The Spirit of the Wild TV show wins the only important award there is - The People's Choice Award. The Nugent family takes this American Dream stuff to heart, and certainly the universal communication of soulful music reflects the emotion, passion and FUN of all things beyond the pavement as natural, God created predator/consumers with reason, intelligence & respect, naturally functioning as we were designed. These NugeTunes provide the heart & soul soundtrack to the ultimate "hands-on" conservation lifestyle of hunting, fishing, shooting & trapping as honorable connections to the good mother earth & the perfection of tooth, fang & claw reality. We rock. God Bless the Spirit. The beast is dead, long live the beast. - Ted Nugent

CRAVEMAN produced by Ted Nugent, Drew & Chris Peters at 40 oz Sound Ann Arbor, MI April 2002. Engineered by Drew Peters and Ben Began. Dedicated to my family, Rosa Parks, Mohammed Ali, Charlton Heston, James Brown, Fred Bear & The American Dreamers.



Written by:



Ted Nugent – Broadhead Music ASCAP

Brendon Lynch – Rye Finger Music ASCAP

Greg Wells – IRS Music/Greg Wells Music BMI

Michael Lutz – Tooney Loons Publishing ASCAP

Damon Johnson – EMI Virgin Music Inc./Heathalee Music ASCAP

Alto Reed – Pure Harmony Publishing ASCAP

Mastered by Joe Lambert at Classic Sound, NYC



Nuge Band is:



Ted – Full Bluntal Nugity

Marco Mendoza – bass guitar, percussion & vocals

Tommy Clufetos – drums, percussion & vocals



BBQ Funk Brotha thanx to Tommy Clufetos Sr. For the soulsSAXslam on pussywhipped.



The SpiritWild wench warblers on Wang Dang Doodle are Taryn Hofert, Emily Clark-Love & Bridget Rothenberger.







Management: Doug Banker

McGhee Entertainment

Suite 200, 8730 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90069



Photos by Spindler & Vaughn



NUGEband photos by Mark Weiss



Art/Design: Alexandros Maslatzides / Studio Pangaia



An All American Damn Yankee warrior commando Blood Brother TribeNuge R & B rock-n-roll outrage salute to workin hard playin hard rockin hard livin huge America & beyond for the gravity defying career & goodtimes and to Doug Banker, Linda Peterson, Jim Lawson, Paul Wilson, Connie Strine, Kathy Valdez, Bob Quandt, Jessica Spilos, Paul Bibeau, Adam Kornfeld, Ward Parker, Chuck Buzzy, Charlie Creelman, Dennis Arfa, Bernie Fischbach, Paul Schindler, Matt Greenberg, Rich Keil, all my TNUSA Tribe, Peavey, Gibson, GHS Strings, PRS, Korg, Bill Wenzloff & Morely, Eric Stollsteimer & Ron Kramer at Boss Guitars Ann Arbor, MI, Michael Lutz Tazmania Studios Ann Arbor, MI, Jack Blades & family at RanchRock, Tommy Shaw, Michael Cartellone, Damon Johnson, Kid Rock, Steve & Gary Sims families & Sims Vibration Labs, Shelton, WA, Bill & Sandy Weisner & Renegade Archery, Midge Rafferty, The Outdoor Channel, Outdoor Edge, RawDog Detroit Horsepower transpo THANX to Steve Hanks & Holt Auto Sales Holt, MI & Brian Daugherty & Off Road Motorsports Grand Rapids, MI. Fleshpower Pastrami deliHell thanks to Laura & Barry Bagels in Ann Arbor. Shemane, Sasha, Toby, Starr, Rocco, Riley, Jack, Jeff, Johnny & Kathy & families are my life. Marco Mendoza thanks Steve & Michelle at Peavey electronics, Paul Kramer & Korg, Michael Connoly & Dean Markley strings, Oscar Herrera tech support, superwife Leah & kids & family & god for allowing this great life to continue. Tommy Clufetos thanks Mom, Dad, Jessica, Lacy & Jamie, Rusty Martin at Sonar Drums, Anthony Corona at Istambul Cymbals, Greg Lohman & Ed Sargent at Johnny Rabb Drumsticks.



2002 - Spitfire

Ted uses whatever he damn well pleases—PRS & GIBSON & FENDER guitars, FENDER, PRS, MARSHALL & PEAVEY amplifiers, GHS & D’ANGELICO strings, NUGENT & MARTIN ARCHERY equipment, TAURUS, SMITH & WESSON, GLOCK, COLT, INTERARMS, REMINGTON, WINCHESTER, SPRINGFIELD & other quality firearms, COR-BON ammo, GALCO leather.



This recording was made with Gibson Byrdlands & Peavey 5150.



Art Direction by Ted & Donald May

Cover photo taken by Steve Galli at Detroit’s Cobo Arena on 1/1/95

Inside photos by Bob Alford, Michael S. Miller and Lisa Spindler

Style by Ma Nature & Mariah

Hair & Makeup by Earl Shieb



All songs published by ©1995 BROADHEAD MUSIC, ASCAP.



