No longer available from Epitaph or on Wayne's website, Dangerous Madness is a fine slab of midwest American rock. Madness is the second solo release from Wayne Kramer. Kramer was a co-founding member & co-guitarist (along with the great Fred 'Sonic' Smith) of the legendary proto-punk band MC5, whose first album, 1969s Kick Out the Jams is one of the most influential records of the era. MC5's raw, visceral sound helped lay the groundwork for punk. Wayne has successfully carried that sound into his solo work. On Dangerous Madness he digs into his own personal past, telling tales of harrowing bouts with drug addiction & jail time to create another blast of authentic, streetwise hard rock. The title track launches Dangerous Madness with a hard-driving, wary observation of society's fringe, attacking talk-show culture & violence-prone extremism. Terence Trent D'arby adds a subtle hint of soul to the otherwise brutal rocker. Kramer's songs are fueled with disdain, but are tempered with his experience.
" Kramer's lyrical phrasing often resembles the dark-side-of-life writing of street-level author Charles Bukowski, and his manic guitar attack paints a similarly gritty mural of shady debauchery. Dangerous Madness is a hair-raising jaunt through dark but realistic subject matter, proving Kramer to be an incendiary poetic force. His self-produced sonic boom effectively recaptures the raw musical intensity of his days in the MC5 without sounding overly nostalgic. The faint of heart may not wish to partake, but those with an appetite for brutally honest, bone-crunching rock will not be disappointed."
AllMusic
All music written by Wayne Kramer, lyrics by Mick Farren except "Back to Detroit", "A Dead Man's Vest", & "The Rats of Illusion" by Wayne Kramer. Most songs feature Wayne on guitar, bass, & vocals & Brock Avery on drums except "Dead Movie Stars" has Chad Smith on drums. Additional vocals by Terence Trent D'arby & Brett Gurewitz. Several track have Scott Thunes on bass while "Dead Movie Stars" has Tad Schumacher on bass.
Year of Release: 1996
Label: Epitaph 86458
Genre: Hard Rock
Track List:
Side One
Dangerous Madness
Back to Detroit
Wild America
Something Broken in the Promised Land
Take Exit 97
God's Worst Nightmare
Side Two
The Boys Got That Look in Their Eyes
A Dead Man's Vest
It's Never Enough
The Rats of Illusion
Dead Movie Star
Download: Wayne Kramer - Dangerous Madness
Download Size: 106MB (ripped from scratchy vinyl at glorious 320Kbps)
" Kramer's lyrical phrasing often resembles the dark-side-of-life writing of street-level author Charles Bukowski, and his manic guitar attack paints a similarly gritty mural of shady debauchery. Dangerous Madness is a hair-raising jaunt through dark but realistic subject matter, proving Kramer to be an incendiary poetic force. His self-produced sonic boom effectively recaptures the raw musical intensity of his days in the MC5 without sounding overly nostalgic. The faint of heart may not wish to partake, but those with an appetite for brutally honest, bone-crunching rock will not be disappointed."
AllMusic
All music written by Wayne Kramer, lyrics by Mick Farren except "Back to Detroit", "A Dead Man's Vest", & "The Rats of Illusion" by Wayne Kramer. Most songs feature Wayne on guitar, bass, & vocals & Brock Avery on drums except "Dead Movie Stars" has Chad Smith on drums. Additional vocals by Terence Trent D'arby & Brett Gurewitz. Several track have Scott Thunes on bass while "Dead Movie Stars" has Tad Schumacher on bass.
Year of Release: 1996
Label: Epitaph 86458
Genre: Hard Rock
Track List:
Side One
Dangerous Madness
Back to Detroit
Wild America
Something Broken in the Promised Land
Take Exit 97
God's Worst Nightmare
Side Two
The Boys Got That Look in Their Eyes
A Dead Man's Vest
It's Never Enough
The Rats of Illusion
Dead Movie Star
Download: Wayne Kramer - Dangerous Madness
Download Size: 106MB (ripped from scratchy vinyl at glorious 320Kbps)
Oh man it's great to finally hear this, and it was worth seeking out, this is really good stuff. I really appreciate the post. Unfortunately, there's a huge skip on my favorite track, I hope I can track down a clean copy on vinyl or even a CD (much as I hate CDs). This is pretty hard to find.
ReplyDeleteTo anon - Don't know when you posted this comment or if you'll see my reply, but if you leave word here as to which track, I'll try to re-rip it. I don't think the vinyl I have has any bad skips, so I might have just messed up. Let me Know.
ReplyDeleteHi thanks for posting this, I didn't know that the mighty Mr Kramer had released anything past Adult World which is one of my fave albums. Looked him up on allmusic and see that there's another album Mad for the racket, I think I need that.
ReplyDeleteYou guys also maybe interested in the new book Wayne Kramer is featured in called 108 Rock Star Guitars. Like the FaceBook page for more updates on Wayne Kramer!
ReplyDelete