic energy absent from their peers. “Starship” sounds like it shouldve came out 10 years later.
it's energetic...i think it'll grow on me. I'm not energetic and I want to go back to bed right now, so maybe not the best time. I liked Starship a lot, and I Want You Right Now
Great high energy rock. A good album, and worthwhile listen.
Punk's roots start here. Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5
Enjoyable live album
Best Song: Kick Out the Jams. Full of energy, great vocals. I wish that they had condensed more of their other tracks to this sub 3-minute length to really concentrate the impact. Worst Song: Starship. There was no reason to take things in this unfocused, proggy direction after such a tight, punctate album. Overall: The perfect example of how to do a live album. Rather than trying to emulate a studio performance in a live setting, the goal here seems to be to provide a raw and energetic show. Music that gets in your face. Music that makes you appreciate live music. It fuckin' rips.
Sloppy, all over the place, not super coherent. In other words, the perfect way to kick off punk rock. Is it anything special musically? No. But it is fun to listen do? Absolutely yes.
the forefathers of punk. gritty, raw, and good.
Well this was awesome. Glad to have listened to this slice of Detroit music history. I like the fuck the establishment songs the best, like Motor City Is Burning, which is a song about the Detroit Riot that they adapted from John Lee Hooker. I recommend the original song too; it's blues style, with Buddy Guy on guitar, and also very good. Starship is weird in the best way.
An interesting live document of a tumultuous time that roars.
I'm moreso amazed that music like this was made in 1969 rather than the music itself. I've never listened to this album before, but I have to imagine that it might be one of the single most influential in this list.
Hell yeah
This benefits a lot from being a live recording. It's rough and loud and chaotic, very high-energy. It makes me want to be there Favorites: "Ramblin' Rose", "Kick Out The Jams", "Rocket Reducer", "Motor City Is Burning"
"Kick Out the Jams" is the debut album by American rock band MC5. The album was recorded live at Detroit's Grande Ballrooom over two nights, Devil's Night and Halloween. Proto-punk, garage rock, hard rock and punk rock. Yep. MC5 are Rob Tyner (vocals), Wayne Kramer (lead guitar), Fred "Sonic" Smith, Michael Davis (bass) and Dennis Thompson (drums). The album initially had mixed reviews but is now considered a forerunner to punk rock music. Commercially, it reached #30 in the US. The crowd cheering and an emcee introducing the band and telling the audience to have a revolution opens the album in "Ramblin' Rose." A solid rhythm section. A Who-like guitar on this one. Wayne Kramer on lead vocals with his high falsetto. They continue the hard barrage in "Kick Out the Jams." Explosive. Some people interpreted this as kicking out restrictions. The band actually used to say this to a band they played with to get off the stage. The band shows its bluesy muscles in "Motor City is Burning." Dirty blues guitar. The band jams in maybe their best sounding song on the album. It's actually a jam band song too. Oh, they don't like cops either. The album closes with "Starship," a song based on a poem by Sun Ra. Man, this is trippy. Droning guitars. Very prog. It goes on for eight minutes. I was not expecting the band to all out Hawkwind on us. Most of this album is fast, punk, energetic and chaotic. Attitude makes up for some of the sloppiness. Kramer's lead guitar is great throughout. I kind of didn't get the last song but most of this rocked pretty hard. I'm guessing that if you like punk music, you will like this.
I wish I was at that concert
antenati del punk
A lot of fun! Very cool. Another piece of evidence that proves I was born in the wrong decade! 4.3
Had only heard the title track which is epic. The rest dud not disappoint. Looking forward to the new posthumous album coming out in October.
An interesting listen - hadn’t heard of them before and it’s definitely a massive influence on what would become punk in a few years.
had honestly never heard of this band or project and really enjoyed it! very kickass
Fun
Oh, what a great set. Rough and raw as anything, but full of energy and feeling. It's like pre-punk post-punk. No way it sounds like it's from the 60s.
Loud, aggressive punky music. I'm not sure why it's on this list, but I do love it.
The legendary band and album that is credited for influencing so many bands for decades following. It’s easy to hear how bands like At The Drive In/Mars Volta and Fugazi have MC5 in their musical DNA. There’s so much raw energy in this performance and it’s always been amazing to me that something this wild was captured in 1968. Starship is a favorite for me.
Energy, Energy, Energy......holy smokes. How did this guy sing like that for an entire show? How did he not lose his voice with all the bellowing. The singer and band itself seemed to be somewhere between an 8 and a 10 energy rating for most of the album. I've been hearing about MC5 for years and never sat down to listen to an album. I found it refreshing, raw and energetic. Kick Out the Jams was a standout for me. It just jams. Listening through it the band had an interesting feel of hippy yet go fuck yourself vibes. I really liked the guitar parts and the drumming was strangely frantic yet controlled at the same time.
