Back in the USA

MC5

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 4, 1992)
• Original Release Date: 1970
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B0000032UI
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #65,608 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
OK kids, it's rockin' time! Detroit's MC5 kicked off the '70s with a bang on Back in the USA, released January 15, 1970. A roadmap for punk's class of '77, the album condensed the epic, throbbing sprawl of Kick Out the Jams into the pure essence of rock & roll: machine gun blasts of pure energy and hooks, with nods to the founding fathers (Chuck Berry and Little Richard) and freshly-minted teen anthems for the ages ("Shakin' Street," "High School," "Tonight," "Teenage Lust," etc., etc.). --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Highly underrated album, August 15, 2003

By	matthewslaughter "matthewslaughter" (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews

It's hard for me to believe that these guys weren't popular upon the release of "Back in the USA." Sure, they had previous ties with John Sinclair and the White Panthers, but the songs on this disc are catchy--a early 70s revisitation of the sound of Chuck Berry. While many prefer "Kick out the Jams," this is easily their best album. While not as slick as, say, Alice Cooper, their songs of teenage angst are much better. Cuts like "Teenage Lust," "High School" and "Call Me Animal" should have connected with a young audience had this album been promoted properly back in 1970. It also features two of the best, overlooked anti-war songs of all time: "The Human Being Lawnmower" and "The American Ruse." The later is my favorite song in the MC5 catalog--it is one part anti-war, another part anti-police (foreshadowing the brutal Black Flag track "Police Story" [1981]), while managing to totally rock and stay catchy. The only thing keeping this album from receiving the 5 star rating is the poor attempt at a love song, "Let Me Try," which is kind of like the "We Will Fall" (from the Stooges self-titled debut) of the album. While "We Will Fall" does damage the flow of the first Stooges album, it is genuinely eerie. "Let Me Try" is just plain bad, foreshadowing some of the worst elements of late-1970s Kiss (at least in the lyric department). Despite that, this album is well worth the purchase. Let me reiterate: this album is BETTER than "Kick Out the Jams"!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thier best album, August 16, 2005

By	Otto (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews

The MC5's debut, 'KICK OUT THE JAMS', is usually regarded by newcomers to thier music as thier best album because it has the classic title song. But the last half of the album is really kind of a bore, which some slow blues-type dirges that go on too long.
For thier second album, 1970's, 'BACK IN THE USA', they stripped everything down to short, fast driving rock 'n' roll tunes that sound like The Rolling Stones on cheap speed.
The album's sound is high-treble, upbeat, fun, thin. This is straight up white-boy dope rock 'n' roll and an obvious influence on what would become punk rock.
The Big Bang: The Best Of The MC5 should be your starter kit (has 8 of the 11 tracks here) but most MC5 fans agree this is thier best album that you can listen to all the way through. With "The American Ruse" being the standout track.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take a 2nd look & listen, December 2, 2000

By	Dean Kuschell "DETROIT DEAN" (Traverse City, MI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Time has been cruel on the often maligned 2nd release from Detroit's MC5. Indeed it is a radical change from the 1st album, but you have to consider all that the band went through between recordings...but that's another story. The production is the main culprit (tinny sounding) but it's the songs man...just like the difference between Zeppelin's 4th & 5th albums or the Beatles Sgt. Pepper & the White album this is a band striving not to repeat itself. Make no mistake this album rocks! Even the one ballad that headbangers often cringe over, 'Let Me Try' shows the MC5's motown r&b influence...remember, the Five were rockin' Detroit while Barry Gordy was churning out the hits right accross the street...plus there's Fred 'Sonic' Smith's masterpiece 'Shakin' Street,' the stinging guitar work of 'Looking At You' and the superb 'Human Being Lawnmower' not to mention a couple of great rock covers of Little Richard and the real king of rock and roll, Chuck Berry. This is just part of the story of the MC5 but an album that any real fan or musician knows is real the real deal...KOTJMF!