Heavy Lifting
| Heavy Lifting | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 18, 2024 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 45:19 | |||
| Label | earMUSIC | |||
| Producer | Bob Ezrin | |||
| MC5 chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 71/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
| And It Don't Stop | A− |
| The Arts Desk | |
| Classic Rock | |
| Mojo | |
| The Observer | |
| Record Collector | |
| Tom Hull – on the Web | B+ ( ) |
| Uncut | 7/10 |
Heavy Lifting is the third and final studio album by the American rock band MC5, released on October 18, 2024. It is the band's first studio release since 1971's High Time.
Background
In March 2022, guitarist Wayne Kramer announced that a new MC5 album would be released later in the year, along with a U.S. tour under the name We Are All MC5. He later confirmed that the album would be released in Spring 2024. Kramer died in February 2024 from pancreatic cancer, as the album was nearing completion. The album features several guest musicians, including MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson (posthumously), Slash, Tom Morello, William Duvall, and Vernon Reid.
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Wayne Kramer and Brad Brooks; except for "The Edge of the Switchblade", written by Wayne Kramer; "Twenty-Five Miles", written by Johnny Bristol, Harvey Fuqua, and Edwin Starr; and "Blind Eye", written by Wayne Kramer, Brad Brooks, Bob Ezrin, and Jill Sobule.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Heavy Lifting (feat. Tom Morello)" | 3:20 |
| 2. | "Barbarians at the Gate" | 4:18 |
| 3. | "Change, No Change" | 4:03 |
| 4. | "The Edge of the Switchblade (feat. William DuVall & Slash)" | 4:16 |
| 5. | "Black Boots (feat. Tim McIlrath)" | 2:53 |
| 6. | "I Am the Fun (The Phoney)" | 3:35 |
| 7. | "Twenty-Five Miles" | 3:53 |
| 8. | "Because of Your Car" | 3:02 |
| 9. | "Boys Who Play with Matches" | 3:10 |
| 10. | "Blind Eye (feat. Dennis Thompson)" | 3:16 |
| 11. | "Can’t Be Found (feat. Vernon Reid & Dennis Thompson)" | 3:48 |
| 12. | "Blessed Release" | 3:03 |
| 13. | "Hit It Hard (feat. Joe Berry)" | 2:42 |
Personnel
MC5
- Wayne Kramer – vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass, performance, horn arrangements
- Brad Brooks – vocals, harmonica, keyboards, performance
- Don Was – bass, performance
- Vicki Randle – vocals, bass, percussion, performance
- Abe Laboriel Jr. – drums, performance
- Winston A. Watson Jr. – drums, performance
- Stevie Salas – guitars, performance
Additional contributors
- Bob Ezrin – production, mixing
- Robert Vosgien – mastering
- Dave Way – engineering
- Nicole Schmidt – engineering
- Julian Shank – engineering
- Kyle Stephens – engineering
- Luke Reynolds – engineering
- Ryan "Toby" Hyland – engineering
- Matt Binder – engineering
- Jerry Becker – vocal recording on "Barbarians at the Gate" and "Hit It Hard"
- Everett Brooks – shouting on "I Am the Fun (The Phoney)"
- Severine Brooks – shouting on "I Am the Fun (The Phoney)"
- Joe Berry – horn arrangements
- Jason Federici – photography, graphic design
- Jim Newberry – Wayne Kramer portrait photography
References
- ↑ "Reviews for Heavy Lifting by MC5". Metacritic. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ↑ Deming, Mark (October 18, 2024). "Heavy Lifting - MC5". AllMusic. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (November 13, 2024). "Consumer Guide: November, 2024". Robert Christgau. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ↑ Oddy, Guy (October 14, 2024). "Album: MC5 - Heavy Lifting". The Arts Desk. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ↑ Sharp, Johnny (October 18, 2024). ""These performances retain the essential raging-rebel attitude that fired the Detroit firebrands' original incarnation": The MC5's final album Heavy Lifting is a vibrant joint epitaph". Classic Rock. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ↑ Perry, Andrew (October 18, 2024). "MC5 Heavy Lifting Review: Spirited valedictory offering from the late Wayne Kramer". Mojo. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ↑ Mongredien, Phil (October 11, 2024). "MC5: Heavy Lifting review – an enjoyable coda for Detroit's punk pioneers". The Observer. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ↑ The musical departures are oddly interesting. .... Compellingly underpinned by Thompson's precision thunder, Blind Eye and Can't Be Found are easily the most power-packed cuts. If only he could have elevated the whole album. [Nov 2024, p.100]
- ↑ Hull, Tom. "Grade List: MC5". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ↑ Loaded with guests, from Slash to Tom Morello, it’s no-frills hard rock which, while occasionally a little dated and clichéd, still has plenty of fizz to it. [Nov 2024, p.40]
- ↑ Deming, Mark. "Heavy Lifting – MC5". AllMusic. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
- ↑ Gallucci, Michael. "MC5, 'Heavy Lifting': Album Review". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ↑ Minsker, Evan. "MC5 Announce First New Album in 51 Years and U.S. Tour". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ↑ Brannigan, Paul. ""The record is a guitar extravaganza": Heavy Liting, the first MC5 album since 1971, will feature Slash, Tom Morello, Alice In Chains' William DuVall, Vernon Reid, and more". Louder Sound. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
- ↑ Howie, Guy. "Is the new MC5 album still happening?". Far Out. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
- ↑ Perry, Andrew. "MC5 Heavy Lifting Review: Spirited valedictory offering from the late Wayne Kramer". Mojo. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ↑ "Album Review: MC5 – Heavy Lifting". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ↑ "REVIEW: MC5 – HEAVY LIFTING". Devils Gate Music. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ↑ Wray, Daniel. "'They were the real essence of rock 'n' roll': How revolutionary band MC5 soundtracked US counterculture". BBC. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
External links
- Heavy Lifting at Discogs (list of releases)