4/5
Still sounds so heavy and gnarly
Another album and band that I have seen everywhere but never listened to. I liked this much more than most of the other early influential punk records. I'll definitely try and listen to more of their stuff.
We've all already had some MC5 right? They are nice enough but I'm not sure they warrant a live album inclusion. They sounded like a pretty exciting live band from this but they weren't completely tight, the vocals were fairly ropey. The songs are fun but a bit samey, but you could definitely say the same about a lot of stuff. Probably very offensive to the fans but I prefer the rage against the machine version of kick out the jams. Overall I think MC5 are probably very influential in picking up the pace of classic rock which would eventually lead to punk and harder rock music, so cheers for that, but this album isn't a game changer. 3.5
Loved this one front to back!
This is not an album that I often listen too, as it is so exhaustive (and I prefer Back in the USA a bit more) but nevertheless it has great energy and Kick Out the Jams and the other songs are fine (apart from the opener).
Kick Out the Jams
Brabo demais
Damn, these guys were ahead of their time, attitude-wise. 1969!? Fave tracks - "Kick Out the Jams" is the big one, obvs, also dug "Motor City is Burning" and the slightly proggy weirdness of "Starship".
This is almost messy perfection....except. The Spotify version of this album does *not* include the iconic "KICK OUT THE JAMS, MOTHERFUCKERS!" Listen on any other platform. Otherwise, it's one of the most awesome basement concerts I could ever imagine. Could I have done with two minutes less of "Starship"? Sure. But I wasn't drunk and high enough when I listened to it. There are rare moments I wish I could have been in the audience, just all fucked up and unworried. This is one of them. Motherfuckers.
- this is one of the few bands from this time period that I think really have an edge - this is really solid punk, love the noisy guitars and the vocals
My uncle had me listen to this when I was 14-15 because I was getting into punk. This and the Stooges. I loved it and still do. Such energy!
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Rocket reducer no. 62
wow das isch mal e ahsag und sie töned au so wied ahsag, dreckig, schnell und schreiend kick out the jams gaht ja mal absolut ab bin am poste gsinund han nüt ufgschribe aber han e gueti ziit gha, ich lieb sini schrei ahh droge
Very dirty 60s rock, I like the sound. Makes me want to protest Vietnam. I know Kick Out the Jams. Great song. Come Together starts like a Who song. Punk before Punk existed. And then the album finishes off with a psychedelic song.
What amazing energy! I would love to have been there.
Made me want to dust off my docs. Really vibrant
A little too jammy to be true punk, but has the energy and aggression to be a perfect proto-punk album. Sounds as fresh as ever. A-
4.0
Most familiar with the Presidents of the United States cover of Kick Out the Jams. Always a fan of the short fast loud.
LP
For its time, this sound is pretty cutting edge. You can hear the bones of punk.
Totally the precursor to the punk rock movement! Turn it up!
From wikipedia: “critic Lester Bangs, writing his inaugural review for Rolling Stone, called Kick Out the Jams a "ridiculous, overbearing, pretentious album". And I say, yeah, so what? I’ll add that it is sloppy, and the recording is a bit muddy. But it is also raw and primal, and frankly wonderful. Call it proto-punk, call it garage rock, call it whatever you want. But you can’t say it doesn’t rock. 4/5
OK album, but too similar songs
This was great fun. Must have been incredible to be there.
Raw, loud, abrasive rock and roll. Loved it.
You know what this started and I thought it was generic blues and thought I wouldn't be too bothered, but man this slapped. There were such strong riffs and it his the part of my brain is that also likes Led Zeppelin. Glad I discovered this
This was great. Had no idea what to expect from the name and the intro but it was really good. I'll definitely listen again.
While the album started and closed out really strong, the weird fading in and out of tracks kind of put me off. Solid performance, and it would be amazing to be in the crowd. 4/5. Favorite Track: Ramblin' Rose
Gróft og hrátt. Fjandi gott. Fjórar stjörnur á kjötmörðinn.
Kick out the Jams is a classic but i like RATM's version better. Their sound is solid and can definitely hear their influence around the punk/garage scene.
This is sloppy as hell, but I can dig it. This has a lot of energy, the execution is kinda amateur sounding at times, but hey. This has its place imo, it's fun and raucous, sometimes that is what I need.
Great album from a band that should have been bigger. One of the four great live rock albums of the time that helped shape the musical landscape for decades.
Brilliant. My favourite so far. For the time this was punk af. Defo led the way for the mid 70's punk sound we all know. Good songs, good singing and good playing.
Like it. Full on relentless punk energy. Enjoyed the album. Saved to my Spotify list.
Interesting, lyrics are a little flat, but the style is interesting.
дико, драйвово и приятно (за композицию в конце жесткий лайк)