A revolutionary rock band that is credited with being one of the earliest pioneers of punk music is releasing new music for the first time in decades despite none of the original members still being alive.
MC5 will release a new album called “Heavy Lifting” on Oct. 18, Ultimate Classic Rock reported. The project will mark the band’s first record in 53 years.
The 13-track album was spearheaded by the band’s founding guitarist Wayne Kramer, who died from pancreatic cancer in February, the outlet reported. The project will feature performances by original MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson, who died after a heart attack in May.
Producer by Bob Ezrin told UCR that the new album is “very heavy.”
“It has a revolutionary message but also a good sense of humor. There’s a little bit of heavy metal. There’s quite a bit of funk. But it is a heavy record,” Ezrin told the outlet. “Just a wall of guitars most of the time, and mostly driven by Wayne and his ethos. It’s a snapshot of a guitar man at the height of his powers. We all feel a responsibility to make sure that his work is heard, and he is celebrated. We poured our hearts into the project.”
The first song off the album “Boys Who Play With Matches,” was released Thursday, June 6. You can listen to the new song below:
The full track list, per UCR, is as follows:
- Heavy Lifting (feat. Tom Morello)
- Barbarians At The Gate
- Change, No Change
- The Edge Of The Switchblade (feat. William Duvall and Slash)
- Black Boots (feat. Tim McIIrath)
- I Am The Fun (The Phoney)
- Twenty-Five Miles
- Because Of Your Car
- Boys Who Play With Matches
- Blind Eye (feat. Dennis Thompson)
- Can’t Be Found (feat. Vernon Reid and Dennis Thompson)
- Blessed Release
- Hit It Hard (feat. Joe Berry)
Formed in formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963, MC5′s original lineup consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred “Sonic” Smith, bassist Michael Davis and drummer Dennis Thompson.
After making their debut in 1969 with the live album “Kick Out the Jams,” MC5 released their only two studio albums: 1970′s “Back in the USA” and 1971′s “High Time.”
Despite the group disbanding in the 1972, MC5′s popularity resurged in the 1990s as “they were the subject of a steady stream of reissues and rarities packages,” according to AllMusic.
Tyner released several solo records before dying from a heart attack in September 1991. Meanwhile Smith formed Sonic’s Rendezvous and issued the underground classic “City Slang” in 1977 before leaving the group.
He got married to Patti Smith in 1980 and died of heart failure 14 years later, according to AllMusic. Kramer launched his solo career in 1995 with the album “The Hard Stuff” as well. Thompson retired from active touring not long after the band broke up.
MC5 will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for Musical Excellence the day after “Heavy Lifting” drops. The induction ceremony will be held Oct. 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. It will stream live on Disney+ with an airing on ABC at a later date and be available on Hulu the next day.
