10561 - TED NUGENT - FREE-FOR-ALL (1976) (REPOST)
TED NUGENT
''ORIGINAL ALBUM CLASSICS, DISC TWO''
JUNE 16 2008
241:18
**********
DISC ONE (TED NUGENT, 1975)
REVIEW/AMG
Greg Prato
After disintegrating the Amboy Dukes in the early '70s, Ted Nugent finally decided to strike out on his own as a solo star. Even without a recording contract, Nugent toured constantly, built up a fervent following, and created a smoking hard rock quartet with the help of singer/guitarist Derek St. Holmes, bassist Rob Grange, and drummer Cliff Davies. The band's first release, 1975's Ted Nugent, is a prime slice of testosterone-heavy, raging, unapologetic rock & roll, and along with the band's 1977 release Cat Scratch Fever, it is Nugent's best solo studio album. While the grinding opening track, "Stranglehold," stretches beyond eight minutes and contains several extended, fiery-hot guitar leads, it does not come off as your typical '70s overindulgent fare -- every single note counts, as Nugent wails away as if his life depended on it. Other Nuge classics include "Motor City Madhouse," plus the St. Holmes-sung "Hey Baby" and "Just What the Doctor Ordered," all eventually becoming arena staples and making the band one of the late-'70s top concert draws. Additional highlights are the unexpected breezy jazz ballad "You Make Me Feel Right at Home," plus the untamed rockers "Stormtroopin'" and "Queen of the Forest." Nugent himself hails Ted Nugent as his best work, and with good reason. It's an essential hard rock classic. [Note: As with Nugent's other 1999 reissues, an insightful essay on this Nugent era by journalist Gary Graff is included, plus bonus tracks.]
1 /Stranglehold/8:23
2 /Stormtroopin'/3:09
3 /Hey Baby
Derek St. Holmes/4:01
4 /Just What the Doctor Ordered/3:45
5 /Snakeskin Cowboys/4:33
6 /Motor City Madhouse/4:33
7 /Where Have You Been All My Life/4:04
8 /You Make Me Feel Right At Home/2:56
9 /Queen of the Forest/3:45
10 /Stormtroopin' [Hammersmith Odeon, London]/6:36
11 /Just What the Doctor Ordered [Hammersmith Odeon, London]/4:52
12 /Motor City Madhouse [Hammersmith Odeon, London]/8:38
13 /Magic Party [Outtake]/2:55
Tracks By Nugent, Except 3
**********
DISC TWO (FREE-FOR-ALL, 1976)
REVIEW/AMG
Greg Prato
While Ted Nugent's second solo album, 1976's Free-for-All, was another raging slab of rock & roll, it wasn't quite as consistent as his self-titled debut. The main reason was due to singer/rhythm guitarist Derek St. Holmes' departure from the band just as recording of the album began (due to constant grappling with the Nuge about certain musical issues). To solve the problem, producer Tom Werman convinced a then-unknown singer by the name of Meat Loaf to handle the vocal chores on the songs Derek was going to sing. While it seems like a mismatch in theory, the results were not catastrophic -- such rockers as "Writing on the Wall" (a virtual rewrite of "Stranglehold"), "Street Rats," and "Hammerdown" are classic Nuge stompers. But they would have been stronger with St. Holmes' contributions, as evidenced by a bonus outtake of "Street Rats" with St. Holmes on vocals and the turbo-charged "Turn It Up." But still, the title track is one of Ted's all-time best (featuring a downright vicious groove), as is the rocking tale about the 1967 Detroit riots, "Dog Eat Dog." Despite St. Holmes' absence (he would return in time for the album's subsequent tour), Free-for-All solidified Ted's commercial success, reaching the Top 25. [Note: As with Nugent's other 1999 reissues, an insightful essay on this Ted era by journalist Gary Graff is included, plus bonus tracks.]
