Record Reviews

STEPPENWOLF ~ STEPPENWOLF / THE SECOND BGO 450 (Barcode: 5017261204509) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1968 Released: 1999 1st and 2nd albums by the classic US (of Canadian origin) band SteppenwolfFind albums by this artist, which epitomize not only the birth of American Rock, but also the atmosphere and state of mind of the young generation during the turbulent times of the Social upheaval in the late 1960s. Steppenwolf´s origins go back about a couple of years before the music included here was recorded, when Canadian singer John KayFind albums by this artist (a German immigrant) formed the band SparrowFind albums by this artist. After Sparrow disbanded Kay formed a new band, which he named Steppenwolf – a title of an influential novel by the German / Swiss author Hermann HesseFind albums by this artist (one of the most widely read authors in the late 1960s, whose mystical and philosophical ideology and love of the orient and the occult appealed to the hippie generation – yours truly included). Their debut album, which included the monster hit "Born To Be Wild", became an instant classic and was soon after immortalized, when Dennis HopperFind albums by this artist included the song in the soundtrack of his cult classic movie "Easy Rider" (one of the first US independent cinema productions created outside of the Hollywood dominated movie industry), which became a visual anthem of the era, and in turn made the song the era´s musical anthem. This mega success worked (in retrospect) against the band´s interest, as they remain conceptually linked to the phenomenal success of that one song and as a result both listeners and critics kept neglecting and diminishing their overall output, which was always excellent and surely deserved more recognition of their talent (see the pitiful entry on the band in All Music Guide). Kay was a formidable singer / songwriter and his charisma and vocal ability was as powerful and striking as the charisma of many other singers, who became legends of their time (i.e. Jim MorrisonFind albums by this artist). The band´s other members were all great instrumentalist and the guitar / organ layers of sound, which characterized their music, are classic examples of early Hard Rock at its best. Moving between Blues, Blues-Rock, Rock and Hard-Rock, those two albums truly define the musical era they represent and influenced hordes of other Rock bands to follow suit. The tunes, usually based on unforgettable riffs, are all delivered passionately and confidently, sounding as fresh today as they were when heard for the first time, and perhaps even better, as this music ages well, as does good wine. If the term "Classic Rock" has any meaning at all, it applies to this music better that to most of the stuff that is often associated with it. I can´t imagine any decent record collection, which does not include these two albums.

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