Ted Nugent – The Music Made Me Do It.jpg)
Round Hill Music
www.tednugent.com
Rating: B
The Motor City Madman just refuses to turn it the f*ck down!
Ted is back with yet another slab of distorted rock ‘n’ roll, redneck lyrics and outta this world guitar solos!
Ted’s band rocks right along with him. Kiddo drummer Jason Hartless is an amazing talent. Joining him are Greg Smith and Michael Lutz. They fill up the sound and allow their boss all the room he wants to run some really fast pentatonic scales!
The CD features ten tunes and comes with a bonus DVD comes from a performance in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The bonus concert really rocks! Just look at the track list below to get an idea of what seeing Nugent on the road in 2019 will be all about!
The studio CD has hits, misses and some new versions of older tunes. The best and worst is “Backstrap Fever” to the tune of “Cat Scratch Fever.” Okay…it is silly. But that’s the point. I would not choose it over the original but I will tell you that I have already played this version to about twenty people! This is a classic Nugent middle finger salute—even to his own song. But done with a huge shit-eating grin on his face. Only and I mean ONLY Ted would do this to his own song. He loves it too!
Elsewhere there is an acoustic version of “Fred Bear” that really is good. The song works stripped down nearly as good as electric. The most amazing music on the album is “Sunrize” and “Sunrise Fender.” These two instrumental songs really take one back to the “Hibernation” era Nugent. They are mellow but the solos are amazing—even Ted’s bass solo! The tune was first released in 1994 on the album Hunt Music which was available only by special order. I am very happy he put this on the album as it shows another side of Nugent, a caring and spiritual side… Trust me…it is there! Really…it is.
Proving Nugent will never run out of ideas for a fifth-fret jam in the Key of A “Locked, Cocked & Ready to Rock” is classic Nuge. This is my fav on the entire album. Some tunes are less than two minutes long. They are “Bigfundirtygroovenoize” and “I Love Ya Too Much Baby.” The first is a big guitar fest the other a bluesy romp. Both clock in short wondering if Ted has been listening to The Ramones?
At the end of the day, this is an album that shows Ted Nugent answers to no one but Ted Nugent. He made exactly the album that struck his fancy at the time. It is Pure Nugent…even the stuff you may not like.
I have to talk about the song “The Music Made Me Do It.” The title track is a full on guitar force to be reckoned with. Do I wish Greg Smith had sang it? Probably…but then again, if he had then it would not sound like the Nuge. It is a tough call. The music, however, is wild, loud and in your face—kinda like the man himself.
This is not the best he’s done but it is, just like Ted, 100% unique. Nothing sounds like this!
At the end of the day four tunes, “Sunrize,”the acoustic “Fred Bear,” “Locked Cocked” and “The Music Made Me Do It” will be added to your Best of Ted Spotify list. The live concert will be cranked up loud and often as well.
This one is making me look forward to the next one.
I would love an instrumental album…I’m not sure that Ted could keep his mouth shut that long though!
CD track listing:
01. The Music Made Me Do It
02. Where Ya Gonna Run To Get Away From Yourself
03. Cocked, Locked & Ready To Rock
04. Bigfundirtygroovenoize
05. I Love Ya Too Much Baby
06. Backstrap Fever
07. I Just Wanna Go Huntin'
08. Fred Bear
09. Sunrize
10. Sunrize Fender (Fender Bass VI Solo)
DVD track listing:
Live At Freedom Hill, Sterling Heights MI
(Feedback intro, affectionately named "Light My Campfire")
01. Star Spangled Banner
02. Baby Please Don't Go
03. Free-For-All
04. Gonzo
05. Paralyzed
06. Wang Dang Sweet Poon Tang
07. Good Friends
(Blues Jam, affectionately named "Blues On The Grill")
08. I Need You Bad
09. Hey Baby
10. I Still Believe
11. Fred Bear
12. Motor City Madhouse
13. Cat Scratch Fever
14. Stranglehold
15. Don't Tread On Me
16. Great White Buffalo
By Jeb “Anyone Came to be Mellow Tonight” Wright
