With half a century of retrospection, it’s now quite easy to see where the roots of mid 60s psychedelic rock initially came from. The hard rocking band Steppenwolf, featuring John Kay’s ominous vocals and wild “heavy metal thunder” is featured on this 3 cd retrospective that includes both vintage studio sessions from their earlier days as well as recent concert recording of their timeless hits.
The various incarnations of the band are presented here, and what comes out in spades is the band’s roots in earthy blues. Pieces like “The Pusher” and “I’m Your Hootchie Cootchie Man” as well as “Hey Lawdy Mama” may have sounded earth shattering to kids weaned on Fabian and The Beatles, but were essentially modernized and suede leatherized treatments of vintage Chicago blues. There is a fascinating take of “Magic Carpet Ride” with Kay fronting “Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five” while the 1995 concert takes of “Born to Be While” and other hits still find Kay and company in rich voice. Too bad there is no “Easy Evil” to be snuck in; maybe some legal hassles from his solo career. Still, interesting how this material has aged amazing well.