Heavy Lifting

by MC5

Overview

In the interest of truth in packaging, it needs to be said that 2024's Heavy Lifting is not an MC5 album. It may say MC5 on the cover, but this is really the work of Wayne Kramer, who was a vitally important part of that great band as guitarist and songwriter. That said, he was by no means the MC5 in and of itself. By the time he began work on this album, the only members of the group who were still living were Kramer and drummer Dennis Thompson, and though Thompson plays drums on two tracks, his contribution isn't strong enough to challenge the fact Kramer was calling the shots on this project from start to finish. There is a curious poignancy to all this, since both Kramer and Thompson died in 2024, months before Heavy Lifting could see release (and before the MC5's long overdue induction into the Rock & Roll of Fame), turning the album into a celebration of ghosts instead of a true revival. Heavy Lifting doesn't sound like the MC5, either; the bombastic hard rock production from Bob Ezrin lacks the singular fire of the band's greatest moments, while Kramer's songs have a feel and spirit very different than what the 5 created on 1969's Kick Out the Jams, 1970's Back in the USA, or 1971's High Time. Not surprisingly, Heavy Lifting is much more of a piece with the three fine albums Kramer cut for Epitaph Records in the 1990s (1995's The Hard Stuff, 1996's Dangerous Madness, and 1997's Citizen Wayne), reflecting the eclecticism and deep-focus songwriting he showed on those LPs, as well his fearless exploration of his own life experiences, both good and bad. Heavy Lifting feels a bit different from those albums, aiming for a lot more swagger, a more professional production, and a finish that sounds radio ready, though it's crafted with the 1980s and '90s in mind, rather than what would get played in 2024. (The presence of guest guitarists Slash, Tom Morello, and Vernon Reid would have carried more weight then than now, regardless of the strength of their contributions.) Though Heavy Lifting isn't quite up to the level of Kramer's 1990s work, it comes close enough that it would have reaffirmed his status as a veteran guitar hero and proto-punk sage, full of hard-won wisdom, good tunes, and an admirable reserve of piss and vinegar. As an MC5 album, it is instead a curious footnote to the career of a great band that appeared at a time when there was no one left to take a bow. It deserves to be remembered instead as the final work of one figure in 1960s rock who never burned out or became quaint, and came roaring back for an impassioned and powerful final act. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	10/18/2024
Label:	Earmusic
UPC:	4029759191216

Tracks

1. Heavy Lifting
2. Barbarians at the Gate
3. Change, No Change
4. The Edge of the Switchblade
5. Black Boots
6. I Am the Fun (The Phoney)
7. Twenty-Five Miles
8. Because of Your Car
9. Boys Who Play With Matches
10. Blind Eye
11. Can't Be Found
12. Blessed Release
13. Hit It Hard

Album Credits

Performance Credits

MC5   Primary Artist
Slash   Featured Artist
Dennis Thompson   Featured Artist
William DuVall   Featured Artist
Joe Berry   Featured Artist
Tom Morello   Featured Artist
Tim McIlrath   Featured Artist
Vernon Reid   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Bob Ezrin   Mixing,Composer,Producer
Edwin Starr   Composer
Brad Brooks   Composer
Johnny Bristol   Composer
Bert Berns   Composer
Harvey Fuqua   Composer
Jerry Wexler   Composer
Tim McIlrath   Composer
Jill Sobule   Composer
Wayne Kramer   Composer