Produced by Michael Lutz for M.E. Productions & Ted

Engineered by Jim Vitti & Michael Lutz

Mixed by Michael Lutz & Jim Vitti

Technical assistance by Brian Delaney & Jeff Campo

Recorded & Mixed at TAZMANIA STUDIOS (fiber headquarters), P.O. Box 3182, Ann Arbor, MI 48106

Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, New York, NY



-Derek St. Holmes—vocals

-Michael Lutz—bass, vocals & keys

-Denny Carmassi—drums

-Ted Nugent—guitars, vocals, lyrics, attitude, backstraps & security



Larry Fretangelo—percussion

Benny Rappa—drums on "Wrong Side Of Town," background vocals on "Heart & Soul" & "Wrong Side Of Town"

Gunner Ross—drums on "Fred Bear"

Doug Banker—piano on "Hot Or Cold," background vocals on "Spirit Of The Wild" & "Kiss My Ass"



Dedicated to the soul of Rock-N-Roll

Commando Steve Fortney, Bruce Bird & Fred Bear, "In the wind..."



Management: Doug Banker, MADHOUSE MANAGEMENT, P.O. Box 15108, Ann Arbor, MI 48106



Booking Agent: Dennis Arfa, QBQ Entertainment, New York, NY



Tour Merchandise: Winterland Productions, San Francisco, CA



SALUTE!



I love madly, Shemane, Starr, Sasha, Toby & Rocco and all my family.



GONZO THANX to Lori, Angela, Amanda Carmassi, Mel, Bernice, Rhonda, Keely, Christian & Nina St. Holmes, Lester & Mildred McCampbell, Rolly & Lizzy Lutz, Ann & Mike Dunn, Fred & Henrietta Bear, Doug Banker & Dan Carroll at MADHOUSE, Dennis Arfa & QBQ, Doug Morris, Val Azzoli, Jason Flom, Kim Kaiman & all my ATLANTIC RECORDS family, Mitch Schneider at THE MITCH SCHNEIDER ORGANIZATION, Bernie Fischbach, Earl & Lori Miles, Tim Barron, Rush Limbaugh, Steve Brown, Kit Carson, Kevin Matthews, Lee Abrams, John Kalodner, Ward Parker, Bill Martin, Tim Scarpino, Eva Cooper, Bob & Allison Quandt, Geoff & Linda Buitendorp, Bill & Binnie Chrysler, Bill "Ripp" Mayes, Dean Mitchell, Mark Newman, Linda Peterson, Kevin Ackley, Nancy & Phil Gilpin & family, Cyndy Brogdon, Shantelle Coats-Burns, Connie Nelson, Aubrey Watson, Vickie Richardson, Tonya Hatch, Mark & Betty Ditzel, Dennis & Kelly Crawford, Lisa Harper, Rob & Mary Gilpin, Laura Brockie, Jason Parish, Tony McCall, Bob & Debbie Miles, Terry Martin, Scott Landwehr, Bruce Cull & Scott Aase at DAKOTA ARCHERY, Claude, Ruth & Matt Pollington at BUCK POLE ARCHERY, Carole Barnett, all the TNWB Commandos, Paul Reed Smith & Bonnie at PRS Guitars, Hartley Peavey, Len McRae, Don Pitts & Tim Bolin at GIBSON USA, Jim Dunlop & Julie, Annie & Charlie One Horse, Mike Wood & FORD, Gary Sitton, Bobby & Risa Parker family & Steve Warner at BUSHLAN, Rob, Joel, Greg, Scott & all at NALLI’S MUSIC, Greg Collins at LEGEND PICKS, JR & George Luther at RHYTHM CITY, the NRA, workin’ hard, playin’ hard, shitkicker America, Ma-Nature & the SPIRIT OF THE WILD, all the long-term believers across the fruited plains, in radio, TV, the media & beyond, those DAMN YANKEES: Tommy Shaw, Jack Blades, Michael Cartellone & families, Bud Prager, Gary Bird, Karmen Beck, Michael Ostin & my friends at Warner Bros., the AMERICAN SHOOTING SPORTS COUNCIL, Jay Jones at NOBLE & COOLEY, Eric & Tony at GMS DRUMS, Gary Clark & Eric at PAISTE, AKG/DBX, ZILDJIAN, Dave & GHS Strings, TASCAM, Mark & RIT DRUMS, Doug Brandon, Steve "the Weave" Weaver, Sparky, Arnie Newman, Nick Zorney, Mike Aderjan at A.J. SERVICES, Ren Snyder & family, Cliffton Chippewa, Tom Pellerito, Blue Miller, Gerald & American Music, Benny & Pat Rappa, Jeff Gilbert, Laura Wyraz & the Gonzo Pastrami SWAT Team at BARRY BAGEL’S!



©1995 Crosshair Productions.

All Rights Reserved.

“It’s a continuing saga,” Ted Nugent said in reflecting on his career during the late ‘80s. “I’m just blazing trails into the unknown zones of hysteria. I’m sure that in at least three or four pages in the bible, there are details against this life, but it sure is fun. Every now and then I have to stop and go, “Who the fuck is this guy?”

 

In 1988, that was an appropriate question—and not just for Nugent. He had been to the mountain top, rising from the ashes of the Amboy Dukes during the mid-‘70s to become one of rock’s dominant performers with a run of platinum albums such as Ted Nugent, Free-For-All, Cat Scratch Fever and  Double Live Gonzo. But like any other veteran rockers, he found himself plowed under by subsequent trends such as disco, punk and MTV-driven new wave and fashion-flaunting pop-metal. There were very likely quite a few folks asking “Who is Ted Nugent.”

