JOHN KAY
''HERETICS & PRIVATEERS''
2001
49:41
********************
1 Heretics & Privateers 04:45
2 Don’t Waste My Time 03:17
3 Ain't That A Shame 04:06 (John Kay, Rocket Ritchotte, Michael Wilk)
4 Dodging Bullets 04:48
5 She's Got The Goods 04:17
6 For The Women In My Life 04:31 (John Kay, Michael Wilk)
7 To Be Alive 04:39
8 I Will Not Be Denied 03:46
9 Endless Commercial 03:34
10 The Ice Age 04:09
11 Sleep With One Eye Open 04:21
12 The Back Page 03:23
Tracks By John Kay, And 3, 6
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Larry Byrom/Guitar (Electric)
Steve Cropper/Guitar (Electric) On 3
John Gardner/Drums On 5, 8, 9
Jimmy Hall/Harp On 2, 4, 10
Mike Henderson/Harp On 3, Electric Slide Guitar On 5, 9
Ron Hurst/Drums On 2
John Jarvis/Piano On 5, 8, 9
Danny Johnson/Guitar (Electric) On 1, 3, 6, 7
John Kay/Vocals, Acoustic, Resophonic & Electric Guitars
Gary Nicholson/Resophonic Guitar On 8
David Posey/Drums On 1, 3, 6, 7
Lex Price/Bass Guitar On 1, 3, 6, 7, Mandolin On 6
Mike Utley/Piano On 3
Michael Wilk/Organ On 3, 8, Fretless Bass, Keyboards & Percussion On 11
Glenn Worf/Bass Guitar On 5, 8, 9, Upright Bass On 2, 4, 10
Larry Byrom/Electric Guitar On 8
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ABOUT THE ALBUM/OFFICIAL
John Kay, leader of one of rock's most venerable bands, Steppenwolf, has returned to the folk/blues roots of his troubador days with the release of his fourth solo recording "Heretics and Privateers". The musical subtlety and emotional depth of the albums 12 composistions feature provacative lyrics which offer a gritty view of contemporary life, surveying the human toll of institutional callousness with unflinching clarity.
Kay's lyrics aren't the gripes of a chronic malcontect but the deeply felt observations of a first-generation American whose appreciation of his adopted country's promise and potential is balanced by an awareness of it's lapses.
On both the album's title track, which pays tribute to those among us who reject society's proscribed roles in favor of more humane value systems, and the spare, acoustic closing track "Te Back Page" which celebrate those whose everyday acts of kindness demonstate the human rac's capacity for selflessness, Kay's ultimate sense of hope and faith in humanity shines through.
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BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Greg Prato
Steppenwolf leader/founder John Kay is perhaps the most overlooked early contributor to the musical style that would become heavy metal and hard rock. Kay was the first rocker to use the phrase heavy metal in a song, in one of metal's first great anthems: Steppenwolf's 1968 classic "Born to Be Wild." Born Joachim Fritz Krauledat on April 12, 1944, in the section of Germany that was once known as East Prussia, it was the American rock & roll that he heard on U.S. Armed Forces radio after his family moved to East Germany that fueled his interest in music. After relocating to Toronto, Canada, in 1958, Kay became even more transfixed by rock & roll -- leading to Kay picking up the guitar, writing songs, and playing in local bands.
In the '60s, Kay founded the Sparrow, a rock outfit who played both Canada and the U.S., but received little attention. The group had fallen apart by 1967, but with a new, harder-edged style of rock beginning to conquer the charts and airwaves (Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and the Yardbirds), Kay decided to pursue this direction with his next band, Steppenwolf (titled after Hermann Hesse's novel of the same name). After moving to Los Angeles, the fledgling band was signed to Dunhill and recorded their self-titled debut, issued in 1968. The album became a sizeable hit, as "Born to Be Wild" was unleashed on an unsuspecting record-buying public, becoming one of rock's most instantly identifiable and enduring hits of all time. After the track was used in the 1969 cult classic movie Easy Rider, it subsequently appeared in countless other movies and TV commercials over the years and was covered by numerous other bands (Blue Oyster Cult, Slade, Crowded House, and the Cult).
Steppenwolf continued to crank out hit albums (1968's The Second, 1969's At Your Birthday Party, and 1969's Monster), singles ("Magic Carpet Ride," "Rock Me"), and tours on a regular basis, with Kay being the only constant member among a revolving door of other musicians. By 1972, Kay decided to end the group, issuing his first solo albums around the same time: Forgotten Songs & Unsung Heroes and My Sportin' Life. Steppenwolf's retirement didn't last for long, however, as Kay alternated between the band and his solo career throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s. He even took a few former members of the band to court when they, too, began touring behind the name Steppenwolf. In 1994, Kay penned an autobiography, Magic Carpet Ride, and four years later, Steppenwolf and Kay were the subject of an interesting Behind the Music episode for VH1.
