TED NUGENT “Craveman” + “Full Bluntal Nugity” /2CD Set/

The thirteenth full-length album by the legendary American Hard Rock guitarist/vocalist.
Kicking off with a classic Nugent riff and a basic, but enjoyable, chorus on the title track, one can hear what a fine job producer Jack Blades, in cooperation with Nugent, has done with the release. Good instrument separation and a biting guitar tone make a big difference. This time with bassist Barry Sparks (Blades plays some bass as well) and drummer Tommy Clufetos, there are numerous, up-tempo boogie scorchers, this time with a decidedly old R&B feel to the guitar work on several tracks. The driving and catchy "Still Raising Hell" and the frantic tempo and typical Nuge lyrical fare of "Funk U", as well as "Aborigine", "Bridge Over Troubled Daughters", "Stand", and "Broadside" all burn with Hard Eock fire and plenty of Nugent guitar histrionics. As for "Girl Scout Cookies", the down 'n' dirty rhythm is tolerable, but the lyrics are absolutely horrible. The 40-year-old tune is given a heavy makeover, but still sounds as melodically stimulating as the original. Rather than being butchered, the new rendition works exceedingly well. With a stuttering, R&B shuffle and a catchy chorus, "Geronimo & Me" is a keeper, as is the light 'n' bluesy "Spirit of the Buffalo". Always a master of the instrumental, the creeping tempo and slide licks of "EagleBrother", and the straight, slow-burn blues of "Lay with Me" rounds out the batch.
This is the same old Hard Rock that Nugent has been cranking out for over three decades now, and it sure sounds like he's been doing it that long, as the riffs are recycled, the production is too clean, and the performances too professional. All this sterile Hard Rock only draws attention to what Nugent is saying, and this collection of bad sex, hammy patriotism, and Wild West rhapsodies does indeed act as some kind of grenade - it explodes the myth that Nugent is some kind of reformed red state hero, revealing him just as the dirty old man he's always been!
Album sells 3600 copies in its first week, landing it at #186 on the Billboard 200.
For all his lunatic rants and self-delusional, right wing diatribes, Ted Nugent can still play a mean guitar in a way that only he can. Fortunately, he woke up some years ago and started realizing that an improvement in songwriting was necessary to make his albums anything more than guitar wankery with slapped-together songs. The bottom line is that "Love Grenade" is a good Hard Rock release!!
Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd., 2007 (ER 20121-2). Made in USA. First press.


Tracklist:
1. Love Grenade     5:04 
2. Still Raising Hell     3:22 
3. Funk U     4:01 
4. Girl Scout Cookies     4:03 
5. Journey To The Center Of The Mind     4:52 
6. Geronimo & Me     4:45 
7. Eaglebrother     4:39 
8. Spirit Of The Buffalo     7:30 
9. Aborigine     3:22 
10. Stand     2:43 
11. Broadside     3:36 
12. Bride Over Troubled Daughters     3:37 
13. Lay With Me     6:23
Total playing time: 57:57

Re-release of the eleventh full-length album by the legendary American Hard Rock guitarist/vocalist.
This album marked the return of Nugent's original sound of Hard Rock and not Pop Metal. "Spirit Of The Wild" ranks as one of Ted Nugent's finest moments because it cuts away the filler and keeps the wildman's tendency for indulgence in check. A fair amount of the material does concern itself with the wilderness, which fits right in with his '90s reinvention as a conservative family-values spokesman. That doesn't mean that it's a tame record - it means that Nugent sounds committed again, since that passion for hunting and family flows throughout his performance.
"Spirit of the Wild" is the theme song for Ted Nugent's hunting TV show Spirit of the Wild. "Fred Bear" is a tribute to the bowman Fred Bear.
Armoury Records/Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd., 1995/2009 (ARMCD508). Made in Germany.


Tracklist:
1. Thighraceous 3:48
2. Wrong Side Of Town 5:15
3. I Shoot Back 3:50
4. Tooth, Fang & Claw 6:49
5. Lovejacker 4:32
6. Fred Bear 7:41
7. Primitive Man 5:56
8. Hot Or Cold 4:31
9. Kiss My Ass 3:20
10. Heart & Soul 4:44
11. Spirit Of The Wild 4:22
12. Just Do It Like This 6:08
Total playing time: 60:56