STEPPENWOLF
important work in color
1968: Steppenwolf * Steppenwolf the Second. 1969: At Your Birthday Party * Early Steppenwolf * Monster. 1970:
Steppenwolf Live * Steppenwolf 7. 1971: For Ladies Only * Steppenwolf Gold. 1972: Rest in Peace. 1973: 16 Greatest
Hits. 1974: Slow Flux. 1975: 16 Great Performances * Hour of the
Wolf. 1976: Skullduggery * Reborn to Be Wild.
1982: Wolf Tracks. 1984: Paradox. 1987: Rock & Roll Rebels.
1990: Rise and Shine. 1991: Born to Be Wild: A Retrospective. 1992: Night Riding. 1995: Live at 24
(Live album featuring 2 new songs). 1996: Feed the Fire.
John Kaye's gruff voice, along with his dark sunglasses and
leather-clad visage, provided Steppenwolf with a mark of
distinction that made an immediate impact in the impressionable
sixties. The biker persona complemented their gigantic hit
single, "Born to Be Wild," and kicked their career off
in high style. Kaye's sullen, tough persona, however, would prove
to be only skin deep, and a bit of a curse as well, for a band
whose sincerity, if not sensitivity, provided some of their best
moments on record.
Many of Steppenwolf's overlooked
songs - "The Ostrich," "Round and Round,"
"It's Never Too Late," "Hippo Stomp,"
"The Night Time's For You," "Train of
Thought" - as well as their most cohesive album, Reborn
to Be Wild (1976) - have the same virtues as their well-known
hits: they are propelled by tight, vigorous, blues-based riffing
and/or straight-ahead rock and roll energy. What kept the band
from rising above the middle ranks of peers like Creedence
Clearwater Revival, Spirit, The Guess Who, Bob Seger, etc, was a
lack of craftsmanship that turned songs with auspicious starts
into flailing, pallid jams, or extraneous keyboard solo spots.
"God Fearing Man," "Cat Killer," "Don't
Cry" (At Your Birthday Party); "Power
Play," "Draft Resister," "Fag,"
"From Here to There Eventually" (Monster); and
"Renegade" "Foggy Mental Breakdown" (Steppenwolf
7) represent too many Steppenwolf songs with minor virtues
defeated by a frustrating lack of focus. This deficiency was
seemingly recognized by the band and an effort was made on almost
every Steppenwolf album to gather songs from a number of sources
outside and inside the band (Mars Bonfire wrote "Born to Be
Wild," and a later, minor hit, "Caroline;" Hoyt
Axton wrote "Snow Blind Friend" and "The
Pusher"). Even so, the entity that was Steppenwolf managed
to hold together. John Kay provided most of the bands' better
known songs. His heartfelt, socio-political commentary could be,
by turns, yawn-inducing or compelling. (The Monster
album would be a good example of the former: "Don't Step on
the Grass, Sam," "It's Never Too Late,"
"Hippo Stomp," and "Mr. Penny Pincher" are
admirable examples of the latter.
Although John Kay's voice was
basically colorless, its roughness provided a nice tension
between his posed masculinity and the sensitive themes he chose
to express. Being perceived as a rough and tumble rock and roller
didn't stop Kay from being a conscientious peacenik, although
their major attempt at being gentlemen - For Ladies Only -
doesn't hold up well.
Steppenwolf's first, self-titled, album is one of their best; Reborn to BeWild may be even better. On the latter release, the corporate production values of the seventies, and the slicker writing and playing style of two new members actually helped discipline a band that was always just a bit shy of executing a great album. A few later albums (Wolf Tracks and Rise and Shine) find John Kay shouldering a larger share of the writing chores with mixed results. The band is still strong on the County Fair touring circuit and a great live act. Their greatest hits packages do a great job of encapsulating the high points of their career.