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WEBSITE
********************
TO THE TOP
********************
''HERETICS & PRIVATEERS''
2001
49:41
********************
1 Heretics & Privateers 04:45
2 Don’t Waste My Time 03:17
3 Ain't That A Shame 04:06 (John Kay, Rocket Ritchotte, Michael Wilk)
4 Dodging Bullets 04:48
5 She's Got The Goods 04:17
6 For The Women In My Life 04:31 (John Kay, Michael Wilk)
7 To Be Alive 04:39
8 I Will Not Be Denied 03:46
9 Endless Commercial 03:34
10 The Ice Age 04:09
11 Sleep With One Eye Open 04:21
12 The Back Page 03:23
Tracks By John Kay, And 3, 6
********************
Larry Byrom/Guitar (Electric)
Steve Cropper/Guitar (Electric) On 3
John Gardner/Drums On 5, 8, 9
Jimmy Hall/Harp On 2, 4, 10
Mike Henderson/Harp On 3, Electric Slide Guitar On 5, 9
Ron Hurst/Drums On 2
John Jarvis/Piano On 5, 8, 9
Danny Johnson/Guitar (Electric) On 1, 3, 6, 7
John Kay/Vocals, Acoustic, Resophonic & Electric Guitars
Gary Nicholson/Resophonic Guitar On 8
David Posey/Drums On 1, 3, 6, 7
Lex Price/Bass Guitar On 1, 3, 6, 7, Mandolin On 6
Mike Utley/Piano On 3
Michael Wilk/Organ On 3, 8, Fretless Bass, Keyboards & Percussion On 11
Glenn Worf/Bass Guitar On 5, 8, 9, Upright Bass On 2, 4, 10
Larry Byrom/Electric Guitar On 8
********************
ABOUT THE ALBUM/OFFICIAL
John Kay, leader of one of rock's most venerable bands, Steppenwolf, has returned to the folk/blues roots of his troubador days with the release of his fourth solo recording "Heretics and Privateers". The musical subtlety and emotional depth of the albums 12 composistions feature provacative lyrics which offer a gritty view of contemporary life, surveying the human toll of institutional callousness with unflinching clarity.
Kay's lyrics aren't the gripes of a chronic malcontect but the deeply felt observations of a first-generation American whose appreciation of his adopted country's promise and potential is balanced by an awareness of it's lapses.
On both the album's title track, which pays tribute to those among us who reject society's proscribed roles in favor of more humane value systems, and the spare, acoustic closing track "Te Back Page" which celebrate those whose everyday acts of kindness demonstate the human rac's capacity for selflessness, Kay's ultimate sense of hope and faith in humanity shines through.
********************
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Greg Prato
Steppenwolf leader/founder John Kay is perhaps the most overlooked early contributor to the musical style that would become heavy metal and hard rock. Kay was the first rocker to use the phrase heavy metal in a song, in one of metal's first great anthems: Steppenwolf's 1968 classic "Born to Be Wild." Born Joachim Fritz Krauledat on April 12, 1944, in the section of Germany that was once known as East Prussia, it was the American rock & roll that he heard on U.S. Armed Forces radio after his family moved to East Germany that fueled his interest in music. After relocating to Toronto, Canada, in 1958, Kay became even more transfixed by rock & roll -- leading to Kay picking up the guitar, writing songs, and playing in local bands.
In the '60s, Kay founded the Sparrow, a rock outfit who played both Canada and the U.S., but received little attention. The group had fallen apart by 1967, but with a new, harder-edged style of rock beginning to conquer the charts and airwaves (Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and the Yardbirds), Kay decided to pursue this direction with his next band, Steppenwolf (titled after Hermann Hesse's novel of the same name). After moving to Los Angeles, the fledgling band was signed to Dunhill and recorded their self-titled debut, issued in 1968. The album became a sizeable hit, as "Born to Be Wild" was unleashed on an unsuspecting record-buying public, becoming one of rock's most instantly identifiable and enduring hits of all time. After the track was used in the 1969 cult classic movie Easy Rider, it subsequently appeared in countless other movies and TV commercials over the years and was covered by numerous other bands (Blue Oyster Cult, Slade, Crowded House, and the Cult).
Steppenwolf continued to crank out hit albums (1968's The Second, 1969's At Your Birthday Party, and 1969's Monster), singles ("Magic Carpet Ride," "Rock Me"), and tours on a regular basis, with Kay being the only constant member among a revolving door of other musicians. By 1972, Kay decided to end the group, issuing his first solo albums around the same time: Forgotten Songs & Unsung Heroes and My Sportin' Life. Steppenwolf's retirement didn't last for long, however, as Kay alternated between the band and his solo career throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s. He even took a few former members of the band to court when they, too, began touring behind the name Steppenwolf. In 1994, Kay penned an autobiography, Magic Carpet Ride, and four years later, Steppenwolf and Kay were the subject of an interesting Behind the Music episode for VH1.
********************
WEBSITE
********************
TO THE TOP
********************
1 comment :
I have ignored John Kay for too many years, I loved him when I was a teenager (Born to be Wild, Magic Carpet Ride) and thought I had outgrown him. Your mammoth scoop of John Kay made it easy to check him out again. I had always heard people say his acoustic stuff was worth checking out... Now that I have I must agree. Kay Rules!
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