1 /Free-For-All/3:22
2 /Dog Eat Dog/4:03
3 /Writing On the Wall/7:12
4 /Turn It Up/3:38
5 /Street Rats/3:39
6 /Together/5:55
7 /Light My Way
Derek St. Holmes/3:03
8 /Hammerdown/4:11
9 /I Love You So I Told You a Lie/3:59
10 /Free-For-All [Live]/5:13
11 /Dog Eat Dog [Live]/6:19
12 /Street Rats [Live]/4:16
Tracks By Nugent, Except 7
**********
DISC THREE (CAT SCRATCH FEVER, 1977)
REVIEW/AMG
Greg Prato
Despite becoming one of the rock's biggest concert attractions, Ted Nugent needed that one album and single that would break through in a big way, and the 1977 album and single of the same name, Cat Scratch Fever, did the trick. Cat Scratch Fever matched the focused ferocity of Nugent's excellent 1975 debut (due to singer Derek St. Holmes' re-entry into the band), featuring another first-rate set of brash hard rockers. While the title track is a certified classic anthem (the only solo Nugent single to crack the Top 30), other tracks are just as delightful, such as the oh-so-subtle "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang." Further standouts include such underrated compositions as "Live It Up," "Workin' Hard, Playin' Hard," and "Out of Control," plus the exquisitely melodic instrumental "Home Bound," which the Beastie Boys would sample on their 1992 mega-hit album Check Your Head (the track "The Biz vs. the Nuge"). A Top 20 release, Cat Scratch Fever was the last Nugent release to feature his original solo band (St. Holmes, along with bassist Rob Grange, left for good in 1978). And while he enjoyed further chart success with such titles as Weekend Warriors and Double Live Gonzo, many consider Cat Scratch Fever to be Nugent's finest hour. [Note: As with Nugent's other 1999 reissues, an insightful essay on this Nugent era by journalist Gary Graff is included, plus bonus tracks.]
1 /Cat Scratch Fever/3:41
2 /Wang Dang Sweet Poontang/3:17
3 /Death by Misadventure/3:31
4 /Live It Up
Derek St. Holmes / Ted Nugent/4:02
5 /Home Bound/4:43
6 /Workin' Hard, Playin' Hard/5:44
7 /Sweet Sally/2:34
8 /A Thousand Knives/4:48
9 /Fist Fightin' Son of a Gun/2:51
10 /Out of Control/3:27
11 /Cat Scratch Fever/4:52
12 /Wang Dang Sweet Poontang/5:44
Tracks By Nugent, Except 4
**********
DISC FOUR (WEEKEND WARRIORS, 1978)
REVIEW/AMG
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Weekend Warriors, Ted Nugent's follow-up to the career peaks of Cat Scratch Fever and Double Live Gonzo, isn't quite as strong as his two previous albums, but it remains one of his better albums, featuring a handful of prime hard rockers.
1 /Need You Bad/4:19
2 /One Woman/4:06
3 /I Got the Feelin'/3:02
4 /Tight Spots/2:54
5 /Venom Soup/5:50
6 /Smokescreen/4:14
7 /Weekend Warriors/3:07
8 /Cruisin'/3:28
9 /Good Friends and a Bottle of Wine/4:03
10 /Name Your Poison/4:30
All Tracks By Nugent
**********
DISC FIVE (SCREAM DREAM, 1980)
REVIEW/AMG
Bret Adams
"Awriiiiiight, uh ze WANGO ze TANGO! One, two, three, four!" With that shriek and bludgeoning, rudimentary tandem guitar and bass riffing, Ted Nugent launches his 1980 album Scream Dream with "Wango Tango." Sweaty Teddy ain't one for subtlety, and in addition to unleashing his six-string thunder on this wickedly catchy "song," he lets loose with a slobbering, maniacal spoken section in the middle. With a handful of exceptions, Nugent isn't a good songwriter, but he plays a mean guitar, and that's really what people want to hear. His wicked playing sounds different from most of his fellow hard rock and heavy metal axemen due to his extensive use of warm-sounding, hollow-body Gibson Byrdland guitars. "Scream Dream" is darn near as addictive as "Wango Tango." The slippery mid-tempo groove of "Hard as Nails" hints at Nugent's R&B influences, but the funky bass and throaty vocals on "Terminus Eldorado" makes them crystal clear. "Flesh & Blood" is a taut, simple rocker. Early 1950s-styled, Chuck Berry-like rock & roll is the basis for "I Gotta Move" and "Don't Cry (I'll Be Back Before You Know It Baby)," and both are sung by rhythm guitarist Charlie Huhn. Drummer/producer Cliff Davies gets to sing "Come and Get It." Scream Dream isn't a good album, but "Wango Tango" and the title track are two of the Motor City Madman's better tunes.
