Notes

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It would be pointless to try and top the MC5 in-concert classic Kick Out The Jams, since it is simply one of the greatest live recordings of all time. Recorded in 1968 at the Sturgis Armory, Starship does a good job of collecting several MC5 compositions that are hard to come by (and never released by their official label, Elektra), mixed in with the expected fan favorites. Although it's not up to snuff sonically as Jams was (Starship is a soundboard recording produced by '60s activist/MC5 manager John Sinclair), the MC5 rage through a killer set, which includes a must-hear medley of James Brown hits ("Cold Sweat/I Can't Stand Myself/There Was a Time"). Other standouts include the solid non-album tracks "Upper Egypt," "Revolutionary Blues," and "Black to Comm," as well as the MC5 standards "Come Together," the title track, and of course their anthem, "Kick Out the Jams." Some of the songs were obviously aimed at certain audience members who were in an altered state of mind (unpredictable blasts of white noise crop up throughout, many of the songs end with an elongated drone, etc.), but Starship is an excellent reminder of how devastating the MC5 were in concert.