MC5 - Covers and Tributes

Covers and Tributes

On their 2000 album Renegades, Rage Against the Machine performed a cover of "Kick Out the Jams". Singer Zack de la Rocha had already left the band, but their version still featured his vocals. Poison Idea's version of the song appears on their Pajama Party covers album as well as the live album, Dutch Courage. The song was also covered by Jeff Buckley on the DVD Live in Chicago and at the Olympia in Paris, as well as on the 1994 debut album by The Presidents of the United States of America, and by Blue Öyster Cult on their 1978 live album Some Enchanted Evening. A version of the song performed by Bad Brains with Henry Rollins also appeared on the soundtrack to the film, Pump Up the Volume. More recently, Monster Magnet contributed yet another version of "Kick Out the Jams" to the Varsity Blues soundtrack (it had already appeared as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of their 1998 album, Powertrip). Pearl Jam also covers the song live in concert. The Boston, Massachusetts hardcore band American Nightmare covered "Kick Out The Jams" on their live album; the version also appears on their compilation Year One. Rocket from the Crypt recorded an infamous cover of the song "Gold".

The Damned covered "Looking at You" on their third album, 1979's "Machine Gun Etiquette".

The song What Time Is Love? by the KLF started with the beginning "Kick Out the Jams," although "motherfucker" was censored in the UK.

Spacemen 3 covered "Starship" on their 1987 album "The Perfect Prescription," crediting it to both MC5 and Sun Ra.

The Scandinavian band Dollhouse covered "Human Being Lawnmower" on their debut album, "The Rock & Soul Circus". The album was produced by Michael Davis.

The Australian band Radio Birdman recorded a cover of The Stooges' "TV Eye", into which they inserted several lyrics and the characteristic guitar solo from "Looking at You". The Radio Birdman/Stooges/MC5 super-group, New Race, covered "Gotta Keep Movin'" and "Looking at You".

The Michigan band The Gories did a cover version of "I Just Don't Know," and the song "Sister Anne" may also be found on their House Rockin' LP. The Vertical Pillows, a 1980s Michigan band with strong MC5 influences, had their debut single ("Jump Back"/"R.U.N.") produced by Tyner, who also did live guest sets with the VPs of MC5 songs.

The band The Didjits recorded "Call Me Animal" on their 1990 LP "Hornet Pinata".

The band Corrosion of Conformity released a version of "Future/Now" as a b-side to their "Vote With A Bullet" single.

Swedish metal band Entombed (with Nicke Andersson on drums) released a limited digipak edition of the 1997 album "DCLXVI: To Ride Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth" with a bonus CD titled "Family Favourites" featuring four cover songs. The first one being MC5's "Kick Out the Jams".

In 1999, on their album No.4, Stone Temple Pilots wrote a song entitled "MC5" in honor of the band.

The Norwegian Band Motorpsycho covered "Black To Comm" on their live album "Roadwork Vol.1" released in 1999.

Swedish rock band The Hellacopters has performed Kick out the Jams live on several occasions, released a cover version of "American Ruse" on the split-EP "Respect The Rock USA" (together with Gluecifer) in 1999 and guitarist Robert Dahlqvist named his sideproject Thunder Express after the MC5 song as a tribute.

The band Young Heart Attack covered "Over and Over" as a 2003 single and on their 2004 album Mouthful of Love.

In December 2003, Michael Davis entered a studio in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, to produce Swedish rock band Dollhouse's debut-album "The Rock and Soul Circus" (Released 2004 on Dim Mak Records). Michael Davis himself appears on backing vocals on the MC5 cover song "The Human Being Lawnmower".

Covers of 'Starship' and 'I Want You Right Now' appear on the 2005 Turbonegro compilation album, Small Feces.

"Kick Out The Jams" is included in the 2008 video game Guitar Hero World Tour. The guitar tracks were re-recorded but the original vocal track from Rob Tyner remains.

The Melvins covered "Rocket Reducer No. 62" which was released on the 1994 promo single of "Lizzy". The song can also be found on the bootleg compilation "Leech" from 1996. Additionally, the MC5's own recording of "High School" appeared in the Ramones film Rock 'n' Roll High School.

The character Rachel Green of the TV show Friends wore an MC5 t-shirt in Series 9, Episode 18 - "The One with the Lottery."

The band The Indelicates mention MC5 in their song "We Hate The Kids".

The American garage punk band Mono Men covered "Kick Out The Jams" on their 1996 album 10 Cool Ones.

American rock band The Fluid recorded Kick Out The Jams for their 1992 EP Spot the Loon. The band also played this song live regularly, frequently as a final encore.

The song Kick Out The Jams is loosely based on an encounter the band had with the popular group Statler Brothers.