The New Race - "The First And The Last" (LP, Line Records - 1983)

OK, let me clear this: This blog isn’t dead... I’m just going through a phase of terminal boredom! It happens sometimes, you know…
Anyway, for this post you’ll have to thank entirely Jean Philippe! And I’m sure no introduction is needed by my side cause really does exist anyone (regular visitor of this space or not) not knowing the names of Radio Birdman, MC5 and/or the Stooges? I don’t fuckin’ think so. So, this is an amazing high energy one off document – gathering of teachers and students! Detroit Punk Rock & Roll anyone?!

MC5 - "Back in the USA" b/w "Tutti Frutti" (7" Single, Atlantic - 1970; German Mono Mix)

Hi there! Let's go on this quickly just like the rock and roll tradition commands! Here's another one of the super cool Jean Philippe findings. One of those that only my pal from somewhere in the south of France and his mighty pair of ears are able to dig and emerge through the dustbins and the eBay auctions. The well known 5ive two-sider on Chuck and Little Richard has now a very good reason for you to be heard (again) through the WTS gateway. Here's what was waiting for me in the mailbox, this morning:

"...Another fact: our favorite 70's LP are sonically fuck*d-up: Raw Power, LAMF... the MC5 2nd LP is not great either. Very thin-sounding, with virtually no bass. The French pressing is a little bit bassier, but that's not a night and day difference. I recently ripped the German mono single shown below. If you have decent speakers, the bass on this one will put a smile on your face (on side 1 at least). It has wall-shaking sub-bass (but you really need speakers that can handle deep bass)."

 Blast on and have a great weekend! MC5 with BASS!!

 

MC5 - "Kick Out The Jams - Japanese Pressing" (Elektra, 1969)

The boulder! The moment rock & roll lost its virginity and punk's seed was planted. The storm and the hurricane, that no one ever even came close. The raw power several years before ‘Raw Power”. The black instincts by white people. The left-wing anarchism, in a country and a period flushed of the diverse powers. The rock n’ soul in its first and purest incarnation. A band that had the nuts to make a debut on stage, where wrinkle and lacking of balls are easily shown if you don't carry 'em making you overnight a laughingstock. The ones that first pressed in vinyl and gate-fold, the word every pseudo-thug wanker today spits with his record's company prompt: MOTHERFUCKER! I dig Lester Bang’s provocative writing style, and I’m sure he’s only ambition was that; to raise namely assertions but his review for this on Rolling Stone (the worst music press ever?) was in full function with the magazine’s ethos…CRAP! The words “ridiculous”, “overbearing” and “pretentious” perhaps had a ground for the remaining re-union band under that moniker (not name…), but upon the release of this such confrontation is at least malign… And don’t get fooled again, such overpowering energy vomit not even the Who’s “Live at Leeds” had! The very meaning of the term “high energy”.

Quite simply, the BEST EVER LIVE long play, a moment captured for the sake of a humanity that had the testes to resist, to think and to act. An album that refuses to be played uneventfully. We know you own it, you should if you don’t already… Here in a Jap pressing with all its dynamics blown of the grooves! Brother and sisters, the M-C-FIVE! 

R.I.P. Michael Davis (5 June 1943 - 17 February 2012)

By the time this poor world understands clearly who was who and with who as individuals must deal with, this doomed planet will probably walk his last steps. For days all media jerks ‘round the globe making tributes to Whitney Houston and really makes no wonder to me that legendary MC5’s bassist Michael Davis departure left inconsiderate the majority of our fellowmen… And it’s totally understandable cause from the time IQ tests discovered; the results make happy every dark government around the earth. And I’m not expecting WTS visitors to know who M. Davis was, today and from a sad post. I haven’t replied yet even to my partner’s JP late night email for the sad news. If I had to pick from the two Detroit monsters I’m totally for the MC5. “Kick out the Jams” was for sure in the first ten records I bought. What the MC5 had that Stooges hadn’t was the radical political act and musically speaking, that they got SOUL! Iggy’s comrades had a minimal, almost industrial sound. The 5 proved that rock & roll was not only music to dance by. They wore proudly their black influences, they declared war (and of course have lost…) against everything unethical. I tried some years ago to interview Michael Davis for our fanzine. His wife was manager of the Lords of Altamont and after this, attempted to sneak and speak to him. I didn’t succeed. If my memory serves me well, his wife politely tried to tell me that he wasn’t cool for interviews. At least I tried… No hard feelings for this of course. My faith on the remaining bunch of “5” staggered for a while with the re-union touring (I haven’t regret to this day that I didn’t go see them when they came to Greece) and the Levi’s commercial… This wasn’t for the MC5 and I still believe if Rob Tyner was alive would have killed them. And probably he would be right. In addition we’re talking about the “dope, guns & fucking in the streets” band here, not Aerosmith. He was also jailed in the 70s for narcotics just like Brother Wayne Kramer and to me except for the Destroy All Monsters project with Ron Asheton, all his other activities are just information. Hopefully during the next days along with Jean Philippe, we‘re gonna drive back to MC5, grub into our vaults with the hope to rediscover and offer you something peculiar. Our sincere sympathizing to Michael’s wife and kids.