 

There were triumphs during the ‘80s mind you—radio hits and such as “Little Miss Dangerous,” the establishment of his popular Whiplash Bash New Year’s Eve concert in his home town of Detroit, a burgeoning career as a guest (and future full-time) radio host, which also introduced him to his future (and full-time) wife Shemane. And rest assured that Nugent, the avid hunter, never took musical success out of his sights during that time.

 

“For me,” he said, “It comes down to ‘Why did I go out and get a Gibson in the first place? ‘ I got it to play, man. I was born to play. So many bands would give their nuts just to get where I am today, much less to be on the top of the heap.”

 

Nugent sought to leave the ‘80s a winner with If You Can’t Lick ‘Em…Lick ‘Em…, his (lucky?) 13th solo outing and his fourth for Atlantic Records, one he says “is loaded with some of my best guitar lick themes ever.” To do so, he hit the studio not only with his seasoned road band—including singer-guitarist Dave Amato—but also reunited with Tom Werman, who co-produced some of Nugent’s ‘70s successes before going on to work with Cheap Trick, Motley Crue and others. Nugent felt he and Werman shared a vision, unlike some of the other producers who tried to ram stylistic changes down Nugent’s throat.

 

“I was willing to have a team effort,” Nugent explained, “but I wanted a team that wanted a 230 mph vehicle with four-wheel drive and 500 horsepower. I didn’t want to compromise the vehicle, which I had in the past. Tom was right there with me; when I first called him about doing the album, he said ‘it’s time for you to sound like Ted Nugent again.’”

 

Spirited and lustful – particularly on metallic come-hithers such as “Spread Your Wings,” “Skintight,” “Funlover,” “She Drives Me Crazy” and “The Harder They Come (The Harder I Get)” – If You Can’t Lick ‘em… also features “That’s The Story of Love,” a collaboration with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora.

 

Looking back on If You Can’t Lick ‘em…, his last solo album before forming Damn Yankees with Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades, Nugent reflects wisely on his solo efforts of the decade. He states, “I’ll tell you, to maintain the kind of career I developed in the ‘70s, you have to be one scrutinizing motherfucker, and there’s a lot of them out there. But that’s not me. I don’t know how they’re going to have any fun. I know they’re not going to live as long as me – at least they won’t die with as big a smile on their faces.” –Gary Graff

 

Needless to say, I won’t go away! In fact, that is the title of a brand new jam I just finished for my next release! Like another new song title, “CRAVE”, I remain driven to explore the sonic hitherworld where my Byrdland continues to take me. With every ounce of energy I possess, I thank you all for your undying support, enthusiasm, goodwill, attitude & charging spirit all these years. I look forward to increasing our communications at tednugent.com, & pray your American Spirit continues to catch vibrant updrafts on the wings of eagles wherever they may take you. Godspeed The Great Spirit. –TED NUGENT

 

TED NUGENT- lead & rhythm guitars, lead vocals, bass guitar on “If You Can’t Lick ‘Em…”

DAVE AMATO- background vocals, 2nd rhythm guitar on “If You Can’t Lick ‘Em…”, “Separate The Men…”, “Funlover”

PAT TORPEY- Drums and background vocals

CHUCK WRIGHT- Bass guitar

JOHN PURDELL- Keys

JAI WINDING- Hammond B3 on “Separate The Men…”, “Can’t Live With ‘Em”

TOM WERMAN- Percussion

 

Engineered by Duane Baron

Additional Engineering by Richard McKernan

Engineering Assistant – Gary Wagner, Bryan Arnett

Recorded and mixed at Conway Recording Studios, LA, 1987

Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering

Special thanks to Nadine, Jill and Buddy at Conway

 

Original package Art Direction – Bob Defrin

Front Cover Photo – Roy Volkmann

Back traycard & live photo by Ross Marino

Digitally Re-Mastered by: Eric Conn @ Georgetown Mastering

Project Coordinator: Shawn Quinn

Art Direction & Design: Peter Tsakiris – Drunken Monkey Studios

 

All songs written and arranged by Nugent except “That’s The Story Of Love” written by Nugent, Bon Jovi, Sambora.

 

Thanks to: Dave Amato, Paul Reed Smith, Dave Kiswiney, Bob Quandt, Bobby Oberdorsten, NiteBob, Sparky Anderson, Don Hermanson, Elaine & Rhonda, Mitch Snyder, Del Furano, Jay Rosenthal, Bernie Fischbach, Jill & Amy, Alvaradskee, Pam Heitzman, Laura Kaufman, Doc, John, Ritchie & the boys, Paco The Wonderdog 1971-1987, Sasha & Toby for their love and patience. All the folks at Atlantic Records and the entire WEA team.

 

In memory of ROSS MARINO – World’s greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Photographer.



1990 - CD & CS / Atlantic

2001 - CD / Spitfire

 

With “one of the sexiest, slinkiest, motherfuckingest grooves I’ve ever nuzzled out of my...guitar,” Ted Nugent introduced the world to Little Miss Dangerous. This stiletto-heeled vixen became Ted’s calling card on MTV and a rock radio smash that reminded all within earshot who was really the king of the rock ‘n’ roll beasts.



