The Hard Stuff (Epitaph ’95) Rating: B+
Out of nowhere this former MC5 guitarist came back guns a-blazing, determined to show the new vanguard of “punks” how to get down and dirty almost 25 years after his legendary band’s breakup. Legions of worshipful young punks were all too eager to lend a helping hand, too, as Brother Wayne gets help from members of Clawhammer, the Melvins, and Bad Religion. Having done hard time in jail due to drug charges, Kramer’s (and Mick Farren’s) excellent lyrics spew out disgusted thoughts about a decaying society, braying “politician now ‘aint nothing but another word for liar.” Some might find fault with his preachy, finger pointing lyrics, but they don't bother me any, and it's not like he doesn't pick on deserving targets; I can think of far worse things than exposing the "Junkie Romance." His singing is surprisingly good, too, bellowing out his cynical thoughts in a big, strong voice, and the music surges with twisted riffs and a fanatical intensity that effectively mixes punk and metal. As for Kramer’s guitar playing, ardent admirer Henry Rollins says it well on the album’s back cover: “Wayne’s sound is immediately recognizable. It’s High Time again. People don’t play guitars like this anymore, he’s trying to wreck the place.” The fast tracks are only marred by a pedestrian chorus here and there, but there are also two spoken word pieces, one of which (a tribute to writer Charles Bukowski) is the hidden 40th track. First of all, enough already with the hidden track games; it’s long since become a tired ploy that is purely annoying. Secondly, I just don’t get the whole spoken word phenomenon, and these two (the other one is called “Incident On Stock Island”) pieces do nothing to change my mind about that, since they fail to remain interesting after repeat listens. Still, even his glorious former group could hardly be called a bunch of perfectionists, and it was great to hear one of the original Motor City Madmen again strut his hard stuff.