Monster (Steppenwolf album)
| Monster | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Steppenwolf | ||||
| Released | November 1969 | |||
| Recorded | 1969 at American Recording Co. Studio, Studio City, California | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, psychedelic rock, blues rock | |||
| Length | 32:53 | |||
| Label | ABC Dunhill | |||
| Producer | Gabriel Mekler | |||
| Steppenwolf chronology | ||||
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Monster is an album by Steppenwolf. Released in 1969, it was their first LP with new lead guitarist, Larry Byrom instead of Michael Monarch. The album was Steppenwolf's most political one, making references to important issues at the time, such as the Vietnam War.
The album was the first Steppenwolf album not to feature a US top ten hit, though two singles from the album cracked the top 40: "Move Over" and "Monster".[1]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Rolling Stone | (unfavorable) [3] |
| Piero Scaruffi |  [4] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[5] |
Reviews for Monster have generally been negative. Rolling Stone commented that the playing of the individual performers is "top-notch", but that "Their arrangements have become sloppy and crude, as the early-Zappa lyrics continuously clash with the music."[3]
Allmusic panned the album in their retrospective review, remarking that "these lumbering hard rock tunes were not an effective means to address [important political topics], politically or musically."[2]
On the other hand, rock critics Robert Christgau and Piero Scaruffi gave the album praise. Scaruffi included the album in his Best Rock Albums of 1969 list,[4] praising especially the song "Move Over", while Christgau gave the album a B+ rating and called it "an excellent comeback", though he thought the preachy lyrics marred somewhat the final result.[5]
Track listing
- "Monster" (Kay, Edmonton)/"Suicide" (Kay, St. Nicholas, Byrom, Edmonton)/"America" (Kay, Edmonton) – 9:15
- "Draft Resister" (Kay, McJohn, Byrom) – 3:20
- "Power Play" (Kay) – 5:26
- "Move Over" (Kay, Mekler) – 2:53
- "Fag" (Byrom, Edmonton, St. Nicholas) – 3:13
- "What Would You Do (If I Did That to You)" (Francen, Porter) – 3:19
- "From Here to There Eventually" (Kay, McJohn, Edmonton) – 5:27
Personnel
- Gabriel Mekler - producer
- Steppenwolf - main performer
- Bill Cooper - engineer
- Richard Podolor - engineer
Charts
Album - Billboard (United States)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Pop Albums | 17 |
Singles - Billboard (United States)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | "Move Over" | Pop Singles | 31[1] |
| 1969 | "Monster" | Pop Singles | 39[1] |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Steppenwolf USA chart history, Billboard.com. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Monster (Steppenwolf album) at AllMusic
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Rezos, Ray (February 7, 1970). Album review, Rolling Stone. Archived at .
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Scaruffi, Piero: "Best Rock Albums of the Sixties - 1969" .
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Christgau, Robert: "Steppenwolf" .
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