Steppenwolf ~ Steppenwolf
Released in 1968 on ABC Dunhill Records
Hard Rock / Psychedelic Rock
Side one
1. "Sookie Sookie" (Don Covay, Steve Cropper) –3:12
2. "Everybody's Next One" (Kay, Gabriel Mekler) –2:53
3. "Berry Rides Again" (Kay) –2:45
4. "Hoochie Coochie Man" (Willie Dixon) –5:07
5. "Born to Be Wild" (Mars Bonfire) –3:28
6. "Your Wall's Too High" (Kay) –5:40
Side two
1. "Desperation" (Kay) –5:45
2. "The Pusher" (Hoyt Axton) –5:43
3. "A Girl I Knew" (Morgan Cavett, Kay) –2:39
4. "Take What You Need" (Kay, Gabriel Mekler) –3:28
5. "The Ostrich" (Kay) –5:43
Personnel:
• John Kay: guitars, harmonica,lead vocals.
• Rushton Moreve: bass guitar, backing vocals.
• Michael Monarch: guitars, backing vocals.
• Goldy McJohn: Hammond organ, piano, electric piano.
• Jerry Edmonton: drums, percussion, backing vocals.
The Band
Steppenwolf was formed by two driving forces, John Kay (Frontman) and Goldy McJohn, in 1967. These two were already members of a band called The Sparrows, which also included another original Steppenwolf band member, Jerry Edmonton. The Sparrows landed a record deal with Columbia Records, and only released one single with this label. Several Sparrows band members quit, so John and Goldy replaced those members with Michael Monarch and Rushton Moreve, and signed a contract with ABC Dunhill Records. Dunhill Records encouraged the band to make a name change, and Voila! Steppenwolf was born. The name Steppenwolf comes from the title of a German novel by Herman Hesse. (John Kay is German)
Goldy McJohn:
John Kay:
The Album
This album unleashed the Wolf upon the world! The album is a landmark for hard rock music and heavy metal music. The musical influence of this album spans almost every genre from soul , punk, gospel, folk to heavy metal. The song “Born to Be Wild” set the stage for heavy metal using the lyrical phrase “heavy metal thunder”, and pushed the limits for placing ‘loud’ into hard rock. “Born to Be Wild” would become a biker’s anthem , thanks to the movie “Easy Rider” of 1969, and is a song most everyone can identify with since there isn’t a teenager alive that doesn’t feel they were born to be wild. The song “The Pusher” would be one of the first songs to speak openly about the reality of drugs and condemn the drug dealer. The lyrics “God Damn, the Pusher” was a bold statement back in 1968 (and was never sensored) and still remains a big statement today. Even though these two songs were not written by the band, Steppenwolf is the signature band for these songs.
Another cover song off the album “Sookie Sookie” was originally recorded in 1965 by Don Covey but Steppenwolf added the groove to the song. The song was being played on soul radio stations until they found out the band was white
. John Kay wrote a fun song “Berry Rides Again”, which is a humorous tribute to Chuck Berry. “The Ostrich” is probably the best song on the album which is an original for Steppenwolf. “The Ostrich” delivers an outstanding rhythm and chorus line, this song is a high adrenaline jam. Another gem from the debut is “Desperation”, which has one of the most beautiful and moving vocal melodies the band has ever created.
The original album cover was something amazingly spectacular, done with a silver foil, but later pressings would change the foil to a white background. John Kay’s deep vocal style and Goldy McJohn’s keyboard playing have never been reproduced by any other band, this is what makes Steppenwolf such an outstanding band and marks their place in classic rock history. This album is nothing truly spectacular; the lyrics are under-developed, the music is raw and rushed(which is typical for most debut albums), but you could see the potential for greatness in the band. The best musical material on the album wasn’t written by the band, but Steppenwolf definitely delivered the goods on those songs. The songs that were written by Kay, showed he had song writing potential, they showed he had spirit and adventure. This album will definitely take you back to what it meant to be a rock n’ roll musician in the late 60’s and early 70’s.
