MC5

High Time may not have all the white afro-ed intensity of Kick Out the Jams, but nothing else ever did or ever will. "Baby Won't Ya" combines the heaviest metal with the deepest soul; "Miss X" is the pre-punk prom theme for all time, and basically Fred Sonic Smith is the ballsiest guitarist that ever lived. No band ever sounded so big as MC5 do here.

It seems almost too perfectly ironic that now, at a time in their career when most people
have written them off as either dead or dying, the MC5 should power back into action with
the first record that comes close to telling the tale of their legendary reputation and
attendant charisma. This may appear particularly surprising, given the fact that the group's
live performances have been none too cosmic of late, but then the old saw is th... More >

At its best, this combines the anarchic energy of John Sinclair's album with the pop control of Jon Landau's album. "Sister Anne" is a passionate farewell to a Catholic boyhood, and the jazz climax, however ill-conceived sonically (the horns sound funny after all those guitars), gets where it's going, fast. Mistake: "Miss X," an atrocious f*ck-me-babe ballad. Some things they'll never learn. (Grade - B+)