1 /Wango Tango/4:50
2 /Scream Dream/3:18
3 /Hard as Nails/3:39
4 /I Gotta Move
Ray Davies / Ted Nugent/2:18
5 /Violent Love/2:54
6 /Flesh & Blood
Shane Howard / Ted Nugent/4:44
7 /Spit It Out/3:53
8 /Come and Get It/3:18
9 /Terminus Eldorado/4:13
10 /Don't Cry (I'll Be Back Before You Know It Baby)/2:21
Tracks By Nugent, Except 4, 6
**********
REVIEW/AMG
James Christopher Monger
This five-disc, largely unadorned box set -- part of Sony/BMG's, budget-priced Original Album Classics series -- from the hard rock guitar legend/Motor City Madman includes the albums Ted Nugent (1975), Free For All (1976), Cat Scratch Fever (1977), Weekend Warriors (1978), and Scream Dream (1980) in their entireties.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Greg Prato
Throughout his lengthy career, guitar wildman Ted Nugent has reveled in the controversy and criticism that always seems to follow in his path. While there's no denying his exceptional talent on the six-string, his knack for penning arena rock anthems, or his standing as one of rock's top live acts, it's his non-musical endeavors that have caused the most condemnation from his detractors (his pro-right wing beliefs, pro-gun advocacy, appreciation of hunting animals, etc.). But by the same token, Nugent is a family man and one of the few hard rockers who has admirably stuck by his lifelong anti-drugs and -drink stance throughout his career.
Born on December 13, 1948, in Detroit, MI, Nugent became interested in rock & roll early in the game, picking up the guitar as a youngster, while his disciplinarian father passed his beliefs down to Nugent. In the '60s, Nugent formed his first bands (including Royal High Boys and Lourdes), drawing inspiration from such British blues-rockers as the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds. But it wasn't until the formation of the Amboy Dukes that the Nuge got his first taste of stardom (it was also around this time that Nugent began playing a Gibson Byrdland guitar, a model which would be instantly associated with him throughout his career). The other members of the group didn't exactly share Nugent's clean-living lifestyle, as proven by their psychedelic hit single "Journey to the Center of the Mind," which Nugent claimed he didn't know at the time was about being "under the influence." The band managed to issue several albums throughout the late '60s -- 1967's self-titled debut, 1968's Journey to the Center of the Mind, and 1969's Migration -- as the group fit in well with such other high-energy rock bands to emerge from the Motor City: MC5 and the Stooges in particular.
With bandmembers coming and going at an alarming rate, Nugent remained the only constant member -- eventually officially changing the band's name to Ted Nugent & the Amboy Dukes by the '70s, and issuing 1971's Survival of the Fittest, 1973's Call of the Wild, and 1974's Tooth, Fang & Claw. While none of these releases exactly stormed the charts, Nugent and his cohorts remained an in-demand concert draw, as he also set up "guitar duels" on-stage around this time (battling with MC5's Wayne Kramer and Mahogany Rush's Frank Marino, among others).
