Ben Edmonds

Jaan Uhelszki

Brad Tolinski

A riveting oral biography of the proto-punk Detroit rockers MC5, based on original interviews with the band and key members of their inner circle Though there's long been a connection between music politics, few bands have dared to ignite a revolution through their fusion of activism and art like the MC5. The fiery progenitors of Detroit punk, didn't just straddle the line--they bulldozed through it. Managed by the charismatic Sixties radical and hippie spokesman, John Sinclair, MC5 wasn't just a band; they were a thunderous proclamation of dissent, amplifying the voices of the marginalized long before it was fashionable. From championing Black Lives Matter to rallying for cannabis legalization, they fearlessly thrust their beliefs onto the world stage fifty years before those topics became part of the mainstream discussion. And for their efforts, the rabble-rousing musical arm of the White Panther Party, the scourge of J. Edgar Hoover's FBI and other defenders of public decency, were often beaten with clubs, threatened at gunpoint, and tossed into jail. The police regularly raided MC5 shows, record stores were busted for selling their albums, and the group was unceremoniously dumped by its record company, even as their record was storming up the charts--all this transpiring while the Sex Pistols were still on training wheels. What has been lost amidst this notoriety is MC5 itself, a band worth remembering not because they were bad boys, but because they were so damn good. In MC5: An Oral Biography of Rock's Most Revolutionary Band​, music journalists Brad Tolinski and Jaan Uhelszki invite readers to reconsider this legendary band in a new light. Centered around a series of interviews with MC5 and their inner circle--many of whom are no longer with us--that Tolinski and Uhelszki inherited from Creem Magazine founding staffer and Mojo's US editor Bed Edmonds prior to his death, this book presents a genuinely candid, funny, and moving portrait of rock's most uncompromising and articulate band. In addition to new insights on the band members and their manager, MC5 also features a virtual who's who of Sixties rock musicians, including Iggy and the Stooges, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, promoter Bill Graham, John Lennon, the Jefferson Airplane, and political firebrands like Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden, and Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver. As innovative, insightful, and inspiring as the band itself, MC5 is a fitting testament to the legacy of these iconic rock pioneers--told in their very own words.

An Oral Biography of Rock's Most Revolutionary Band

"What's Going On?" is widely regarded as Marvin Gaye's finest work and as one of the seminal albums of the 1970s. This book looks at the making of the album, interviewing artists close to the singer, to arrive at an understanding of what the album means.

Marvin Gaye and the Last Days of the Motown Sound

What's Going On?

Arguably the greatest soul album ever made, What's Going On established Motown star Marvin Gaye as a unique and maverick musical talent, whose determination and vision resulted not only in inspirational, pioneering grooves but, in the era of Vietnam and Civil Rights protests, an album that challenged America to take a long hard look at itself. Ben Edmonds examines in detail the making of this legendary work - initially rejected by Motown's quality control department - interviewing many of the artists and record company employees closest to the singer, to arrive at a deeper understanding of what the album means. It is, without question, one of the greatest stories ever told.

Ben Edmonds

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