MC5

MC5 were an American rock band from Lincoln Park, Michigan, formed in 1964. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson. The MC5's leftist political ties and anti-establishment lyrics and music positioned them as emerging innovators of the punk movement in the United States. Their loud, energetic style of back-to-basics rock and roll included elements of garage rock, hard rock, blues rock, and psychedelic rock.

MC5 had a promising beginning which earned them a January 1969 cover appearance in Rolling Stone before their debut album was released. They developed a reputation for energetic and polemical live performances, one of which was recorded for their 1969 debut album “Kick Out The Jams”. Their initial run was short-lived, though. In 1972, just three years after their debut record, the band came to an end. MC5 was often cited as one of the most important American hard rock groups of their era.

(Read more at Wikipedia.)

Links to Peel
In 2005, two copies of the MC5 debut single, “Looking At You / Borderline” on local Michigan label A-Square, were found among the DJ's most treasured 45s in John Peel's Record Box.

Peel is known to have played the b-side of the single on 11 August 1968. Returning to the record many years later, on 22 April 2004, he read out a letter he had received after the original play from the band's celebrated manager:

"'I came across a letter by John Sinclair. Now he was the founder of the radical White Panther Party, who adopted the MC5 as the chosen leaders of his vision of a rock and roll army - I'm quoting now from something that Hermeet found actually, I have to give him credit for that ... But amazing I found a letter from him. It's rather a historic document - 24 Sept. 1968: 'Thanks for your kind (???) of so long ago about the MC5 and thanks too for playing our record on your show.' '"

Although available Peel show tracklistings from the band's most active period are limited, it is known that the DJ three times kicked off Top Gear with a track from their 'Back In The USA' studio debut LP in early 1970. He last played a track from the album on 28 September 2004, during his final month of Radio One shows.

MC5 were a widely acknowledged influence on many artists played by Peel, particularly during the punk period. Fellow Detroit band the Stooges were signed to their first recording deal with Elektra on the recommendation of MC5.

In 2012, five albums by MC5 were among the first 100 LPs by artists beginning with M when first details of Peel's Record Collection were released online.

Festive Fifty Entries

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Sessions

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Other Shows Played

 * 11 August 1968: (JP: "And all of you know of course about the Detroit "Motor City Sound" things (Motown). But there are other sounds going on in Detroit, made by a group among others called MC5 - the Motor City 5, you see. And it's not very well recorded, one of your underground recordings, but it is quite interesting anyway, although a bit derivative. And this is the MC5 and it's called 'Borderline'.") - Borderline (US single - b-side of Looking At You) A-Square
 * 02 February 1969: Kick Out The Jams (single) Elektra
 * 07 March 1970: The Human Being Lawn Mower (LP - Back In The USA) Atlantic
 * 21 March 1970: Teenage Lust (LP - Back In The USA) Atlantic
 * 16 May 1970: The American Ruse (LP – Back In The USA) Atlantic
 * 22 April 2004: (JP: "I came across a letter by John Sinclair. Now he was the founder of the radical White Panther Party, who adopted the MC5 as the chosen leaders of his vision of a rock and roll army - I'm quoting now from something that Hermeet found actually, I have to give him credit for that ... But amazing I found a letter from him. It's rather a historic document - 24 Sept. 1968: 'Thanks for your kind (???) of so long ago about the MC5 and thanks too for playing our record on your show.' Specifically, this record...") - Looking At You (7") A-Square (JP: "Well, despite the slight scratch I like to think that's worth a few bob - not that that's the point really. Seven-inch single on A-Square from the MC5 before they even signed to Elektra Records. Looking At You is the title of it.")


 * 28 September 2004: The American Ruse (LP - Back In The USA) Atlantic