My rating for listening pleasure 4/5.
Released in 1968 on ABC Dunhill Records
Hard Rock / Psychedelic Rock
Side one
1. "Sookie Sookie" (Don Covay, Steve Cropper) –3:12
2. "Everybody's Next One" (Kay, Gabriel Mekler) –2:53
3. "Berry Rides Again" (Kay) –2:45
4. "Hoochie Coochie Man" (Willie Dixon) –5:07
5. "Born to Be Wild" (Mars Bonfire) –3:28
6. "Your Wall's Too High" (Kay) –5:40
Side two
1. "Desperation" (Kay) –5:45
2. "The Pusher" (Hoyt Axton) –5:43
3. "A Girl I Knew" (Morgan Cavett, Kay) –2:39
4. "Take What You Need" (Kay, Gabriel Mekler) –3:28
5. "The Ostrich" (Kay) –5:43
Personnel:
• John Kay: guitars, harmonica,lead vocals.
• Rushton Moreve: bass guitar, backing vocals.
• Michael Monarch: guitars, backing vocals.
• Goldy McJohn: Hammond organ, piano, electric piano.
• Jerry Edmonton: drums, percussion, backing vocals.
The Band
Steppenwolf was formed by two driving forces, John Kay (Frontman) and Goldy McJohn, in 1967. These two were already members of a band called The Sparrows, which also included another original Steppenwolf band member, Jerry Edmonton. The Sparrows landed a record deal with Columbia Records, and only released one single with this label. Several Sparrows band members quit, so John and Goldy replaced those members with Michael Monarch and Rushton Moreve, and signed a contract with ABC Dunhill Records. Dunhill Records encouraged the band to make a name change, and Voila! Steppenwolf was born. The name Steppenwolf comes from the title of a German novel by Herman Hesse. (John Kay is German)
Goldy McJohn:
John Kay:
The Album
This album unleashed the Wolf upon the world! The album is a landmark for hard rock music and heavy metal music. The musical influence of this album spans almost every genre from soul , punk, gospel, folk to heavy metal. The song “Born to Be Wild” set the stage for heavy metal using the lyrical phrase “heavy metal thunder”, and pushed the limits for placing ‘loud’ into hard rock. “Born to Be Wild” would become a biker’s anthem , thanks to the movie “Easy Rider” of 1969, and is a song most everyone can identify with since there isn’t a teenager alive that doesn’t feel they were born to be wild. The song “The Pusher” would be one of the first songs to speak openly about the reality of drugs and condemn the drug dealer. The lyrics “God Damn, the Pusher” was a bold statement back in 1968 (and was never sensored) and still remains a big statement today. Even though these two songs were not written by the band, Steppenwolf is the signature band for these songs.
Another cover song off the album “Sookie Sookie” was originally recorded in 1965 by Don Covey but Steppenwolf added the groove to the song. The song was being played on soul radio stations until they found out the band was white
. John Kay wrote a fun song “Berry Rides Again”, which is a humorous tribute to Chuck Berry. “The Ostrich” is probably the best song on the album which is an original for Steppenwolf. “The Ostrich” delivers an outstanding rhythm and chorus line, this song is a high adrenaline jam. Another gem from the debut is “Desperation”, which has one of the most beautiful and moving vocal melodies the band has ever created.The original album cover was something amazingly spectacular, done with a silver foil, but later pressings would change the foil to a white background. John Kay’s deep vocal style and Goldy McJohn’s keyboard playing have never been reproduced by any other band, this is what makes Steppenwolf such an outstanding band and marks their place in classic rock history. This album is nothing truly spectacular; the lyrics are under-developed, the music is raw and rushed(which is typical for most debut albums), but you could see the potential for greatness in the band. The best musical material on the album wasn’t written by the band, but Steppenwolf definitely delivered the goods on those songs. The songs that were written by Kay, showed he had song writing potential, they showed he had spirit and adventure. This album will definitely take you back to what it meant to be a rock n’ roll musician in the late 60’s and early 70’s.
My rating for listening pleasure 4/5.
