Album of the Day

MC5 was justifiably legendary for their live shows, but the Detroit quintet could also kick out the jams in the studio, as evidenced by the powerful HIGH TIME. With Atlantic Records staff producer Geoffrey Haslam keeping the needle from going too far into the red, the band laid down what might be their most accessible set of songs, with “Sister Anne,” “Baby Won't Ya” and “Miss X” being just a few of the highlights. If the politics have been dialed back a bit, the performances – from Rob Tyner's take-no-prisoners vocals to Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith's dueling guitars – are as incendiary as ever. The 1971 proto-punk collection was the group's last (and for many fans, best) album and we'll give HIGH TIME another spin now to wish Kramer a happy birthday.