Song · MC5
“Kick Out The Jams” by MC5
From the album A Tribute to Jet (2004)
“Kick Out The Jams” by MC5 appears on 11 radio countdowns from 4 stations between 2001 and 2021. It was first released in 2004 on the album A Tribute to Jet. Its best result is #352 on the WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #3,066 alternative song of all time.
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The MC5's "Kick Out the Jams" didn't just make noise, it made trouble. The title track of their Elektra album opens with a rallying cry that ends in a word no radio station would touch, so for the single the band cut a cleaner version of the line, though singer Rob Tyner claimed that was done without the group agreeing. The tamer take even reached some LP copies. The record itself is a riot on tape, guitars going off like cherry bombs and Tyner hollering like a street-corner preacher.
When the Detroit department store chain Hudson's refused to stock the album, the band answered with a full-page ad in the underground paper Fifth Estate cursing the store, with Elektra's logo front and center. Hudson's pulled every Elektra record off its shelves, label boss Jac Holzman dropped the band, and the MC5 moved on to Atlantic.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
Classic Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1742 | WFPK | WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2000 |
| 2007 | 1604 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) | 2008 |
| 2008 | 1538 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) | 2009 |
| 2009 | 1539 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) | 2010 |
| 2010 | 1388 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) | 2011 |
| 2011 | 1309 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) | 2011 |
| 2012 | 352 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) | 885 |
| 2013 | 1235 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) | 2012 |
| 2014 | 1176 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) | 2013 |
| 2020 | 1839 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2021 | 460 | WCSX | WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) | 499 |
Also listed as: Kick Out the Jams; Kick out the Jams.
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