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TED NUGENT
The Ultimate Nugent
Epic Records
www.epicrecords.com
Okay, the obligatory Ted Nugent disclaimer: Ted can a big jerk. It's not so much his political views in and of themselves, but the immature, cocky, misogynistic way in which he holds and communicates them.
But, of course, it is exactly that attitude that made him, in his youth, one of the greatest rock and roll guitarists ever. Yes, he's an ass, but he also kicks ass when he picks up a six string, and this double CD
is proof. There have been many best-of releases when it comes to Nugent, including a box set. I've heard most all of them, but for pure song selection, this is the best of the lot. Put together by Iron Maiden
vocalist Bruce Dickenson, the discs contain the crème of the crop when it comes to Terrible Ted. Every song is a gem throughout both CD's, and it includes some cuts that weren't hits. A pleasant surprise is the
inclusion of "Writing On The Wall" on Disc one basically a carbon copy of "Stranglehold," but why not? "Stranglehold,"the first cut on the disc, is Nugent's signature. Of course, you could ague that "Cat
Scratch Fever" is his signature and you wouldn't be wrong, and you'd also find it on Disc one, along with "Free-For-All," "Stormtroopin'," "Snakeskin Cowboys," and lots more. Disc two contains Ted's later stuff, but
it, too, has some pleasant inclusions. I don't think I've ever seen the bombastic "Smokescreen"on a compilation, or the over-the-top pumper, "Snake Charmer." Disc two also contains a few live tracks from the Double
Live Gonzo album. None of the tracks have been remastered or messed with in any way; they remain in the same glorious state as the original vinyl releases contained.
Jeff Muendel
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