The Hard Stuff (Wayne Kramer album)
The Hard Stuff is the solo debut album by American musician Wayne Kramer, best known as a guitarist with the 1960s group MC5. It was released on January 10, 1995 by Epitaph Records. The band Claw Hammer backs up Kramer on most songs, with featured guest appearances by members of Bad Religion, the Melvins, and Suicidal Tendencies. Critical reception. "New York" wrote that "..."the Hard Stuff" shows [Kramer] to be in full command of his jam-kicking facilities," while praising the album's "vital rawness". David Sprague and Ira Robbins wrote in "Trouser Press  that the album careens from free-jazz-backed spoken word to bug-eyed metal in a manner every bit as fierce and feral as Kramer's golden age." "Entertainment Weekly"s Mike Flaherty was less favorable, describing the album as "a bombastic album dominated by tales of ’90s-style sociopolitical decay" and giving it a C+. "The Washington Post"s Mark Jenkins was also critical of the album, writing that on it, Kramer "is still tough and eclectic, but he fails to reconjure the sheer abandon of his former band's best work." Alan Crandall wrote in "Perfect Sound Forever" that the  album "had something, that undefinable "oomph" that keeps you throwing on a particular album because you just really like it for no easily articulated reason." Track listing. All tracks composed by Wayne Kramer; except where indicated.