STEPPENWOLF – STEPPENWOLF (200G Vinyl LP)

Also Available on Hybrid SACD

Steppenwolf’s self-titled 1968 debut album, recorded in a mere four days, introduced the band’s iconoclastic approach, which combined a tough, blues-rooted sound, a penchant for topical lyrics and the gritty growl of John Kay, whose brooding presence and trademark shades made him one of the era’s most magnetic and identifiable figures.

Steppenwolf soon emerged as one of the few bands of the late ’60s to successfully straddle the pop-oriented AM mainstream and the hip FM underground, scoring substantial success on both the single and album charts without tailoring its approach to pander to either constituency. “Born to Be Wild,” written by ex-Sparrow member Dennis Edmonton, aka Mars Bonfire, became Steppenwolf’s first major hit, and was subsequently featured prominently (along with the band’s pointed reading of Hoyt Axton’s anti-hard-drug composition “The Pusher”) in the seminal ’60s film Easy Rider, cementingSteppenwolf’s status as counterculture icons as well as earning the group a hardcore biker following.

“Steppenwolf was first recorded at United/Western Studio’s in Los Angeles. We didn’t care for the results at all. Through my friend Morgan Cavett, we discovered The American Recording Studio, with engineers Richard Podolor and Bill Cooper. Everything fit together. They, along with Gabriel Mekler our producer made for some very exciting recording sessions. We were knocked out by what we heard. It was everything we hoped for. We recorded onto an eight track machine through a tube board using a live echo chamber that Richie and Bill had built, which was one of the best live chambers in Los Angeles at that time. We recorded seven songs the first day and four more the next. The majority of the vocals were recorded on the third day and the album was mixed on day four. The entire album cost around $9,000.00 to make. We thought it sounded pretty damn good and in my opinion it still holds up to this day. Someone once said, “You have your entire life to get ready for the first album, and no time for the next one.” That was certainly true in our case.” – John Kay

Features:
– 200g vinyl LP from Analogue Productions

Steppenwolf Steppenwolf Track Listing:

1.  Sookie Sookie
2.  Everybody’s Next One
3.  Berry Rides Again
4.  Hootchie Kootchie Man
5.  Born To Be Wild
6.  Your Wall’s Too High
7.  Desperation
8.  The Pusher
9.  A Girl I Knew
10. Take What You Need
11. The Ostrich