The 500 - #294 - Kick Out The Jams - MC5

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

---

Album: #294

Album Title: Kick Out The Jams

Artist: MC5

Genre: Proto-Punk, Garage Rock, Hard Rock

Recorded: Grande Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan

Released: February, 1969

My age at release: 5

How familiar was I with it before this week: One Song

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #349 (falling back 55 places)

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist:  Motor City Is Burning

Kick Out The Jams is the debut record by the Detroit rock and roll band MC5. It is the second album by the band to appear on The 500. I wrote about their second album, Back In The USA, in February, 2020, which, because of the covid pandemic, feels like a decade ago.

MC5, an abbreviation of Motor City Five, were formed in 1963 by singer Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis and drummer Dennis "Machine Gun" Thompson. They are considered one of the most important bands in rock and roll history.

MC5 in 1969

MC5 are known for their "garage rock" sound, best described as loud, ragged and high energy. They have a back-to-basics approach to music that sometimes borders on amateurish. They have also been called proto-punk, a term coined to recognize the groups that foreshadowed the rise of punk rock in the mid-seventies. When one listens to MC5, the influence of their sound is undeniable. So many bands from several genres have identified that the MC5 sound was influential in their development. Punk rock's Ramones and Sex Pistols, hard rock's Motorhead and even the 90s grunge sounds of Nirvana and Soundgarden were all influenced by this Detroit quintet.

Kick Out The Jams was recorded over two nights in October, 1968, at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit. Sounding like a revival tent preacher, the album opens with singer Tyner shouting:

"Brothers and sisters! I want to see a sea of hands out there. I wanna hear some revolution out there, brothers. The time has come for each and every one of you to decide whether you are going to be the problem or whether you're gonna be the solution! You must choose! Are you ready to testify? I give you a testimonial, the MC5"

The band then launches into a raucous version of Ramblin' Rose, a high-energy song originally recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis in 1962. The performance is raw and scruffy; but, it is also confident, brash and unapologetic. The MC5 sound like so many high school basement band I saw in the eighties. When they play, it makes me believe that with a little skill, some tight pants and a lot of swagger, I could be a rock star too.

Detroit's Grande Ballroom in the 1950s

The second track is Kick Out The Jams from which the album gets its name. The song begins with the now famous shout, "Kick out the jams motherf____ers" from Tyner. Consequently, many record stores refused to stock the album and the record company, Elektra, released a censored version. Eventually, the controversy proved too much for Elektra and they dropped MC5. Atlantic Records signed them and stuck with the quintet for their only two studio records, the aforementioned Back In The USA and 1971's High Time.

"Kick Out The Jams" was popular expression in the late sixties. It was sometimes used as a rallying cry to overcome obstacles and defeat oppression. It was also used to refer to a rock band delivering a high energy performance. In a 2018 interview, guitarist Wayne Kramer explained the decision to make the phrase into a song. 

"We were using the expression for a long time, because we would be critical of other bands that came to Detroit that the MC5 would open for. They'd come into town with this big reputation, and then they'd get up on stage and they weren't very good. So, we used to harass them. We'd yell at them, 'Kick out the jams or get off the stage, motherf--ker!' Finally, one day we said, 'I like that expression. We should use that as the title of a song.' "

The only surviving members of the band are Thompson and Kramer, the latter still touring. Recently, Kramer announced that a new album called Heavy Lifting will be released this year. So, nearly 60 years after forming, the MC5 continue to Kick Out The Jams.

The 500 - #335 - Superunknown - Soundgarden

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

---

Album: # 335

Album Title: Superunknown

Artist: Soundgarden

Genre: Hard Rock, Grunge, Heavy Metal, Stoner Rock

Recorded: Bad Animals Studio, Seattle, Washington

Released: March, 1994

My age at release: 28

How familiar was I with it before this week: Very

Is it on the 2020 list? No

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Like Suicide (Acoustic) from the Deluxe version

Superunknown, the fourth release by American rock band Soundgarden, is one of the three records on the 500 list that I purchased on the day of its release. The other two were Vitalogy by Pearl Jam (#485) and Hysteria by Def Leppard (#464). I had been a Soundgarden fan for a few years, first hearing them on the soundtrack to the 1990 film, Pump Up The Volume.