On his 12th solo album and third for Atlantic Records, Nugent found a way to marry refined songwriting and polished production styles – “This is the audio high point of my career,” he noted – with the gritty, high-volume, exuberant take-no-prisoners style on which he staked his reputation. Nugent’s lascivious leer was particularly evident on this outing, as he drooled over “High Heels in Motion” and “Crazy Ladies,” translated the virtues evident “When Your Body Talks” and turned in a sledgehammer rendition of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David classic “My Little Red Book,” which had become a rock ‘n’ roll standard thanks to previous versions by Manfred Mann and Love.



Then there was “Little Miss Dangerous” title track, chugging, strip club-worthy anthem – “sexual inspiration exploding into a firestorm of spiritual orgasm” – that occasionally got Nugent in trouble during his performances, when he’d bring a particularly enthusiastic female on stage to see just how, um, dangerous he could get with her. In fact, police at one concert considered pressing charges against the Motor City Madman when one 19-year-old hottie peeled down to her underwear during the song, but they thought better of sending him to the hoosegow. “I did such a good job, they didn’t have the heart to arrest me,” Nugent exulted after the event.



The year of Little Miss Dangerous was, in fact, one of Nugent’s most visible. That spring he played guitar on “Stars,” the all-star heavy metal aggregation Hear ‘n’ Aid’s contribution to the USA for Africa Foundation’s famine relief efforts. He also guested on celebrity sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer’s TV show, proclaiming that “Life is one big female safari, and Dr. Ruth is my guide.”



But the biggest bump came from Miami Vice. Nugent – who joined fellow Detroiter and Eagles leader Glenn Frey as a darling of the popular TV police drama – had guested as a “street scum” drug runner who got to smack around the series star Don Johnson. A subsequent episode was titled after “Little Miss Dangerous” and used the song as a repeating motif throughout the show. Suddenly he found himself juggling scripts along with song transcriptions as acting became a new career option.“I’ve always joked about how I’d like to be the next Dirty Harry,” Nugent said, “but those are the kind of meaty roles I’d enjoy doing – the street guy, the bad guy that is the law’s nemesis. The guy they can’t seem to catch, but boy, do they want to. Those kind of characters are exciting for people to watch; they’re more memorable.”



But music remained Nugent’s first love and main emphasis. Even though the commercial masses seemed directed elsewhere, Nugent still found the greatest satisfaction in having his Gibson Byrdland strapped across his torso. “I’ve been to the mountain top,” he said, referring to his platinum run during the mid-‘70s. “If you’ve achieved that status once, you’ve been blessed, so how dare you complain. You’ll never hear me complain. I’m not saying I’m a carefree motherfucker who keeps whistling if the album doesn’t reach the top 50, but I don’t pull my hair out and grieve and overanalyze.” – Gary Graff



Ted Nugent: Guitars, bass guitar, six-string Fender Bass, lead and background vocals, percussion



Dave Amato: Rhythm guitar, Roland Synthesizer Guitar, lead and background vocals



Drums and percussion: Michael Mason, Joe Galdo, Duane Hitchings



Bass: Ricky Phillips, Jay Ferguson



Keyboard & Synthesizer: Pat Leonard, Hawk Wolinski, Larry Dermer



Background Vocals: Rick Baron, Tom Thayer,* Ricky Phillips, Sandy Slavin, Douglas Banker, Bobby Columby, Michael Mason, Robby Weaver, Jamie St. James,* Carmine Appice**



(*Courtesy of Geffen Records)



(**Courtesy of Capitol Records)



Guitar Technicians: Steve Fortney, Sammy Sanchez



Recorded at:

Channel Recording, Burbank, California, April to July, 1985



Engineered by Michael Verdick



Criteria Recording Studios, Miami, Florida, October to November, 1985



Engineered by Pete Solley & Jim Sessody



Engineer Assistant: Patrice Levinsohn



Mixed by Pete Solley & Ted Nugent



Mastered by Dennis King at Atlantic Studios, NYC



Art Direction: Bob Defrin



Cover and sleeve photography: JAE



Pre Production thanks to Rob Nalli at Nalli Music, Chris Ranney, Donn Deniston, Ken Scalise and Al Hurschman



Management: Douglas Banker



MADHOUSE MANAGEMENT

3101 E. Eisenhower, Suite 3

Ann Arbor, MI 48104

 

Agency: Dennis Arta, William Morris Agency

1350 Avenue of the Americas

New York, N.Y. 10019



Special Thanks To: Doug Morris, Dave Glew, Richard Steinberg, Paul Cooper, Tony Mandich, Judy Libow, Bob Defrin and the entire Atlantic staff, Sasha, Toby, Pele, Ma Nugent, Bob Quandt, Fred Bear, Bob Blevins, Jim Curnutt, Seymour Duncan, Bernie Fischbach, Bernie Goetz, Duane Hitchings, Steve Jordan, Laura Kaufman, Steve Kemp, Gallien Kruger, Paul Marlow, Jim Marshall, Seco Mayfield, Earl Miles, Al-Barb-Alan and Reen Nalli, George Nichols, Steve Ripley, Jay Rosenthal, Brian Schupbach, Paul Reed Smith Guitars, Linda Verdick, Warren Widmayer, Rob Cohen, Dana Williams, Kim and Elaine.



