First New MC5 Album Since 1971 Announced
Heavy Lifting comes out October 19th via earMUSIC
It was just over two years ago that Wayne Kramer announced that a new Motor City 5 album was in the works.
He even shared a snippet of a new track featuring Tom Morello on guitar called “Heavy Lifting” on YouTube that kicks all sorts of ass.
Sadly, Brother Wayne passed away in February at the age of 75 before any other new material could be released. But today, details of the brand new MC5 album have been revealed.
Like the song Kramer shared with fans before his passing, the new LP will be called Heavy Lifting, and it will be coming out on the earMUSIC imprint on October 18th. You can get an early taste of the Bob Ezrin-produced album below with the release of its first single “Boys Who Play With Matches.”
Kramer, who co-wrote 12 of the record’s 13 songs with Oakland rocker Brad Brooks, handles most of the guitar and lead vocal duties. But he’s also joined by a prolific array of guests that include Morello, Slash, William DuVall of Alice in Chains, Vernon Reid of Living Colour and MC5 drummer Dennis “Machine Gun” Thompson, who also passed away this year at age 75 as well. Other players on the album include Vicki Randle (Aretha Franklin), Stevie Salas (Parliament Funkadelic, Rod Stewart), Abe Laboriel Jr. (Paul McCartney), Winston Watson Jr. (Bob Dylan), and Joe Berry (M83).
“It’s very heavy,” Ezrin reports. “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, and it’s a guitar record left, right and center. 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.”
In addition to the 13-track album, a 2CD + 2LP bonus disc will be released including previously unreleased live recordings from the MC50 tour in 2018 celebrating the 50th anniversary of MC5’s revered 1969 debut LP, Kick Out the Jams, which features classic anthems like “Kick Out the Jams” and “Ramblin’ Rose.” Alongside Kramer, the MC50 live band features Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil, Fugazi/Messthetics drummer Brendan Canty, Faith No More’s bassist Billy Gould, and frontman Marcus Durant (Zen Guerrilla), with a special guest appearance by Mark Arm (Mudhoney).
Heavy Lifting is the first new album under the MC5 banner since 1971’s High Time. Check out the full tracklist below.
In October, the MC5 will finally be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after decades of eligibility, albeit as a recipient of the “Musical Excellence Award.”
Heavy Lifting Tracklist
- Heavy Lifting [ft. Tom Morello]
- Barbarians at the Gate
- Change, No Change
- The Edge of the Switchblade [ft. William DuVall and Slash]
- Black Boots [ft. Tim McIlrath]
- I Am the Fun (The Phoney)
- Twenty-Five Miles
- Because of Your Car
- Boys Who Play With Matches
- Blind Eye [ft. Dennis Thompson]
- Can’t Be Found [ft. Vernon Reid and Dennis Thompson]
- Blessed Release
- Hit It Hard [ft. Joe Berry]
Bonus CD tracklist:
1. Kick Out The Jams
2. Come Together
3. Motor City Is Burning
4. Borderline
5. Gotta Keep Movin’
6. Future/Now
7. Poison
8. Shakin’ Street
9. Sister Anne
AUDIO: MC5 “Boys Who Play With Matches”
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