Ted Nugent (album)
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| Classic Rock | [3] |
Ted Nugent is the first solo rock album released in 1975 by Ted Nugent after the disbanding of his former group, The Amboy Dukes.
Background
Tired of the Amboy Dukes lack of effort and discipline, Nugent decided he had enough and left the group. He took a three month vacation (his first ever) clearing his head in the Colorado wilderness, spending his time deer hunting and enjoying the outdoors.[4]
Renewed, Nugent returned to civilization in search of a new direction and a new band. Joining him in the Ted Nugent band would be former Amboy Duke Rob Grange on bass, along with Cliff Davies (ex-If) on drums and finally, from a local Michigan band called Scott which had opened for the Dukes previously, a singer/guitarist named Derek St. Holmes.
The new group hit the road and then the studio, forming the songs which would send their first album into the Billboard Top 30 and into the multi-platinum range. The first track, "Stranglehold", would set the stage for Nugent's career, an eight minute plus guitar attack with vocals by St. Holmes and Nugent, a healthy dose of a Gibson Byrdland guitar, a famous guitar solo recorded in one take and a unique phase bass guitar effect by Rob Grange. Songs such as "Stormtroopin'", "Hey Baby", "Just What the Doctor Ordered" and "Snakeskin Cowboys" (features an 8-string Hagstrom bass played by Rob Grange), (with St. Holmes providing lead vocals on all of them) would prove to be staples of the band's wild concert tours for years to come. "Motor City Madhouse" is an ode to Ted's hometown of Detroit.
The album was produced by former If-manager Lew Futterman and Tom Werman. Ted said about the album, "If anyone wanted to know what rock 'n roll was all about, that's the only album they'd need".[4]
The last track on the album, "Queen of the Forest", was the first rock song played by Dr. Johnny Fever on the TV series WKRP in Cincinnati.[citation needed]
Despite a lot of fan speculation Nugent himself has confirmed that the track "You Make Me Feel Right at Home" is sung by drummer Cliff Davies
Reception
In 2005, Ted Nugent was ranked number 487 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[5]
Stranglehold has been ranked 31st greatest guitar solo of all time by Guitar World.[6]
Track listing
All songs written by Ted Nugent, except "Hey Baby", written and arranged by Derek St. Holmes, all songs arranged by Rob Grange, Derek St. Holmes and Cliff Davies. In Martin Popoff's book, "Epic Ted Nugent", Nugent admits that the song "Stranglehold", was co-written by Rob Grange yet he never received a share for co-writer.[4]
- "Stranglehold" – 8:22
- "Stormtroopin'" – 3:07
- "Hey Baby" – 4:00
- "Just What the Doctor Ordered" – 3:43
- "Snakeskin Cowboys" – 4:38
- "Motor City Madhouse" – 4:30
- "Where Have You Been All My Life" – 4:04
- "You Make Me Feel Right at Home" – 2:54
- "Queen of the Forest" – 3:34
1999 CD reissue bonus tracks
- "Stormtroopin'" (Live) – 6:36
- "Just What the Doctor Ordered" (Live) – 4:52
- "Motor City Madhouse" (Live) – 8:38
- "Magic Party" (Studio outtake) – 2:55
Personnel
Band members
- Derek St. Holmes - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, arrangements
- Ted Nugent - lead and rhythm guitar, vocals, percussion, arrangements, lead vocals on track 6
- Rob Grange - bass guitar, arrangements, 8 String bass on "Snakeskin Cowboys", bass phase effect on "Stranglehold"
- Cliff Davies - drums, vibraphone, backing vocals, arrangements, lead vocals on track 8
Additional musicians
- Steve McRay - keyboards
- Brian Staffeld - percussion
- Tom Werman - percussion, producer
Production
- Lew Futterman - producer
- Anthony Reale - engineer, mixing
- Howard Fritzson - art direction
- Al Clayton - photography
- Gerard Huerta - lettering
- Bruce Dickinson (not to be confused with the lead singer of Iron Maiden) - producer (1999 reissue)
- Vic Anesini - remastering
- Stephan Moore - 1999 reissue project director
- Gary Graff - 1999 reissue liner notes
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Billboard 200 (North America)[7] | 28 |
| 1976 | UK Album Chart[8] | 56 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | "Hey Baby" | Billboard Hot 100 (North America)[9] | 72 |
Sales Certifications
| Country | Organization | Sales |
| U.S. | RIAA | 2x Platinum (2,000,000)[10] |
| Canada | CRIA | Gold (50,000)[11] |
References
- ^ "New LP/Tape Releases". Billboard. Billboard Publications, Inc.: 66 September 13, 1975.
- ^ a b Prato, Greg. "Ted Nugent Ted Nugent review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
- ^ Dome, Malcolm (February 2005). "'Ted Nugent'". Classic Rock. Vol. 76. London, UK: Future Publishing Ltd. p. 108.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ a b c Martin Popoff (2012). Epic Ted Nugent. Toronto, Canada: Power Chord Press. pp. 64–65.
- ^ [...], Rock Hard (Hrsg.). [Red.: Michael Rensen. Mitarb.: Götz Kühnemund] (2005). Best of Rock & Metal die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Königswinter: Heel. p. 12. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
{{cite book}}:|last=has numeric name (help) - ^ "50 Greatest Guitar Solos". guitarworld.com. 2009-01-29. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
- ^ "Ted Nugent Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
- ^ "Ted Nugent Chart Stats". Chart Stats.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-08. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
- ^ "Ted Nugent Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
- ^ "RIAA Database Search for Ted Nugent album". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
- ^ "Gold Platinum Database - Title: Ted Nugent". Music Canada. Retrieved 2011-12-16.