Steppenwolf

Steppenwolf were infiltrators on the late Sixties rock scene. Bandleader John Kay, born in Germany, embraced the liberation represented by rock ’n’ roll, but always saw right through American society’s hypocrisies and self-flattering myths. Steppenwolf’s music was fueled by Kay’s and Michael Monarch’s cranked-up guitars and the overdriven organ of Goldy McJohn, with Nick St. Nicholas’ bass and Jerry Edmonton’s taut drumming keeping the groove tense and wary, like a wolf running through the woods. This, their 1968 debut album, includes the immortal biker anthem “Born to Be Wild” and a genuinely chilling cover of Hoyt Axton’s anti-drug song “The Pusher,” but songs like “Everybody’s Next One,” “Desperation,” “Your Wall’s Too High” and especially album closer “The Ostrich” reveal the sharp social critique that were where Kay’s heart really lay.