By the mid-'70s, Nugent decided to finally ditch the Amboy Dukes name and set out on his own, assembling a first-rate backing band that included second guitarist/vocalist Derek St. Holmes, bassist Rob Grange, and drummer Cliff Davies. By 1975, the new band was signed to Aerosmith's management company (Leber & Krebs), as well as the same record company, Columbia, resulting in the release of Nugent's self-titled debut in November of the same year. The band immediately struck a chord with the heavy metal/hard rock crowd from coast to coast, due to the band's over-the-top stage show. But the bandmembers' relationship with Nugent was rocky at best -- Nugent wanted complete control of the band, while the others wanted it to be more of a democracy. The end result was St. Holmes leaving the band prior to the sessions of their sophomore effort, 1976's Free-for-All (which saw a then-unknown singer by the name of Meat Loaf filling in for the departed singer).
St. Holmes returned, however, in time for the album's ensuing tour, and by the release of 1977's Cat Scratch Fever (which spawned the hit single title track), Nugent and his band was one of the top rock bands in the U.S. -- storming the charts and selling out arenas coast to coast. By now, Nugent had assumed the stage persona of a caveman -- hitting the stage dressed in nothing but a skimpy loincloth and knee-high boots, and would often begin his show by swinging out on a rope à la Tarzan (!). Like other rock acts of the '70s (Kiss, Cheap Trick, Peter Frampton, etc.), Nugent used a live album to catapult his career to the next level of stardom -- 1978's classic Double Live Gonzo! But despite all the success, the members of his band began deserting him one by one over the course of such albums as 1978's Weekend Warriors, 1979's State of Shock, and 1980's Scream Dream. To add insult to injury, Nugent found himself bankrupt around this time, due to several failed business ventures and poor management.
Nugent continued to tour and crank out albums throughout the '80s (including such forgettable releases as Intensities in 10 Cities, Nugent, Penetrator, Little Miss Dangerous, and If You Can't Lick 'Em...Lick 'Em), but it appeared as through the Nuge was trying to keep pace with the burgeoning pop-metal crowd instead of sticking to the raw and raging rock that brought him success in the first place. Nugent also tried his hand at acting around this time, appearing as a drug dealer in an episode of the hit TV series Miami Vice in 1986. By the end of the decade, Nugent joined the rock supergroup Damn Yankees (joining former Night Ranger bassist/singer Jack Blades, former Styx guitarist/singer Tommy Shaw, and drummer Michael Cartellone) -- resulting in the quartet's self-titled debut in 1990, which became a surprise hit due to their Top Ten power ballad, "High Enough." But ultimately, the union proved to be short-lived; after only one more album (1992's lackluster Don't Tread), the band called it quits.
Nugent returned to his solo career, issuing his best album in over a decade, 1995's back to basics Spirit of the Wild, while several archival releases turned up throughout the '90s: 1993's three-disc box set Out of Control, 1997's Live at Hammersmith '79, as well as his first three albums reissued with added tracks and newly remastered sound in 1999 by the Epic/Legacy label (also issued at the same time was the first truly comprehensive compilation of the Amboy Dukes, the 18-track Loaded for Bear). the Nuge was also the subject of an interesting VH1 Behind the Music episode. He continued to tour well into the 21st century (landing the opening slot on Kiss' Farewell U.S. Tour in 2000), and issued the third live collection of his career, Full Bluntal Nugity, in 2001.
In addition to music, Nugent has gotten involved in politics, hosting a number one morning radio show in Detroit, has run his own hunting camp and issues instructional videotapes (as well as the Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild PBS video series), owns his own hunting supply store, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association, writes columns regularly for a number of different magazines, and even sells his very own beef jerky (called Gonzo Meat Biltong)! In 2001, the Nuge penned his own autobiography, the perfectly titled God, Guns, & Rock n' Roll. He next embraced the digital realm by releasing the two-disc, 30-track MP3 online song bundle Happy Defiance Day Everyday over the 4th of July weekend in 2010.