However, it was their third album, 1991's Badmotorfinger, that made me a huge fan. After finishing my bartending shift at 1 a.m. at a restaurant in London, Ontario. I would strap on my roller blades, pop my portable CD player into my fanny pack and blast Badmotorfinger through my headphones, skating the empty streets. Typical 90s stuff.

Technics SLP7 Portable CD player ($600 in 1985)

Soundgarden were originally called The Shemps which played mainly cover songs in and around the Seattle, Washington, area. In 1984, bassist Hiro Yamamoto left the band and was replaced by Kim Thyil. Drummer Chris Cornell moved from behind his kit and took over vocal duties. They took the name Soundgarden from a wind- channeling pipe sculpture called a Sound Garden in nearby Magnusson Park.

A Sound Garden in Magnusson Park, Seattle

Eventually, Yamamoto returned and Thyil moved to guitar. Drummer Matt Cameron joined in 1986. Yamamoto departed for good in 1989 and the final line-up was formed with Cornell, Thyil, Cameron and bassist Ben Shepherd.

(l-r) Shepherd, Cornell, Thyil & Cameron in 1990

Badmotorfinger was a critical and commercial success. The singles Rusty Cage and Outshined got radio play and the videos were in regular rotation on Much Music and MTV. The third single, Jesus Christ Pose, was banned on MTV because of controversial lyrics that were perceived as anti-Christian. However, the perception was preposterous. Even a cursory examination of the lyrics reveals the song is a criticism of public figures (celebrities, politicians) exploiting religion for their own purposes.

Jesus Christ Pose single release

If Badmotorfinger was a hand grenade, Superunknown was an atomic bomb that blasted Soundgarden into the popular music stratosphere. My first taste was the single Spoonman, which was released about a month before the full album. There was a rumour in my social circle that the song was based on a London, Ontario, character named William "Snake" Pulley. Pulley was a local celebrity in the 80s and 90s who rode around town on a hyper-extended front wheeled “chopper” motorcycle. Moreso, he sported 4,000 tattoos covering 90 percent of his body, and was sometimes spotted at music festivals playing the spoons. These days, tattoos are fairly commonplace and there are even well-known musicians with face tattoos. However, in the 80s, he was an oddity. I met him on several occasions as a teen and he was soft-spoken, approachable and pleasant -- the opposite of what one might expect from his menacing appearance.

William "Snake" Pulley

The Spoonman rumours proved untrue. In reality, the song was about Seattle native and street performer Artis The Spoonman, who busked at local markets and fairs in the west coast city.

Artis The Spoonman performing in Seattle

Superunknown went on to sell nine million copies worldwide and introduced Soundgarden to a mainstream audience. The band released one more record, Down On The Upside in 1996 before taking a hiatus until 2010 when they reunited for a new album, King Animal, and a tour. They visited my hometown in July, 2011, and I finally got a chance to see them with my brother.

On May 18, 2017, after a performance by Soundgarden at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan, Chris Cornell was found dead in his hotel room – suicide by hanging, according to the medical examiner. However, his wife, Vicky, believed the drug Ativan, which he was taking, may have contributed to his death. The band cancelled the remainder of their tour and, with the exception of a tribute concert in January, 2019, have never performed together publicly since.

I remain a loyal fan of both Soundgarden and Cornell's other projects, including the supergroup Audioslave, which he formed in 2001 with three members of Rage Against The Machine.

Ticket Stub from the Audioslave concert I attended,
Thanksgiving Weekend, 2005

If it wasn't for the pins in my toes from a recent major foot surgery, I would have slapped on my roller blades and cued up Badmotorfinger and Superunknown on Spotify for a cruise around the streets. Rest In Power, Chris. Thanks for helping me get into the best shape of my life. I need to do it again.