TED NUGENT “Spirit Of The Wild” /CD/

Re-release of the twelfth full-length studio and the fourth live albums by the legendary American Hard Rock guitarist/vocalist.

The name of “Craveman” album is a portmanteau of the words "crave" and "caveman". The album continues the trend, started in the mid-1990s, of Nugent returning to the rawer, Harder-Rocking sound that made him famous in the 1970s. This stands in sharp contrast to the Synth-Pop of his 1980s work, and the romantic AOR power-ballads of his early 1990s band Damn Yankees. This album also contains some material from an unreleased Damn Yankees album. This is his fiercest effort in decades and certainly his heaviest ever. "Craveman" arguably constitutes the first truly worthy new entry to the Ted Nugent discography in well nigh 20 years!!

"Full Bluntal Nugity" was recorded on New Year's Eve (12/31/2000) at Ted Nugent's annual Whiplash Bash in Detroit, MI. Like "Double Live Gonzo!" recorded over 20 years before it, "Full Bluntal Nugity" is a concert recording that features the Motor City madman's biggest and best '70s Arena Rock hits. Recorded live in the guitarist's hometown of Detroit, this collection also includes plenty of Nugent's fast-talking concert banter. Not only is Nugent in fine performance form, but his accompaniment - courtesy of drummer Tommy Aldridge (Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne) and bass player Marco Mendoza - is also top-notch. The recording is clean and the performances are surprisingly energetic. Listening to Nugent as he blazes his way into the fifth decade of his performing career is a bit of a wonder, as songs like the epic "Great White Buffalo" and "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang" sizzle with the man's hard-edged guitar crackle and type-A vocal blasts. Classic records like "Free for All" and "Cat Scratch Fever" from Nugent's peak '70s solo era are perhaps the best source for new listeners looking to get into the man's music. But hardcore fans and especially completists will get plenty of kicks out of "Full Bluntal Nugity"!!

Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd., 2001/2002/2008 (EDGCD368). Made in Germany. First press.


Tracklist:

CD 1:
1. Klstrphnky
2. Crave
3. Rawdogs & Wardogs
4. Damned If Ya Do
5. At Home There
6. Cum N Gitya Sum-o-this
7. Change My Sex
8. I Won't Go Away
9. Pussywhipped
10. Goin Down Hard
11. Wang Dang Doodle
12. My Baby Likes My Butter On Her Gritz
13. Sexpot
14. Earthtones

CD 2:
1. Klstrphk
2. Paralyzed
3. Snakeskin Cowboys
4. Wang Dang Sweet Poontang
5. Free For All
6. Yank Me Crank Me
7. Hey Baby
8. Fred Bear: (Acoustic)
9. Cat Scratch Fever
10. Stranglehold
11. Great White Buffalo
12. Motorcity Madhouse

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