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OFFICIAL SITE
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TO THE TOP
**********
''ORIGINAL ALBUM CLASSICS, DISC TWO''
JUNE 16 2008
241:18
**********
DISC ONE (TED NUGENT, 1975)
REVIEW/AMG
Greg Prato
After disintegrating the Amboy Dukes in the early '70s, Ted Nugent finally decided to strike out on his own as a solo star. Even without a recording contract, Nugent toured constantly, built up a fervent following, and created a smoking hard rock quartet with the help of singer/guitarist Derek St. Holmes, bassist Rob Grange, and drummer Cliff Davies. The band's first release, 1975's Ted Nugent, is a prime slice of testosterone-heavy, raging, unapologetic rock & roll, and along with the band's 1977 release Cat Scratch Fever, it is Nugent's best solo studio album. While the grinding opening track, "Stranglehold," stretches beyond eight minutes and contains several extended, fiery-hot guitar leads, it does not come off as your typical '70s overindulgent fare -- every single note counts, as Nugent wails away as if his life depended on it. Other Nuge classics include "Motor City Madhouse," plus the St. Holmes-sung "Hey Baby" and "Just What the Doctor Ordered," all eventually becoming arena staples and making the band one of the late-'70s top concert draws. Additional highlights are the unexpected breezy jazz ballad "You Make Me Feel Right at Home," plus the untamed rockers "Stormtroopin'" and "Queen of the Forest." Nugent himself hails Ted Nugent as his best work, and with good reason. It's an essential hard rock classic. [Note: As with Nugent's other 1999 reissues, an insightful essay on this Nugent era by journalist Gary Graff is included, plus bonus tracks.]
1 /Stranglehold/8:23
2 /Stormtroopin'/3:09
3 /Hey Baby
Derek St. Holmes/4:01
4 /Just What the Doctor Ordered/3:45
5 /Snakeskin Cowboys/4:33
6 /Motor City Madhouse/4:33
7 /Where Have You Been All My Life/4:04
8 /You Make Me Feel Right At Home/2:56
9 /Queen of the Forest/3:45
10 /Stormtroopin' [Hammersmith Odeon, London]/6:36
11 /Just What the Doctor Ordered [Hammersmith Odeon, London]/4:52
12 /Motor City Madhouse [Hammersmith Odeon, London]/8:38
13 /Magic Party [Outtake]/2:55
Tracks By Nugent, Except 3
**********
DISC TWO (FREE-FOR-ALL, 1976)
REVIEW/AMG
Greg Prato
While Ted Nugent's second solo album, 1976's Free-for-All, was another raging slab of rock & roll, it wasn't quite as consistent as his self-titled debut. The main reason was due to singer/rhythm guitarist Derek St. Holmes' departure from the band just as recording of the album began (due to constant grappling with the Nuge about certain musical issues). To solve the problem, producer Tom Werman convinced a then-unknown singer by the name of Meat Loaf to handle the vocal chores on the songs Derek was going to sing. While it seems like a mismatch in theory, the results were not catastrophic -- such rockers as "Writing on the Wall" (a virtual rewrite of "Stranglehold"), "Street Rats," and "Hammerdown" are classic Nuge stompers. But they would have been stronger with St. Holmes' contributions, as evidenced by a bonus outtake of "Street Rats" with St. Holmes on vocals and the turbo-charged "Turn It Up." But still, the title track is one of Ted's all-time best (featuring a downright vicious groove), as is the rocking tale about the 1967 Detroit riots, "Dog Eat Dog." Despite St. Holmes' absence (he would return in time for the album's subsequent tour), Free-for-All solidified Ted's commercial success, reaching the Top 25. [Note: As with Nugent's other 1999 reissues, an insightful essay on this Ted era by journalist Gary Graff is included, plus bonus tracks.]