Digitally Re-Mastered by: Eric Conn @ Georgetown Mastering



Project Coordinator: Shawn Quinn



Back traycard photo by Ross Marino



Art Direction & Design: Peter Tsakiris – Drunken Monkey Studios



1985 - CD & CS / Atlantic

1986 - LP / WEA

2001 - CD / Spitfire

After switching labels and making a strong start for Atlantic Records with his 1982 release,  Nugent, Ted Nugent went for blood -- as usual -- on 1984's Penetrator, a 10-song collection that boasted, as he rightly described, "Every conceivable issue. It's got the Nugent melody, cohesiveness, '80s production, the songs are great compositions. It's got everything."



He wasn't lying. Those looking for the leering hunter of "sweet poontang" found it in the lead-off track "Tied Up In Love," as well as "Don't You Want My Love," "Thunder Thighs" and "Knockin' at Your Door." In fact, Nugent calls "Thunder Thighs" " a career high-point as far as me and the other are concerned." The king of arena rock added to his proclamations form the mountain top with "Lean Mean Rock 'n' Roll Machine," while the political voice of Nugent's "Bound and Gagged" resurfaced in "Go Down Fighting."



With a band that included vocalist Brian Howe (two years before he was tapped to replace Paul Rodgers in a reunited Bad Company), bassist Doug Lubahn (who had logged time with The Doors) and two members of Billy Squier's group -- keyboard Alan St. Jon and drummer Bobby Chouinard -- Nugent felt he had created an album that stood with any of his ouvre, including the mid-'70s classics Ted Nugent, Free-for-All and Cat Scratch Fever. His expectations for the album were further groomed during a January 1984 listening party in Detroit, where fellow Motor City rocker Bob Seger pounded him on the back and legs, raving about the album. "The superlatives flung at the record were unbelievable," Nugent recalled. "There wasn't one negative thing said about it."



So how did Penetrator slip through the commercial cracks, causing Nugent to publicly voice his disappointment? Blame it on the general state of rock and radio at the time -- and on MTV, whose pervasive influence had introduced a new generation of artists into the mix at the expense of proven veterans like Nugent. "There's a lot of wimps who haven't an idea of what to play on radio," Nugent observed at the time. "Great rock 'n' roll doesn't matter, it's what you're told to play."



He even threatened to embark on a violent "radio assassination tour" but thought better of it; rather, Nugent worked hard, solidified his reputation as one of rock's preeminent live performers and pushed Penetrator onto the Billboard charts. And he had a little lady waiting in the wings that would again make the world take notice of his Gonzo Gospel... - Gary Graff



(P) & ©1984, 2001 Ted Nugent.

Issued under license to Eagle Rock Entertainment, PLC.

Manufactured & Marketed by Spitfire Records, Inc.





Ted Nugent - Guitars, 6-String Bass and Vocals

Doug Lubahn - Bass

Bobby Chouinard - Drums

Alan St. Jon - Keyboards

Brian Howe - Lead Vocals

Peter Wolf* - Percussion & sequences

* Peter Wolf appears courtesy of Motown Records.

Background vocals: Alan St. Jon, Kevin Russel, Todd Howarth, Cynthia Shiloh, Zoe Fox, Rahni Raines



Produced by Ashley Howe

Executive Producer: Doug Banker



Basic Tracks recorded at The Power Station, New York, NY - July 1983

Engineered by Bill Scheniman

All over dubs recorded & mixed at - The Plant Studios, Sausalito, CA - August 1983

Engineered by Kevin Eddy & Ashley Howe

Mastered at Masterdisk by Bob Ludwig



E.S.P. Management

Bob Quandt & Doug Banker

6310 San Vincente Blvd. Ste. 401

Los Angeles, CA 90048



Press: Linda Peterson



Front Cover art - © Boris Vallejo

Back traycard photo - Ross Marino

Photo - Gosta Peterson



Digitally Re-Mastered by:

Eric Conn @ Georgetown Mastering

Project Coordinator: Shawn Quinn

Art Direction & Design:

Peter Tsakiris - Drunken Monkey Studios



1984 - LP / Atlantic

1990 - CD & CS / Atlantic

2001 - CD / Atlantic

2002 - CD / Spitfire

Nineteen eighty-two was a year of transition for Ted Nugent. The Motor City Madman had spent the last half of the ‘70s establishing himself as a rock god without peer, climbing from the ashes of the Amboy Dukes with the big, fat sound of a Gibson Byrdland guitar and a repertoire of classics – “Stranglehold,” “Dog Eat Dog,” “Free-For-All,” “Cat Scratch Fever” – that even today convey an alarming level of ferociousness. But after withstanding the twin assaults of disco and punk, Nugent felt it was time to regroup. He changed management, firming up his relationship with Doug Banker and his Ann Arbor, Michigan based Madhouse Management firm. He changed labels, too, signing on with the legendary Atlantic imprint for what would become a potent 13-year relationship. “It’s the home of Wilson Pickett, Aretha (Franklin), Solomon Burke, Cream, Led Zeppelin...some of the heaviest, sexiest rock and soul ever made,” Nugent explained at the time. “If there was ever a home for my musical maneuvers, it’s (Atlantic).”

 

Nugent started the new relationship on a strong foot. Taking the production reins himself, the guitarist assembled one of the his strongest bands ever, reuniting with singer-guitarist Derek St. Holmes – his chief accomplice from the multi-platinum heyday of the mid-‘70s – and bassist Dave Kiswiney, and adding former Vanilla Fudge/Cactus/Rod Stewart drummer Carmine Appice’s thundering skills to the mix. “The most ultimate rock ‘n’ roll machine I’ve ever seen,” Nugent noted.

