Having listened to a lot of Nugent stuff over the years.. this album had some moments, but no where near the impact of the original Epic, Ted Nugent album, and for those who had heard early Nugent collaborations ala the Amboy Dukes.. this offering doesnt even come close to the brilliant complexities of the Andy Soloman influenced "Marriage on the Rocks, Rock Bottom" recording. Nugent has always thrived when he had to battle other musicians for the spotlight... he is a great musical listener when forced to play nice, and can apply a tremendous amount of ear candy to other people's songcraft, however, Nugent, when left to own devices, is reduced to junior high school rhyme schemes that focus on adolescent sex; which is fine when you are 16, but quite pathetic when you are 55.

Every once in a while, he pens a catchy tune, but they are few and far between. "Fred Bear" was a bright moment in terms of song construction and energy, perhaps because it was recorded almost immediately upon being written. An overlooked love song, Heart And Soul showed some promise that Nugent might be maturing a little bit, but the spirit slipped away too quickly. The Derek St. Holmes influenced "Love Jacker" was brilliant Motown meets Motor City Madman, but again... Nugent didn't recognize its cross over potential and ignored the song in live shows... oh well... now we get ditties like "My Baby Likes My Butter on Her Gritz" and "Girl Scout Cookies". Go Nuge.. you da man...

What I really want to know about this album is this... The Byrdland on the cover shot is missing the bridge and the strings are completely loose. Does anyone know why they did that?
Having listened to a lot of Nugent stuff over the years.. this album had some moments, but no where near the impact of the original Epic, Ted Nugent album, and for those who had heard early Nugent collaborations ala the Amboy Dukes.. this offering doesnt even come close to the brilliant complexities of the Andy Soloman influenced "Marriage on the Rocks, Rock Bottom" recording. Nugent has always thrived when he had to battle other musicians for the spotlight... he is a great musical listener when forced to play nice, and can apply a tremendous amount of ear candy to other people's songcraft, however, Nugent, when left to own devices, is reduced to junior high school rhyme schemes that focus on adolescent sex; which is fine when you are 16, but quite pathetic when you are 55. Every once in a while, he pens a catchy tune, but they are few and far between. "Fred Bear" was a bright moment in terms of song construction and energy, perhaps because it was recorded almost immediately upon being written. An overlooked love song, Heart And Soul showed some promise that Nugent might be maturing a little bit, but the spirit slipped away too quickly. The Derek St. Holmes influenced "Love Jacker" was brilliant Motown meets Motor City Madman, but again... Nugent didn't recognize its cross over potential and ignored the song in live shows... oh well... now we get ditties like "My Baby Likes My Butter on Her Gritz" and "Girl Scout Cookies". Go Nuge.. you da man... What I really want to know about this album is this... The Byrdland on the cover shot is missing the bridge and the strings are completely loose. Does anyone know why they did that?