1 /Free-For-All/3:22
2 /Dog Eat Dog/4:03
3 /Writing On the Wall/7:12
4 /Turn It Up/3:38
5 /Street Rats/3:39
6 /Together/5:55
7 /Light My Way
Derek St. Holmes/3:03
8 /Hammerdown/4:11
9 /I Love You So I Told You a Lie/3:59
10 /Free-For-All [Live]/5:13
11 /Dog Eat Dog [Live]/6:19
12 /Street Rats [Live]/4:16
Tracks By Nugent, Except 7
**********
DISC THREE (CAT SCRATCH FEVER, 1977)
REVIEW/AMG
Greg Prato
Despite becoming one of the rock's biggest concert attractions, Ted Nugent needed that one album and single that would break through in a big way, and the 1977 album and single of the same name, Cat Scratch Fever, did the trick. Cat Scratch Fever matched the focused ferocity of Nugent's excellent 1975 debut (due to singer Derek St. Holmes' re-entry into the band), featuring another first-rate set of brash hard rockers. While the title track is a certified classic anthem (the only solo Nugent single to crack the Top 30), other tracks are just as delightful, such as the oh-so-subtle "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang." Further standouts include such underrated compositions as "Live It Up," "Workin' Hard, Playin' Hard," and "Out of Control," plus the exquisitely melodic instrumental "Home Bound," which the Beastie Boys would sample on their 1992 mega-hit album Check Your Head (the track "The Biz vs. the Nuge"). A Top 20 release, Cat Scratch Fever was the last Nugent release to feature his original solo band (St. Holmes, along with bassist Rob Grange, left for good in 1978). And while he enjoyed further chart success with such titles as Weekend Warriors and Double Live Gonzo, many consider Cat Scratch Fever to be Nugent's finest hour. [Note: As with Nugent's other 1999 reissues, an insightful essay on this Nugent era by journalist Gary Graff is included, plus bonus tracks.]
1 /Cat Scratch Fever/3:41
2 /Wang Dang Sweet Poontang/3:17
3 /Death by Misadventure/3:31
4 /Live It Up
Derek St. Holmes / Ted Nugent/4:02
5 /Home Bound/4:43
6 /Workin' Hard, Playin' Hard/5:44
7 /Sweet Sally/2:34
8 /A Thousand Knives/4:48
9 /Fist Fightin' Son of a Gun/2:51
10 /Out of Control/3:27
11 /Cat Scratch Fever/4:52
12 /Wang Dang Sweet Poontang/5:44
Tracks By Nugent, Except 4
**********
DISC FOUR (WEEKEND WARRIORS, 1978)
REVIEW/AMG
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Weekend Warriors, Ted Nugent's follow-up to the career peaks of Cat Scratch Fever and Double Live Gonzo, isn't quite as strong as his two previous albums, but it remains one of his better albums, featuring a handful of prime hard rockers.
1 /Need You Bad/4:19
2 /One Woman/4:06
3 /I Got the Feelin'/3:02
4 /Tight Spots/2:54
5 /Venom Soup/5:50
6 /Smokescreen/4:14
7 /Weekend Warriors/3:07
8 /Cruisin'/3:28
9 /Good Friends and a Bottle of Wine/4:03
10 /Name Your Poison/4:30
All Tracks By Nugent
**********
DISC FIVE (SCREAM DREAM, 1980)
REVIEW/AMG
Bret Adams
"Awriiiiiight, uh ze WANGO ze TANGO! One, two, three, four!" With that shriek and bludgeoning, rudimentary tandem guitar and bass riffing, Ted Nugent launches his 1980 album Scream Dream with "Wango Tango." Sweaty Teddy ain't one for subtlety, and in addition to unleashing his six-string thunder on this wickedly catchy "song," he lets loose with a slobbering, maniacal spoken section in the middle. With a handful of exceptions, Nugent isn't a good songwriter, but he plays a mean guitar, and that's really what people want to hear. His wicked playing sounds different from most of his fellow hard rock and heavy metal axemen due to his extensive use of warm-sounding, hollow-body Gibson Byrdland guitars. "Scream Dream" is darn near as addictive as "Wango Tango." The slippery mid-tempo groove of "Hard as Nails" hints at Nugent's R&B influences, but the funky bass and throaty vocals on "Terminus Eldorado" makes them crystal clear. "Flesh & Blood" is a taut, simple rocker. Early 1950s-styled, Chuck Berry-like rock & roll is the basis for "I Gotta Move" and "Don't Cry (I'll Be Back Before You Know It Baby)," and both are sung by rhythm guitarist Charlie Huhn. Drummer/producer Cliff Davies gets to sing "Come and Get It." Scream Dream isn't a good album, but "Wango Tango" and the title track are two of the Motor City Madman's better tunes.