 

The blazing “No, No, No” kicked things off as a statement purpose for the gritty, leaden, uncompromising attack of rock anthems such as “Tailgunner,” “We’re Gonna Rock Tonight,” “Fightin’ Words” and the lusty “Habitual Offender.” The key track, however, is “Bound and Gagged,” a fist-and-flag-waving political paean inspired by the Iranian hostage crisis of 1980 and what Nugent felt was a need to inject “Testosteronic” spirit into the American psyche. It was also a forebear of the more outspoken and conservative path he would take in the future; while most performers snapped at the U.S. government for America’s economic problems of the time, Nugent was poking his finger in a decidedly different direction.

 

“This is a general statement, but I think we have definitely turned out an inferior wimp who is looking for a handout,” he said. “The government’s got its problems, but the real problem is the attitude of the worker. I know there are lots of good ones, but the bottom line is anyone who wants to work, will; it may not be their favorite job, but they can work. I remember when I wanted my first Byrdland guitar. It was an expensive guitar but I didn’t want to wait around for some federal agency to give me the money for it. I went out and pumped gas, washed windows, and worked my butt off for that guitar.”

 

Thanks to my solid radio play for “No, No, No,” and “Bound and Gagged,” Nugent climbed its way up the billboard charts. –Gary Graff

 

From my 1st Atlantic product in ’82, “HABITUAL OFFENDER,” “NO, NO, NO,” & “BOUND AND GAGGED” represent my musical vision as well as any songs – TED NUGENT

 

Guitars, Lead Vocals, and 6 String Bass by Ted Nugent

Drums and Vocals by Carmine Appice*

Bass and Vocals by Dave Kiswiney

Lead Vocals by Derek St. Holmes**

Piano on “Can’t Stop Me Now” – Donnie Backus*

 

Produced by Ted Nugent for Crosshair Productions

Assistant Producer: David “Dansir” McCullough

 

All songs written and arranged by Ted Nugent

All Songs published by Broadhead Music, ASCAP

 

*Courtesy of Pasha/CBS Records

**Courtesy of Columbia Records

 

Background vocals on:

“Habitual Offender,” “Ebony,” “Bound And Gagged,” “Tailgunner,”

“We’re Gonna Rock Tonight” – Shawn Murphy

“Good And Ready,” “No, No, No” – DC Hawks, Verne Wagoner, Rick Wagoner, Kurt Wagoner, Mark Gerhardt

“Tailgunner” – Randy Bishop, Bart Bishop

“Tailgunner,” “Ebony” – Jude Cole

Percussion by Larry Brown

Guitar Technicians – Steve Fortney, Sammy Sanchez

Carmine plays Ludwig Drums and Zildjian Cymbals

 

Chief recordings and mixing engineer: Larry Brown

Assistant Engineers: Al and Dee Huschman, –A2 Studio

Csaba Petocz, Tim Clark, Mike Sanders, –Pasha Studio

Recorded at Pasha Music House, Hollywood, CA,

February – April 1982

A2 Studio, Ann Arbor, MI, March 1982

Mixed at Pasha Music House by Ted Nugent,

Dansir, and Larry, April 1982

Mastered at A&M, Hollywood by Bernie Grundman

This album was originally Mastered on Ampex 456 Tape

 

Original Album design: Ted Nugent and Ross M. Marino

Cover photo shot at J.M.T. Inc.

Photography: Ross M. Marino

 

E.S.P. Management, Inc.

Bob Quandt & Doug Banker

6310 San Vincente Blvd. Ste. 401

Los Angeles, CA 90048

Press: Linda Peterson

 

Diversified Management Agency

Dave Leone and Nick Caris

 

Special Thanks to:

Gary Klump and Bernie Fischbach

And a very special thanks and

Nugent Rock n’ Roll salute to Bob Weed

 

Fan Club:

TED NUGENT

c/o Winterland

890 Tennesse Street

San Francisco, CA 94107

 

Ted Nugent’s “Gonzo Rock Squad” Hotline (313) 971-ROCK

 

Digitally Re-Mastered by:

Eric Conn @ Georgetown Mastering

Project Coordinator: Shawn Quinn

Art Direction & Design:

Peter Tsakiris – Drunken Monkey Studios

 

Import only remastered edition. Issued in 1978, hot on the heels of the ground breaking live album Double Live Gonzo!, Nugent was out to take few prisoners but plenty of scalps. Weekend Warriors is an album that solidified Nugent’s reputation as not only one of the world’s greatest showmen but also one of the savviest songwriters around. Truly a hard rock classic. The Special Collector’s Edition was digitally remastered and features a 12 page full color booklet - Original and enhanced artwork with new photos , cuttings and full involvement from Ted Nugent. Also includes a 4,000 word Interview with Ted written by Geoff Barton, Editor Classic Rock. Rock Candy. 1978.



Producers: Lew Futterman, Cliff Davies, Tom Werman.



