Tag: Ted Nugent (Page 1 of 2)

Before this, (Ted’s first album) he had already recorded seven albums with the Amboy Dukes. The sound originally was quite psychedelic, but as the albums were getting harder edged he went solo to record this in ’75.

I’m a big fan of his earlier material before it all got a bit weird. This is definitely prime time Ted. Four classic Ted tracks come from this record: Stranglehold, Stormtroopin’, Just What The Doctored, and my personal favourite Motor City Madhouse. He certainly had tapped into something here with that no nonsense approach. Just Uncle Ted, a stack of amps, and a guitar cranked all the way was just how I liked it and those live shows were high octane for sure. Detroit was a rock town, but it was also the home of soul with Motown and Ted does marry the two well on tracks like Hey Baby.

A great and fun record.

8/10 from the Grooveman.

After this album I sort of checked out of Ted Nugent, as the craziness and comments were getting too much, plus the music started to go downhill when he changed his style and moved away from the raw rock n’ roll. This was sort of album number eight for Uncle Ted, as technically it’s a live album but full of all new songs that were recorded on various nights on his 1980 tour. It was really hard to capture what Ted did live on record, as his studio albums never quite captured that raw live sound. This album comes close to doing that. This is number three in my fave Ted records.

Put Up Or Shut Up kicks things off and this is classic Ted, an over the top rock n’ roll song. Spontaneous Combustion is the the first song that doesn’t do it for me on the record, it’s just ok. My Love Is Like A Tire Iron is a great tongue-in-cheek kick ass tune, and I love the Motown-style harmony vocals. Jailbait follows and despite the dodgy subject matter, this is the closest this album gets to a single. The second poor song on the album is I Am A Predator. It just sounds as though it was knocked up in soundcheck. Heads Will Roll is a killer Ted tune, very upbeat and loads of guitar – just raw rock n’ roll. The Flying Lip Lock is just a high octane boogie woombie turned up to eleven. Not a bad cover of Wilson Picketts’ Land Of A Thousand Dances just to get the crowd involved. There is even an instrumental called TNT Overture, which seems strange to do when introducing new songs to an audience. Take No Prisoners closes out the album and it’s where we came in with an old school Nugent romp.  

8/10 from The Grooveman.

This is another Live record that doesn’t often get a mention when people talk about best Live albums. Recorded over various nights across the US in ’76 and ’77, it was pieced together as a whole live concert. Ted Nugent was a big drawer back in the mid-to-late seventies, and sold tons of records right across the States.

Playing the most un-metal guitar with his Gibson Byrdland, boy did he make that thing squeal. I used to love old school Nuge – he always put on a great show. I lost interest when he went bat shit crazy, but there is no denying that this album is a barn burner. His mantra was always “if it’s too loud. you’re too old”, and believe me, his gigs were deafening. It’s bitten old Teddy in the ass, as he is totally deaf in one ear and has partial hearing in the other.

What you see here is what you get, good old loud and proud shit kicking rock and roll. All tracks are originals, apart from a very over the top Baby Please Don’t Go, there is no let up right from the get go. It’s all killer and no filler, and my favourite tracks are Great White Buffalo, and Wang Dang Sweet Poontang, where it’s all about the guitar and Ted gives his all.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.