Ted Nugent (album)

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Ted Nugent
Ted nugent album cover.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 1975 (1975-09) [1]
Recorded1975
StudioThe Sound Pit, Atlanta
Genre Hard rock
Length38:52
Label Epic
Producer
Ted Nugent chronology
Tooth Fang & Claw
(1974)
Ted Nugent
(1975)
Free-for-All
(1976)
Singles from Ted Nugent
  1. "Where Have You Been All My Life"
    Released: November 1975 [2]
  2. "Hey Baby" / "Stormtroopin'"
    Released: March 1976 [3]

Ted Nugent is the debut studio album by American rock musician Ted Nugent. The album was released in September 1975 by Epic Records. It was Nugent's first release after the disbanding of his former group, The Amboy Dukes.

Contents

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 were 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 long solo played on Nugent's Gibson Byrdland guitar recorded in one take and a unique phase bass guitar effect by Grange. St. Holmes' sang tracks such as "Queen of the Forest", "Hey Baby", "Just What the Doctor Ordered" and "Snakeskin Cowboys", the latter featuring an 8-string Hagström bass played by Grange, which would prove to be staples of the band's concert tours for years to come. "Motor City Madhouse" is an ode to Ted's hometown of Detroit.

The album was produced by Tom Werman and former If manager Lew Futterman. Nugent 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]

"One had to recognize that there was a definite synergy between the band and Nugent", said producer Tom Werman.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Classic Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [6]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 8/10 [7]

In 2005, Ted Nugent was ranked number 487 in Rock Hard magazine's book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time. [8]

"Stranglehold" has been ranked 31st greatest guitar solo of all time by Guitar World . [9]

Track listing

All songs are credited as "written and arranged by Ted Nugent", except "Hey Baby", which is credited as "written and arranged by Derek St. Holmes". In Martin Popoff's book Epic Ted Nugent, Nugent admits that "Stranglehold" was co-written by Rob Grange, who never received a royalty share. [4] Derek St. Holmes claims the album was co-written by the whole band, and that Nugent took sole credit as a way to not pay them royalties. [10]

Side one
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Stranglehold"Derek St. Holmes and Ted Nugent (interlude only)8:22
2."Stormtroopin'"Derek St. Holmes3:07
3."Hey Baby"Derek St. Holmes4:00
4."Just What the Doctor Ordered"Derek St. Holmes3:43
Side two
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
5."Snakeskin Cowboys"Derek St. Holmes4:38
6."Motor City Madhouse"Ted Nugent4:30
7."Where Have You Been All My Life"Derek St. Holmes4:04
8."You Make Me Feel Right at Home"Cliff Davies2:54
9."Queen of the Forest"Derek St. Holmes3:34
CD edition bonus track
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
10."Magic Party"Derek St. Holmes2:55

Personnel

Band members
Additional musicians
Production

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [15] Gold50,000^
United States (RIAA) [16] 2× Platinum2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Amboy Dukes (band)</span> American rock band

The Amboy Dukes were an American rock band formed in 1964 in Chicago, Illinois, and later based in Detroit, Michigan. They are best known for their only hit single, "Journey to the Center of the Mind". The band's name comes from the title of a novel by Irving Shulman. In the UK, the group's records were released under the name of the American Amboy Dukes, because of the existence of a British group with the same name. The band went through a number of personnel changes during its active years, the only constant being lead guitarist and composer Ted Nugent. The band transitioned to being Nugent's backing band before he discontinued the name in 1975.

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<i>State of Shock</i> (Ted Nugent album) 1979 studio album by Ted Nugent

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<i>Free-for-All</i> (Ted Nugent album) 1976 studio album by Ted Nugent

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"Stranglehold" is a song by American rock musician Ted Nugent, the first track from his self-titled debut 1975 album. The vocals are by Derek St. Holmes. However, the "Sometimes you wanna get higher" verse is sung by Nugent. Nugent admits that the song was co-written by Rob Grange, who received no share.

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<i>Sweden Rocks</i>

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Rob Grange is an American bassist, best known for his work with psychedelic rock band The Amboy Dukes and with Ted Nugent, as well as his unique phase bass lines in the song "Stranglehold".

References

  1. "New LP/Tape Releases". Billboard . Billboard Publications, Inc. September 13, 1975. p. 66.
  2. Strong, M. C. (1995). The Great Rock Discography . Edinburgh: Canongate Books Ltd. p.  594. ISBN   0-86241-385-0.
  3. Strong, M. C. (1995). The Great Rock Discography . Edinburgh: Canongate Books Ltd. p.  594. ISBN   0-86241-385-0.
  4. 1 2 3 Popoff, Martin (2012). Epic Ted Nugent. Toronto, Canada: Power Chord Press. pp. 64–65.
  5. Prato, Greg. "Ted Nugent - Ted Nugent review". AllMusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  6. Dome, Malcolm (February 2005). "Ted Nugent". Classic Rock . No. 76. p. 108.
  7. Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 206. ISBN   978-1894959025.
  8. Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Rock Hard. 2005. p. 12. ISBN   3-89880-517-4.
  9. "50 Greatest Guitar Solos". guitarworld.com. January 29, 2009. Archived from the original on September 3, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
  10. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : "Ep. 260 Derek St. Holmes, The Voice of Ted Nugent Remembers Touring with KISS in the 70s". YouTube .
  11. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 220. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  12. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  13. "Ted Nugent Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  14. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1976". Billboard. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  15. "Canadian album certifications – Ted Nugent – Ted Nugent". Music Canada.
  16. "American album certifications – Ted Nugent – Ted Nugent". Recording Industry Association of America.