1978 - LP & CS - Sony - Epic / Legacy Recordings

1987 - Legacy Recordings [Mar 3]

1990 - CD - Sony / Columbia / Epic [Oct 25]

2006 - UK - CD - Rock Candy [Jul 17]

2006 - Sony / Epic

2008 - US - Sony BMG Music Entertainment - Special Market Reissue [Mar 01]

ORIGINAL ALBUM CREDITS

Ted Nugent: lead guitar, rhythm guitar, lead vocals

Derek St. Holmes: rhythm guitar, lead & backing vocals

Cliff Davies: drums, backing vocals

Rob Grange: Bass

Backing Vocals: Boz Burrell, Alan Spenner, Rory Dodd

Percussion: Montego Joe, Tom Werman

 

Road Crew: Kraig Colburn (chief), Floyd Black, David “Dnsir” McCullough (Sound Engineer)

Tour Manager: Jim Curnutt

Direction: David Krebs, Steve Leber & Mel Baister for Leber-Krebs, Inc.

Booking Agency: DMA

Tapeman: Philip Giambalvo

 

A joint production of Lew Futterman, Tom Werman and Cliff Davies for The Next City Corporation

 

All Material Arranged by Ted Nugent with Cliff Davies, Rob Grange, and Derek St. Holmes

 

Thanks to Troy Blakely, Nick Caris, Dave Leone.

We’re a goddamn team.

 

“Cat Scratch Fever” titled by Sandra Nugent

 

Boz Burrell appears through the courtesy of Swan Song Records

Alan Spenner appears courtesy of Columbia Records

 

REISSUE CREDITS

Produced for Reissue by Bruce Dickinson

Mastered by Vic Anesini at Sony Music Studios, New York

Project Director: Stephan Moore

A&R Coordination: Patti Matheny & Darren Salmieri

Reissue Art Direction: Howard Fritzson

Design: SMAY VISION

Photo Credits: Front cover and booklet back cover by Jim Houghton (from original LP); back cover ©Robert Alford; page 3 ©Ron Pownall/Starfile; page 4 Michael Ochs Archive, Venice, CA; CD tray ©London Features Int’l Packaging Manager: Aaron Rosenbaum

 

All songs by Ted Nugent except “Live It Up” by Ted Nugent and Derek St. Holmes

 

Special Thanks to Ted Nugent, Doug Banker and all at Madhouse Management.

 

Producer’s Note:

The live bonus track material is in rough mix form as it was done shortly after the original concert. We felt that these spirited performances were so strong that they more than overcame any technical imperfections. The recordings we’ve included reveal a truly great rock ‘n’ roll band at the height of its gonzoness. Feel the power!

 

©1999 Sony Music Entertainment Inc. / (P)1977, 1999 Sony Music Entertainment Inc. / Manufactured by Epic, A Division of Sony Music / 550 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022-3211

 

1977 - LP / Epic / Legacy Recordings

1990 - CD / Epic

1999 - CD & CS / Sony

1999 - CS / Epic

More than 20 years later, Ted Nugent still likes to reflect back on what his critics were saying as he put his, the Amboy Dukes, to rest and started the next phase of his career–one that would be under his own direction and, most importantly, under his own name.

"I remember some of the more creative writers of the ilk claimed it would be the final nail in my coffin–quote, unquote," Nugent says with a redemptive laugh. "I knew better."

Indeed he did.

With the release of Ted Nugent in 1975, the self-proclaimed Motor City Madman and god of gonzo guitar became not just a star but one of rock 'n' roll's icons. He sold millions of albums. Rock radio just couldn't play enough of him–and neither could promoters, who made him the hardest-working and top-grossing gunslinger of the mid- and late-'70s, equaled for excitement only by mighty peers such as Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin. For T-shirted kids who worked hard all day and wanted their rock 'n' roll to blow their hair back and pound their eardrums through their skulls, Nugent was, as the song says, "Just What The Doctor Ordered."

It’s not hard to figure out why, when you listen to Ted Nugent or any of the subsequent releases from the prime of his career. The photo on the cover tells the story; while most other rockers posed with their sleek Stratocasters and Les Pauls, there was Nugent, whipping his mane around his head as he cranked out sound on his big Gibson Birdland, a hog of a guitar with thick and creamy tones—clearly not something to be trusted to amateurs. But in Nugent’s hands it screamed, squealed and cried, providing a vivid, 3-D voice for the monster crunch of “Stranglehold,” the menacing stomp of “Stormtroopin’” and the fiery boogie of “Hey Baby,” “Motor City Madhouse,” and “Snakeskin Cowboys.”

“The Birdland has so much tone that it overpowers a lot of amplifiers,” Nugent says. “If you just take a single sound, it would be a dirty, nasty sounding guitar. Ultimately, I really owe a lot of that to (co-producer) Tom Werman. He had heard my other recordings (with Amboy Dukes) and said, ‘This doesn’t even sound like your guitar.’ He really believed in the Birdland guitar and got the sound we need for it.”

The road to his first solo effort, Ted Nugent, began before Werman saw Nugent and his band play at the International Institute of Technology during late 1974. It actually started a bit before that, when Nugent broke up the Amboy Dukes and took a short break—his first one ever—from music to reacquaint himself with hunting, which his father had introduced him to years before.

“It was like a spiritual re-awakening for me to escape the bombast and seek the spirit in the mountains and the swamps and the rivers,” he says. “It was almost like a return to the mountain to meet the holy man. I come down and had this confidence.”

He assembled a new band, with former Amboy Duke Rob De Lagrange on bass, Cliff Davies on drums, and Derek St. Holmes from a local band called Scott—which had opened up for the Amboy Dukes around Michigan—on vocals and guitar. Mutual friends had been trying to hook Nugent and St. Holmes up for years; St. Holmes—who once walked out on an early Amboy Dukes performance when he was in high school—was literally about to unplug his phone from the wall and leave for California when it rang with the summons for him to come and audition.

