MACHINEGUN THOMPSON MC5: MACHINEGUN THOMPSON: THE WAR AGAINST THE JIVE!

I wrote Rock n Roll Soldiers for the New Order in 1974. After seven long months of rehearsing five hours a day, five days a week, Emotionally depleted and highly depressed we "soldiered" on. I felt like I was in the f**king Army!

We were young and we could handle anything...

Thanks to John Riley, our manager/investor, we were able to keep creating the music, but we were penniless, lean, mean, and hungry. Tough for us to see all the sports cars and rich people going by on the Strip! While we are eating boot soup.. I sold my 1967 Corvette Stingray to go out there!

ROCK AND ROLL SOLDIERS

(Words and music by Dennis Thompson)

(Copyright Wotre Music 1975)

Verse 1

Like men possessed maniacs insane

We struggle and fight

Some die

We sold our souls

So long ago

To keep rock and roll alive

Giving everything we got

And a whole lot more

Lo the battle is waged

Taking all the help

We can get anytime

To fill another page

Chorus

‘Cause we are the rock and roll soldiers

Rock and roll will keep you alive

We’d never give in

It would be a sin

In the war against the jive.

In the war against the jive

Verse 2

A million miles of barbed wire

To rip and tear at our grace

We played the game for buyers

With six strings as our mace

Plagued by apathy and protocol

Maneuvering to keep control

Feeding upon the fire

Like a bandit lusts for gold

(Repeat Chorus)

(Guitar solo)

(Drum cadence with spoken word overlay)

We are the rock and roll soldiers

Rock and roll will keep you alive

We’d never give in

It would be a sin

In the war against the JIVE

( Repeat Chorus and out)

One afternoon, I was personally feeling pretty damn sorry for myself (no record contract yet) over the impoverished life we were committed to. Not even playing any gigs!

Had to get out of my one man pity-party. So went and got my notebook and began to write how I felt at that moment in time.

New Order featuring Stooges alumni Ron Asheton and

MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson!

The words came easily as did the tears. Together they became this song.
Complete. I borrowed the chord structure from "Summer Cannibals" a previous tune from Fred Smith and then wrote the lyrics.

Voila! Ron Asheton, Jimmy Recca (one of my favorite bass players), and lead singer Dave Gilbert nailed it. (This just prior to Ray Gunn joining the group.)
Gray Cloud with a silver lining? You bet! Next day I called Ray Gunn and asked him to join the band. The rest, as they say, is r n r history.

(Read post on The New Order) Moral of the story? Don’t ever give up on yourself and your true friends!