Back in the USA

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Back in the USA

Studio album by MC5
Released	1970
Recorded	?
Genre	Hard Rock
Length	28:08
Label	Atlantic
Producer(s)	Jon Landau
All Music Guide link Robert Christgau (A-) link
MC5 chronology
Kick Out the Jams (1969)	Back in the USA (1970)	High Time (1971)

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. In 2003, the album was ranked number 451 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.