"Kick Out the Jams" is a song by MC5, released as a single in March 1969 by Elektra Records. The album of the same name caused some controversy due to Sinclair's inflammatory liner notes and the track's rallying cry of "Kick out the jams, motherfuckers!" According to Kramer, the band recorded this as "Kick out the jams, brothers and sisters!" for the single released for radio play; Tyner claimed this was done without group consensus.[3] The edited version also appeared in some LP copies, which also withdrew Sinclair's excitable comments. The album was released in January 1969; reviews were mixed, but the album was relatively successful, quickly selling over 100,000 copies and peaking at #30 on the Billboard album chart in May 1969 during a 23-week stay.
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"Kick Out the Jams" | ||||
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![]() Side A of the original single | ||||
Single by MC5 | ||||
from the album Kick Out the Jams | ||||
B-side | "Motor City Is Burning" | |||
Released | March 1969 (1969-03) | |||
Recorded |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 2:37 | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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MC5 singles chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
![]() 2009 re-issue cover | ||||
When Hudson's, a Detroit-based department store chain, refused to stock the Kick Out the Jams album due to the obscenity, MC5 responded with a full page advertisement in the local underground magazine Fifth Estate saying "Stick Alive with the MC5, and Fuck Hudson's!", prominently including the logo of MC5's label, Elektra Records, in the ad. Hudson's pulled all Elektra records from their stores, and in the ensuing controversy, Jac Holzman, the head of Elektra, dropped the band from their contract. MC5 then signed with Atlantic Records.[4]
Adapted from the Kick Out the Jams liner notes.[5]
Chart (1969) | Peak position |
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U.S. Billboard Hot 100[6] | 82 |
Canada RPM (magazine)[7] | 51 |
Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
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United States | 1969 | Elektra | LP | EK-45648 |
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Band | Year | Release |
---|---|---|
Blue Öyster Cult | 1978 | Some Enchanted Evening |
Afrika Bambaataa and Family | 1986 | Beware (The Funk Is Everywhere) |
Volcano Suns | 1989 | Thing of Beauty |
The Big F | 1990 | Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary |
Bad Brains with Henry Rollins | 1990 | Pump Up the Volume (Music From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
Poison Idea | 1992 | Pajama Party[8] |
The Fluid | 1992 | Spot the Loon[9] |
The Presidents of the United States of America | 1995 | The Presidents of the United States of America |
The Mono Men | 1995 | "Kick out the Jams!"/"We Got What It Takes" |
Michael Monroe | 1996 | Peace of Mind |
Entombed | 1997 | DCLXVI: To Ride Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth |
Rich Hopkins & Luminarios | 1997 | The Glorious Sounds of Rich Hopkins & Luminarios |
Monster Magnet | 1998 | Powertrip |
Wayne Kramer | 1998 | LLMF (Live Like a Mutherfucker)[10] |
Rob Tyner Band | 1999 | Rock and Roll People[11] |
Rage Against the Machine | 2000 | Renegades |
Joseph LoDuca | 2000 | Xena: Warrior Princess episode "Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire" |
Jeff Buckley | 2001 | Jeff Buckley Live À L'Olympia |
Agitated | 2002 | Go Blue, Go Die |
The Nomads | 2002 | Showdown 2-The 90's[12] |
Give Up the Ghost | 2003 | Year One[13] |
Europa | 2003 | Wake Up - A Tribute to Rage Against the Machine[14] |
Disoscillators featuring You the Rock | 2009 | Last Rockers |
Frankenstein 3000 | 2010 | They'll Be Waking Up Soon[15] |
The Strypes | 2014 | Flat Out[16] |
Black Hay | 2015 | Imitating the Jams |
U.K. Subs | 2018 | Subversions[17] |
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