“Everything clicked,” St. Holmes remembers. “We stopped after about 20 minutes, Ted looked at me and said ‘Well, how many Marshalls do you want?’ “

It had the tightness of a band, but its name reflected the real identity of its driving force—the long-haired, leather loinclothed rock ‘n’ roll animal who was shedding his constrictions and revealing a shockingly intense, animalistic abandon that was both theatrical and wholly natural. “I just said ‘We’re pounding out my vision here—not only in what I say and how I conduct myself, but in the kind of cockiness of the music,” Nugent says. “So that’s what we should call it—Ted Nugent.”

The quartet hit the road immediately and quickly became an explosive performing unit. And a productive one, too; songs that would end up on Ted Nugent began surfacing, including “Stranglehold,” “Stormtroopin’,” “Motor City Madhouse,” “Queen Of The Forest” and St. Holmes’ “Hey Baby.” But the labels weren’t biting, and it took Werman and partner Lew Futterman to lay a little muscle on Epic to get the band a recording contract.

The group, Werman and Futterman convened at the Sound Pit in Atlanta to try to translate the power and energy of the live shows into an album—although the sessions were often interrupted by road work, the group’s bread and butter. “If we had two or three days off, we’d go straight into the studio,” St. Holmes remembers. “No matter where we were, we’d go back to Atlanta, record some more, then go back on the road.”

Besides music, the sessions were marked by baseball and basketball games in a courtyard outside the Sound Pit, and Nugent brought his bow and arrows along so he could shoot arrows in the parking lot. But those were momentary diversions from the arduous work that was going on in the studio.  

“At that point, I just wanted a great representation of the grinding, grunting music I was creating,” Nugent says. If it had not been for Tom and Lew, I probably would have settled for whatever quality I could have captured, without fighting for it. I remember for the first time watching people stick their ears in the speakers, dialing tones into the amplifiers—much more attention than I’d ever witnessed in the studio before. It was really revealing as to how much everybody cared.”

It paid off. With radio playing the hell out of the eight-and-a-half minute opus “Stranglehold” and the “Hey Baby,” Ted Nugent vaulted into the Billboard Top 30, quickly went gold and eventually sold more than two million copies. The big bands called for Nugent & Co. To open their shows; they appreciated the help selling tickets, but they rued having to follow them—you can sample the reasons why on the bonus live versions of “Stormtroopin’,” “Motor City Madhouse,” “Just What the Doctor Ordered” and an outtake of “Magic Party” included on this expanded edition of Ted Nugent.

“We didn’t leave ‘em a lot by the time we finished,” St. Holmes notes with palpable satisfaction, and the live tracks on this expanded edition more than validates the claim.

Ted Nugent was, of course, a beginning, the start of a roll that picked up momentum with his subsequent releases Free-For-All and Cat Scratch Fever. But today it still sounds as peerlessly exuberant as it did during early 1976, when the rock scene did a communal gape as its magnum force attack. “If anyone wanted to know what rock ‘n’ roll was all about, that’s the only album they’d need,” Nugent likes to say. Go ahead and tell him he’s wrong. Then duck.

-Gary Graff

Gary Graff is an award-winning syndicated music journalist and Supervising Editor of the Music Hound Essential Album Guide series on Visible Ink Press.

© 1999 Sony Music Entertainment Inc./(P)1975, **1993, *1999 Sony Music Entertainment Inc./Manufactured by Epic, A Division of Sony Music/550 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022-3211/”Epic,” “Legacy” and L Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off. Marca Registrada.

Original Album Credits

Ted Nugent: guitars, vocals, percussion

Derek St. Holmes: rhythm guitar, vocals

Rob Grange: bass

Cliff Davies: drums, vibe, vocals

 

Produced by Lou Futterman and Tom Werman

A Next City Production

All Selections Written and Arranged by Ted Nugent, except “Hey Baby,” Written and Arranged by Derek St. Holmes.

 

Road Sound Crew: John Nugent and Floyd Black

Booking Agency: DMA, Detroit Michigan

 

Thanks to Steve McRay for keyboards and Brian Staffield and Tom Werman for percussion.

Thanks to Tony Reale and Cliff Davies for creative input way above and beyond the call of duty.

Ted’s  special thanks to the Gang at Alex Cooley’s Electric Ballroom.

 

Reissue Credits

Produced for Reissue by Brian Dickinson

Mastered by Vic Anesini at Sony Music Studios, New York

Project Director: Stephen Moore

A&R Coordination: Patti Matheny & Darren Salmieri

Reissue Art Direction: Howard Fritzson

Design: Smay Vision

Photo credits: Front and back cover by Al Clayton (from original LP); page 2 © Elaine Bryant/LFI; page 7 © Ron Pownall/Starfile; booklet back cover & CD tray © Rob Alford

Packaging Manager: Aaron Rosenbaum

 

Special Thanks to Ted Nugent, Doug Banker and all at Madhouse Management.

 

Producer’s Note:   

The live bonus track material is in rough mix form as it was done shortly after the original concert. We felt that these spirited performances were so strong that they more than overcame any technical imperfections. The recordings we’ve also included reveal a truly great rock ‘n’ roll band at the height of its gonzoness. Feel the power!

1990 - CD / Epic

2000 - CD / Sony

2001 - Spitfire