1 /Wango Tango/4:50
2 /Scream Dream/3:18
3 /Hard as Nails/3:39
4 /I Gotta Move
Ray Davies / Ted Nugent/2:18
5 /Violent Love/2:54
6 /Flesh & Blood
Shane Howard / Ted Nugent/4:44
7 /Spit It Out/3:53
8 /Come and Get It/3:18
9 /Terminus Eldorado/4:13
10 /Don't Cry (I'll Be Back Before You Know It Baby)/2:21
Tracks By Nugent, Except 4, 6
**********
REVIEW/AMG
James Christopher Monger
This five-disc, largely unadorned box set -- part of Sony/BMG's, budget-priced Original Album Classics series -- from the hard rock guitar legend/Motor City Madman includes the albums Ted Nugent (1975), Free For All (1976), Cat Scratch Fever (1977), Weekend Warriors (1978), and Scream Dream (1980) in their entireties.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Greg Prato
Throughout his lengthy career, guitar wildman Ted Nugent has reveled in the controversy and criticism that always seems to follow in his path. While there's no denying his exceptional talent on the six-string, his knack for penning arena rock anthems, or his standing as one of rock's top live acts, it's his non-musical endeavors that have caused the most condemnation from his detractors (his pro-right wing beliefs, pro-gun advocacy, appreciation of hunting animals, etc.). But by the same token, Nugent is a family man and one of the few hard rockers who has admirably stuck by his lifelong anti-drugs and -drink stance throughout his career.
Born on December 13, 1948, in Detroit, MI, Nugent became interested in rock & roll early in the game, picking up the guitar as a youngster, while his disciplinarian father passed his beliefs down to Nugent. In the '60s, Nugent formed his first bands (including Royal High Boys and Lourdes), drawing inspiration from such British blues-rockers as the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds. But it wasn't until the formation of the Amboy Dukes that the Nuge got his first taste of stardom (it was also around this time that Nugent began playing a Gibson Byrdland guitar, a model which would be instantly associated with him throughout his career). The other members of the group didn't exactly share Nugent's clean-living lifestyle, as proven by their psychedelic hit single "Journey to the Center of the Mind," which Nugent claimed he didn't know at the time was about being "under the influence." The band managed to issue several albums throughout the late '60s -- 1967's self-titled debut, 1968's Journey to the Center of the Mind, and 1969's Migration -- as the group fit in well with such other high-energy rock bands to emerge from the Motor City: MC5 and the Stooges in particular.
With bandmembers coming and going at an alarming rate, Nugent remained the only constant member -- eventually officially changing the band's name to Ted Nugent & the Amboy Dukes by the '70s, and issuing 1971's Survival of the Fittest, 1973's Call of the Wild, and 1974's Tooth, Fang & Claw. While none of these releases exactly stormed the charts, Nugent and his cohorts remained an in-demand concert draw, as he also set up "guitar duels" on-stage around this time (battling with MC5's Wayne Kramer and Mahogany Rush's Frank Marino, among others).
