Back in the USA
Back in the USA is the second album by the
protopunk band
MC5, released in 1970. The opener is a cover of the classic hit "
Tutti-Frutti" by
Little Richard, "Let Me Try" is a ballad, "The American Ruse" attacks what they see as a hypocritical idea of freedom that the American government teaches and "The Human Being Lawnmower" is an attack upon the
Vietnam War. The central focus of the album is the band's actual movement away from the raw, thrashy,
protopunk sound pioneered and captured on their first release
Kick Out the Jams. This was due impart to producer
Jon Landau's distaste for the rough
psychedelic movement, and adoration for the straight-forward, commercial rock of the 1950s. Landau, who originally wrote for
Rolling Stone Magazine, was looking to get more involved in actual music production. Becoming close with
Atlantic Records executive
Jerry Wexler was his chance and led Landau to the highly controversial
MC5, who had just been picked up by
Atlantic after being dropped from their label
Elektra Records in 1969. The last song on the album, which is the title track, is a cover of
Chuck Berry's "
Back in the U.S.A." from the album
More Chuck Berry, released in 1962. Though the
MC5's album was viewed as a flop early on by most fans, and lacked the commercial success of their previous release, it would later be considered highly important due to the albums absolute projection of the band's core sound and earliest influence, American
Blues.
#"
Tutti-Frutti"#"Tonight"#"Teenage Lust"#"Let Me Try"#"Looking at You"#"High School"#"Call Me Animal"#"The American Ruse"#"Shakin' Street"#"The Human Being Lawnmower"#"
Back in the U.S.A."
