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[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| And It Don't Stop | A–[3] |
| The Arts Desk | [4] |
| Classic Rock | [5] |
| Mojo | [6] |
| The Observer | [7] |
| Record Collector | [8] |
| Tom Hull – on the Web | B+ ( )[9] |
| Uncut | 7/10[10] |
Heavy Lifting is the third and final studio album by the American rock band MC5, released on October 18, 2024.[11] It is the band's first studio release since 1971's High Time.[12]
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.[13] He later confirmed that the album would be released in Spring 2024.[14] Kramer died in February 2024 from pancreatic cancer, as the album was nearing completion.[15] The album features several guest musicians, including MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson, Slash, Tom Morello, William Duvall, and Vernon Reid.[16][17][18]
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.[19]
| 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)
