"Slow Flux/Hour Of The Wolf/Skullduggery" by STEPPENWOLF (February 2010 Friday Music 2CD Reissue and Remaster of LPs from 1974, 1975 and 1977) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Time Is Wasting…Gotta Get Into The Wind…"

This superb 2CD set gives you three rare albums on Mums and Epic from the Seventies by STEPPENWOLF after their initial stay at ABC/Dunhill Records (1974, 1975 and 1977) - all of which have been hard to find up until now on any format.

Released February 2010 - "Slow Flux/Hour Of The Wolf/Skullduggery" by STEPPENWOLF on Friday Music FRM 2010 (Barcode 0829421210122) offers 3LPs Remastered onto 2CDs and breaks down as follows:

Disc 1 (45:05 minutes):

1. Gang War Blues

2. Children Of Night

3. Justice Don’t Be Slow

4. Get Into The Wind

5. Jereboah

6. Straight Shootin’ Woman

7. Smokey Factory Blues

8. Morning Blue

9. A Fool’s Fantasy

10. Fishin’ In The Dark

Tracks 1 to 10 are the album "Slow Flux" issued September 1974 in the USA on Mums PZ 33093 and October 1974 in the UK on Mums S MUMS 80358

Disc 2 (71:51 minutes):

1. Caroline (Are You Ready

2. Annie, Annie Over

3. Two For The Love Of One

4. Just For Tonight

5. Hard Rock Rock

6. Someone Told A Lie

7. Another’s Lifetime

8. Mr. Penny Pincher

Tracks 1 to 8 are the album "Hour Of The Wolf" issued September 1975 in the USA on Epic PE 33583 and in the UK on Mums SMUMS 69151

9. Skullduggery

10. (I’m A) Road Runner

11. Rock ’n’ Roll Song

12. Train Of Thought

13. Life Is A Gamble

14. Pass It On

15. Sleep

16. Lip Service

Tracks 9 to 16 are the album "Skullduggery" issued May 1977 in the USA on Epic PE 34120 and in the UK on Epic EPC 81328

The original Epic/Sony master tapes have been remastered and the sound is huge (if not a little hissy on the "Slow Flux" album). Overall the sound is far better than I expected it to be - clean, clear and ballsy. The foldout inlay merely reproduces the album sleeves front and rear with a small liner note on the back inlay which is visible through the see-through tray.

Musically - JOHN KAY the lead vocalist still dominated all the albums with his fantastic rasping vocals and heartfelt lyrics. But many fans and outsiders had felt Steppenwolf were way past their prime in the Seventies - I would argue not so. They were just a different kind of band to the trailblazers of "Steppenwolf" and "Steppenwolf The Second" from the late Sixties. These 1970's platters were actually more to do with funky rock than straight up hard rock. Even some of the ballads are excellent - "Just For Tonight" from "Hour Of The Wolf" is particularly good. And I've always loved the pumping "Hard Rock Road" and the funky-as-fuck "Get Into The Wind" from "Slow Flux" (lyrics above).

So there you have it. It's not all genius of course, but for fans this fully featured 2CD set is a long-overdue wish fulfilled - especially given the excellent remastered sound...