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MC5: Back in the USA

Greil Marcus, Rolling Stone, 14 May 1970

WOP-BOP-A-LU-BOP-A-LOP-BAM-BOOM. Thud. 'Tutti Frutti', which opens the partly excellent MC5 album, is easily the worst cut on it, and in a way a clue to the rest of the record, which ends, stiffly enough, with 'Back In The USA'. The MC5 have roots; or their producer Jon Landau does, or somebody does. Over four minutes of totally pointless music is expended in "proving" that fact – and regardless of the possible coy significance of this one-time "Killer Band" singing 'Back In The USA' as if it was some kind of confession, the performances of the old rock dead, like someone reciting the alphabet instead of using the letters to make words.

Total word count of piece: 815

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