By the mid-'70s, Nugent decided to finally ditch the Amboy Dukes name and set out on his own, assembling a first-rate backing band that included second guitarist/vocalist Derek St. Holmes, bassist Rob Grange, and drummer Cliff Davies. By 1975, the new band was signed to Aerosmith's management company (Leber & Krebs), as well as the same record company, Columbia, resulting in the release of Nugent's self-titled debut in November of the same year. The band immediately struck a chord with the heavy metal/hard rock crowd from coast to coast, due to the band's over-the-top stage show. But the bandmembers' relationship with Nugent was rocky at best -- Nugent wanted complete control of the band, while the others wanted it to be more of a democracy. The end result was St. Holmes leaving the band prior to the sessions of their sophomore effort, 1976's Free-for-All (which saw a then-unknown singer by the name of Meat Loaf filling in for the departed singer).
St. Holmes returned, however, in time for the album's ensuing tour, and by the release of 1977's Cat Scratch Fever (which spawned the hit single title track), Nugent and his band was one of the top rock bands in the U.S. -- storming the charts and selling out arenas coast to coast. By now, Nugent had assumed the stage persona of a caveman -- hitting the stage dressed in nothing but a skimpy loincloth and knee-high boots, and would often begin his show by swinging out on a rope à la Tarzan (!). Like other rock acts of the '70s (Kiss, Cheap Trick, Peter Frampton, etc.), Nugent used a live album to catapult his career to the next level of stardom -- 1978's classic Double Live Gonzo! But despite all the success, the members of his band began deserting him one by one over the course of such albums as 1978's Weekend Warriors, 1979's State of Shock, and 1980's Scream Dream. To add insult to injury, Nugent found himself bankrupt around this time, due to several failed business ventures and poor management.
Nugent continued to tour and crank out albums throughout the '80s (including such forgettable releases as Intensities in 10 Cities, Nugent, Penetrator, Little Miss Dangerous, and If You Can't Lick 'Em...Lick 'Em), but it appeared as through the Nuge was trying to keep pace with the burgeoning pop-metal crowd instead of sticking to the raw and raging rock that brought him success in the first place. Nugent also tried his hand at acting around this time, appearing as a drug dealer in an episode of the hit TV series Miami Vice in 1986. By the end of the decade, Nugent joined the rock supergroup Damn Yankees (joining former Night Ranger bassist/singer Jack Blades, former Styx guitarist/singer Tommy Shaw, and drummer Michael Cartellone) -- resulting in the quartet's self-titled debut in 1990, which became a surprise hit due to their Top Ten power ballad, "High Enough." But ultimately, the union proved to be short-lived; after only one more album (1992's lackluster Don't Tread), the band called it quits.
Nugent returned to his solo career, issuing his best album in over a decade, 1995's back to basics Spirit of the Wild, while several archival releases turned up throughout the '90s: 1993's three-disc box set Out of Control, 1997's Live at Hammersmith '79, as well as his first three albums reissued with added tracks and newly remastered sound in 1999 by the Epic/Legacy label (also issued at the same time was the first truly comprehensive compilation of the Amboy Dukes, the 18-track Loaded for Bear). the Nuge was also the subject of an interesting VH1 Behind the Music episode. He continued to tour well into the 21st century (landing the opening slot on Kiss' Farewell U.S. Tour in 2000), and issued the third live collection of his career, Full Bluntal Nugity, in 2001.
In addition to music, Nugent has gotten involved in politics, hosting a number one morning radio show in Detroit, has run his own hunting camp and issues instructional videotapes (as well as the Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild PBS video series), owns his own hunting supply store, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association, writes columns regularly for a number of different magazines, and even sells his very own beef jerky (called Gonzo Meat Biltong)! In 2001, the Nuge penned his own autobiography, the perfectly titled God, Guns, & Rock n' Roll. He next embraced the digital realm by releasing the two-disc, 30-track MP3 online song bundle Happy Defiance Day Everyday over the 4th of July weekend in 2010.
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