Eagle Rock is set to reissue much of Ted Nugent's 80's material, long considered to be the weakest time in the guitar legend's recorded arsenal, but there are still plenty of solid gems to be found from this decade. Case in point, the self-titled release from 1982, a turning point for the Motor City Madman, as he changed labels, moving over to Atlantic Records, emerging with a new band consisting of drummer Carmine Appice, bassist Dave Kiswiney, and singer Derek St. Holmes, the lone holdover from Nugent's classic earlier line-up. The results are mixed but still pretty good, and if these were the years of Nugent's decline, Nugent showed small cracks in the armor, but still remains a solid slab 'o hard rocking good fun.
One thing you notice here right off the bat, is that most of the strongest tunes are the ones sung by St. Holmes, his powerful, husky voice always was the best weapon that the Nuge threw at his fans after of course his scorching guitar licks. Tracks like "No, No, No", "Good and Ready", "Habitual Offender", and the epic "Tailgunner" (a killer track, but for many will too closely resemble "Stranglehold ") all feature St. Holmes at the forefront, belting out the lyrics alongside Terrible Ted's crunchy riffs and sinewy solos, Appice pounding away in the background. When Nugent himself takes over the lead vocal slot, results are not as impressive, catchy rockers like "Bound and Gagged", 'Fightin' Words", and "We're Gonna Rock Tonight" impressive from a musical standpoint, but Ted's vocals come across as somewhat juvenile. Guess that's always been the case with Ted Nugent-he's never been the world's best singer, but as a guitarist and writer of catchy hard rock and metal songs, it's hard to beat him.
Eagle Rock's reissue comes with an updated essay and not much else, but if you've shied away from Nugent's 80's material in the past, this one just might be the one to investigate. With a handfull of really solid tunes, this is one to crank up, and crank up loud.
Track Listing
1. No, No, No
2. Bound and Gagged
3. Habitual Offender
4. Fightin' Words
5. Good and Ready
6. Ebony
7. Don't Push Me
8. Can't Stop Me Now
9. We're Gonna Rock Tonight
10. Tailgunner
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