Proto-punk heroes MC5 announce first album in 53 years
Over two years on from the time when the late Wayne Kramer promised a brand new studio album from the MC5, details about an upcoming release from the Detroit proto-punks have finally been revealed.
Entitled Heavy Lifting, the album is set to be the first release from MC5 since their 1971 effort High Time. Reportedly, the record will feature vocal performances from Kramer, who passed away in February of this year at the age of 75. The guitarist and singer also wrote 12 out of the 13 tracks that will feature on the new release.
Aside from Kramer, the only other MC5 musician to feature on Heavy Lifting will be drummer Dennis Thompson. Thompson was the last surviving member of MC5’s classic line-up, having worked on groundbreaking tracks like ‘Kick Out The Jams’, before passing away last month at the age of 75.
The rest of the album’s personnel are made up of various special guests, including Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello, Slash, William DuVall of Alice In Chains, and Living Colour’s Vernon Reid. As you can imagine, therefore, Heavy Lifting has more than enough firepower to drive it forward, despite the absence of any MC5 members to oversee the final stages of production.
While it seems unlikely that Heavy Lifting will be able to recapture the pioneering spirit and raw power of the band’s 1969 debut Kick Out The Jams, recorded live at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit. However, not many albums within the history of music have been able to replicate the energy of that record, therefore, it is perhaps unfair to expect an album made predominantly by men in their autumnal years to do so.
Heavy Lifting is set to be released to the public October 18th via EarMusic. This announcement came alongside the release of a brand new single, ‘Boys Who Play With Matches’ which sees MC5 revisit their classic sound, with the added influence of some modern rock and roll too.
In addition to the release of this new album, MC5 will also be formally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, alongside the likes of Jimmy Buffet, Cher, and the Dave Matthews Band. The ceremony will take place on October 19th, only a day after the release of Heavy Lifting.
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