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WAYNE KRAMER
The Return of Citizen Wayne
(MuscleTone)
Wayne Kramer's 1997 Citizen Wayne, his third album for then-hot punk label Epitaph, proved to be an artistic step forward for the ex-MC5 axe-slinger. Collaborating with Was (Not Was) co-founder David Was, Kramer wrote and produced a collection of songs that digs deep into his own past mythology as well as looks at the current events around him. By the same token, the production includes straightahead hard rock and cuts that experiment with samples and programmed rhythms, though both approaches prominently feature his trademark Chuck Berry-doing-free jazz guitar. Songs that deal with his rock & roll mythology stick to the guitar/bass/drums setup. "Snatched Defeat" looks sadly back at his days in the ill-fated Gang War, his 80s band with Johnny Thunders known better for its junkie lifestyle than its music—"We snatched defeat from the jaws of victory/With holes in our arms for the whole world to see." "Count Time" recalls with unsentimental clarity what it's like to live in prison, with Was putting a guest vocal as the warden. "Revolution in Apt. 29" and the ferocious "Down On the Ground" revisit the glory days of the MC5 with just the right mix of sentimentality and honesty.

When Kramer examines the political forces at odds with the common man, he updates the sound to include loops and sampled noise. "Stranger in the House," "Shining Mr. Lincoln's Shoes" and the funky "You Don't Know My Name" grind as much on hard-edged electronic beats as on guitars and righteous anger, while "Back When Dogs Could Talk" pays tribute to both the Detroit working man and the Five in a more straightforward fashion. "No Easy Way Out," meanwhile, salutes the power of love with a melody that's very nearly power pop and "Doing the Work" intones the simple credo "Doing the work/It saved me, really" over a burbling electronic groove and improv six-string magic from Kramer and avant-garde axeman Nels Cline. Kramer closes out the original set with the contemplative solo instrumental "A Farewell to Whisky." This edition contains four additional tracks: remixes of "Back When Dogs Could Talk" (typical techno remix of a rock track) and "No Easy Way Out" (a bit brighter but nothing radical), a razor-edged new song called "Cheques From Chairman Mao," and an electronic press kit. The Return of Citizen Wayne doesn't quite have the explosive power of his comeback The Hard Stuff, but it's still easily one of Brother Wayne's best albums. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Bob Mould, Lou Reed, the Mekons

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