The album was a successful debut for the band, featuring the songs "Born to Be Wild", also every bit "The Pusher", both of which were used inward the 1969 cinema Easy Rider. "Berry Rides Again" is a tribute to guitarist Chuck Berry. The spelling of rails #4 on the vinyl is "Hootchie Kootchie Man". The album credits tell it was recorded at American Recording Company inward Studio City, California; however, the actual get upwardly of the studio was American Recorders.
Early editions of the "Silver Background" version credit "Mars Bondfire" with writing "Born to live on Wild" on both the LP label in addition to the dorsum of the LP cover.
The background colouring of the master copy ABC LP comprehend was silvery or "foil", inward contrast to afterward (MCA Records) LP issues in addition to the modern CD sleeve inward which it is replaced yesteryear white. It is the entirely album yesteryear the band to accept been released inward both stereo in addition to mono configurations. Although the latter is exactly a 'fold down' of the stereo mix it is sought after every bit a collector's item.
Steppenwolf entered the studio for their recording debut with a lot of confidence -- based on a heavy rehearsal schedule earlier they e'er got signed -- in addition to it shows on this album, a surprisingly rigid debut album from a tight difficult stone outfit who was evidently searching for a claw to hang their audio on. The playing is most every bit loud in addition to powerful every bit anything beingness reveal yesteryear a major tape label inward 1968, though John Kay's songwriting needed exactly about evolution earlier their in-house repertory would grab upwardly with their audio in addition to musicianship. On this album, the best fabric came from exterior the ranks of the active bandmembers: "Born to Be Wild" yesteryear ex-member Mars Bonfire, which became non entirely a chart-topping high-energy anthem for the counterculture (a condition solidified yesteryear its role inward Dennis Hopper's painting demo Easy Rider the next year), but coined the phrase heavy metal, thence giving a genre-specific get upwardly to the build of music that the band played (and which was already manifesting itself inward the operate of bands similar Vanilla Fudge in addition to the just-emerging Led Zeppelin); the Don Covay individual comprehend "Sookie, Sookie," which, every bit a unmarried yesteryear the novel group, truly got played on exactly about individual stations until they establish out that Steppenwolf was white; 2 superb homages to Chess Records, inward the guise of "Berry Rides Again," written (though "adapted" mightiness live on a amend word) yesteryear Kay based on the operate of Chuck Berry, in addition to the Willie Dixon comprehend "Hoochie Coochie Man"; in addition to Hoyt Axton's "The Pusher," an anti-drug vocal turned into a pounding six-minute tour de strength yesteryear the band. The rest, apart from the surprisingly lyrical stone ballad "A Girl I Knew," is by-the-numbers difficult stone that lacked much except a framework for their playing; entirely "The Ostrich" e'er comes fully to life alongside the other originals, but the songs would grab upwardly with the musicianship the side yesteryear side fourth dimension out.
Tracklist:
Sookie Sookie 3:09
Everybody's Next One 2:53
Berry Rides Again 2:45
Hootchie Kootchie Man 5:07
Born To Be Wild 3:28
Your Wall's Too High 5:40
Desperation 5:35
The Pusher 5:43
H5N1 Girl I Knew 2:38
Take What You Need 3:28
The Ostrich 5:43
Personnel
John Kay: guitars, harmonica, Pb vocals.
Rushton Moreve: bass guitar, backing vocals.
Michael Monarch: guitars, backing vocals.
Goldy McJohn: organ, piano, electrical piano.
Jerry Edmonton: drums, percussion, backing vocals.
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