Babes in Arms
Compilation album by
MC5
Released1983
GenreProto-punk[1]
LabelROIR[2]
ProducerWayne Kramer
MC5 chronology
High Time
(1971)		 Babes in Arms
(1983)		 Black to Comm
(1994)

Babes in Arms is an album by the American band MC5, released in 1983.[3][4] Originally released as a cassette, it has been reissued several times.[5][6]

Production

The album was assembled by guitar player Wayne Kramer.[7] It contains remixes and alternate versions of songs, early singles, and an unreleased track.[4] "Looking at You" was produced by John Sinclair prior to the recording of Kick Out the Jams.[8] "Kick Out the Jams" is included in its uncensored form; "Shaking Street" appears in an acoustic version.[9][5] "I Can Only Give You Everything" is a cover of the Them song.[10] "Gold" was recorded after the release of High Time.[11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Chicago Sun-Times[11]
Robert ChristgauA−[13]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[14]
Los Angeles Daily News[15]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[16]
Martin C. Strong5/10[6]

Robert Christgau noted that "the raw songcraft and new-thing chaos of Detroit's other great protopunk band were further ahead of their time than it seemed five years ago."[13]

The Boston Globe called the album "a concise glimpse into the career of the fiercest band of the '60s," writing that "Rob Tyner was endowed with a volcanic set of lungs, which he needed to rise above the shrill but blessed sound of guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred 'Sonic' Smith."[10] The Los Angeles Daily News determined that "this well-put-together testimonial to MC5's raw power sounds even better today."[15]

The Boston Herald concluded that Babes in Arms "captures the raw energy of the now seminal Motor City band better than any of its album from the late 60's and early '70s."[17] The Tampa Tribune considered it "perfectly on the line between the sloppy excess of the Five live show and the sometimes thin and ordinary studio records."[18]

AllMusic deemed the album "a howling, furious blast of what made the MC5 one of the finest (and most dangerous) American rock bands of the 1960s."[12] The Spin Alternative Record Guide pointed out that the MC5 "borrowed openly enough from black influences to make a person wonder at the bleaching of alternative in the years that followed."[16]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Shaking Street" 
2."American Ruse" 
3."Skunk (Sonically Speaking)" 
4."Tuttie Fruttie" 
5."Poison" 
6."Gotta Keep Moving" 
7."Tonite" 
8."Kick Out the Jams" 
9."Sister Ann" 
10."Future Now" 
11."Gold" 
12."I Can Only Give You Everything" 
13."One of the Guys" 
14."I Just Don't Know" 
15."Looking at You" 

References

  1. ↑ Cogan, Brian (2006). Encyclopedia of Punk Music and Culture. Greenwood Press. pp. 120–121.
  2. ↑ Callwood, Brett (October 15, 2010). "MC5: Sonically Speaking : a Tale of Revolution and Rock 'n' Roll". Wayne State University Press – via Google Books.
  3. ↑ Heylin, Clinton (May 1, 2005). "From the Velvets to the Voidoids: The Birth of American Punk Rock". Chicago Review Press – via Google Books.
  4. 1 2 "MC5". Trouser Press. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  5. 1 2 Siclier, Sylvain (13 June 2006). "MC5 Babes In Arm". Culture. Le Monde. p. 29.
  6. 1 2 Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Canongate U.S. p. 972.
  7. 1 2 The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 461–462.
  8. ↑ Waksman, Steve (May 2, 2001). "Instruments of Desire: The Electric Guitar and the Shaping of Musical Experience". Harvard University Press – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ "The Rough Guide to Rock". Rough Guides. October 15, 2003 – via Google Books.
  10. 1 2 Reed, John (8 Oct 1998). "MC5 BABES IN ARMS". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 8.
  11. 1 2 McLeese, Don (June 15, 1990). "CD ARCHIVES". WEEKEND PLUS. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 63.
  12. 1 2 "MC5 - Babes in Arms Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  13. 1 2 "Robert Christgau: CG: MC5". www.robertchristgau.com.
  14. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 596.
  15. 1 2 Shuster, Fred (30 Jan 1998). "MC5/'Babes in Arms'". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L25.
  16. 1 2 Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 244–245.
  17. ↑ Johnson, Dean (May 3, 1998). "CLASSIC CUTS". Arts & Lifestyle. Boston Herald. p. 42.
  18. ↑ O'Neill, Mike (March 13, 1998). "MC5, Babes in Arms". FRIDAY EXTRA!. The Tampa Tribune. p. 21.
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