Steppenwolf / Steppenwolf The Second

good album

The music is so much better than "born to be wild".One oddity, though - each CD has the correct track listing printed on it, but the wrong album title. The case/liner notes are correctly labelled.

Two great album. A must for any 60’s rock fan!

2 brilliant albums that bring back memories! Had them on vinyl - they were great then and they are great now - especially without the crackle and hiss!

this is a grower,it is in the glove compartment of my car, ready to be taken out every time i drive somwhere. Quite a surprise for me, i kind of underestimated them,there is much more than just born to be wild.....

All good

Looking at this CD the word 'bargain' springs to mind...Collected here are Steppenwolf's first 2 albums, and they make a great pair.Steppenwolf, their debut album, is a fantastic album. It was recorded on basic equipment and for little money, but stands the test of time beautifully. It's loud and raw and captures the energy of the young band perfectly.Everyone has heard Born to be Wild, a song written by the band's ex-guitarist Dennis Edmonton (aka Mars Bonfire). But the album has far more to offer than this classic biker song...Sookie Sookie (another single) and the Ostrich continue the upbeat hard driving sound of Born to be Wild. Other songs like Desperation (covered by Humble Pie), Hoochie Coochie Man and Your Walls' Too High and The Pusher are slower songs, but equally powerful, with some nice organ textures. Lighter fare is found in A Girl I Knew and Everyone's Next One, a couple of - dare I say - pop numbers, that are cute if slightly out of place here. Berry Rides Again is the band's recreation of a Chuck Berry number, the lyrics cleverly referring to all manner of Berry songs..Well, fame found the band with the release of the debut album and Born to be Wild, so they returned to the studio only months later to record the follow-up entitled 'The Second...'Now, there are those who would say that The Second was rushed, and a bit patchy. There's perhaps some truth in that but to me it's still a strong album. The album kicks off with Faster than the Speed of Life, another punchy Mars Bonfire-penned song, and other highlights I'd recommend are Magic Carpet Ride (of course), Tighten Up Your Wig (a re-write of Junior Wells' Messin With the Kid) and Don't Step on the Grass, Sam. The latter finishes with the sound effects of a drugs bust - even the sound of the gear being flushed down the loo, so no prizes for guessing what the song's about! The album finishes with a suite of songs that run into one another - Disappointment Number (Unknown) through to Reflections. These songs have a improvised, jam feel about them, and capture what the band must have sounded like live at this time.Overall, 'The Second' is a slightly weaker album than the debut album. But that's being slightly picky. They're both very strong albums that capture the band at its creative peak.If you have a Greatest Hits album, and are looking to buy more Wolf albums - start here! If you like late 60s hard rock with that driving organ sound (Deep Purple etc), again this is a great introduction to this slightly over-looked band.Steppenwolf were so much more than Born to be Wild!!Buy this and Play it Loud!

Great CD's from the sixties. Only problem is that cd one ( Steppenwolf is labelled the second) and CD 2 is labelled Steppenwolf)Apart from that minor niggle they are great value and great sound