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1970 Back in the USA Vinyl LP Atlantic SD 8247 A1 A1Tutti-Frutti 1:27 A2 Tonight 2:32 A3 Teenage Lust 2:34 A4 Let Me Try 4:12 A5 Looking at You 3:00 B1 High School 2:39 B2 Call Me Animal 2:03 B3 The American Ruse 2:28 B4 Shakin' Street 2:18 B5 The Human Being Lawnmower 2:22 B6 Back in the USA 2:35 WOP-BOP-A-LU-BOP-A-LOP-BAM-BOOM. Thud. "Tutti Frutti," which opens the partly excellent MC5 album, is easily the worst cut on it, and in a way a clue to the rest of the record, which ends, stiffly enough, with "Back In The USA." The MC5 have roots; or their producer Jon Landau does, or somebody does. Over four minutes of totally pointless music is expended in "proving" that fact - and regardless of the possible coy significance of this one-time "Killer Band" singing "Back In The USA" as if it was some kind of confession, the performances of the old rock dead, like someone reciting the alphabet instead of using the letters to make words. There are some first-rate songs on the album, some good musical ideas, and the musicianship is competent throughout, often fun, sometimes exciting. "Musicianship," here, is used as a concept - the idea of a "solid, clean, tight and together" sound is as self-conscious as the total freak out the first LP was. Chuck Berry simply oozes from the album. A group of teenage consciousness numbers fill out the album - a reworking of themes from the Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent, old South Philly street music, and the like. There's "Shakin' St
