Black to Comm

These recordings were made in the late 60s at the Sturgis Armoury, a m ilitary installation come occasional dance hall in Western Michigan.
Anti-authoritarian, the MC5 on stage were loud, boisterous and irreverent, drawing huge support from their anti-establishment followers whist antagonising the powers that be an d the cops who were often involved in angry confrontations at their gigs. Their legendary shows in Detroit and throughout Michigan gained the band fame and notoriety enough to land a recording contract with Elektra Records.
THIS Black to C omm recordings catch the MC5 at an interesting point in their development. Their own original compositions were starting to take shape and are combined with their apprenticeship cover versions. Also included are three collaborative works including their song “Starship” which features a Sun Ra poem and the Troggs song “I want you” given the Motor City power treatment. There are also on-the-spot improvisations, like “Revolutionary Blues” - an integral part of the MC5 experience, many such improvisations would evolve into staples of their repertoire.
The band’s ultimate expression, “Black to Comm” is heard on disc here in all its glory for the very first time. Evolving from the treatment of Ray Charles’ “I Believe to My Soul”, “Black to Comm” combined the roughest of riffs, the loudest of power chords, the most spontaneous of improvised lyrics and a plethora of barely controlled feedback to make a registration of the band’s deepest felt feelings of anger, rage and rebellion and love and regeneration to lift their audiences to new heights of participatory madness. More than a musical performance “Black to Comm” was an experience unto itself and it is indeed a happy occasion to see its release after sitting on the shelf after 25 years.