Tired of The Amboy Dukes' lack of effort and discipline, Nugent decided he had enough and left the group. He took a three-month vacation clearing his head in the Colorado wilderness, spending his time deer hunting and enjoying the outdoors. Renewed, Nugent returned to civilization in search of a new direction and a new band. Joining him in the Ted Nugent Band would be former Amboy Duke Rob Grange on bass, along with Cliff Davies on drums and finally, from a local Michigan band called Scott which had opened for the Dukes previously, a singer/guitarist named Derek St. Holmes. The new group hit the road and then the studio, forming the songs which would send their first album into the Billboard Top 30 and into the multi-platinum range. The first track, "Stranglehold", would set the stage for Nugent's career: an eight-minute plus guitar attack with vocals by St. Holmes and Nugent, a long solo played on Nugent's Gibson Byrdland guitar recorded in one take and a unique phase bass guitar effect by Grange. St. Holmes' sang tracks such as "Queen of the Forest", "Hey Baby", "Just What the Doctor Ordered" and "Snakeskin Cowboys", the latter featuring an 8-string Hagström bass played by Grange, which would prove to be staples of the band's concert tours for years to come. "Motor City Madhouse" is an ode to Ted's hometown of Detroit. The album was produced by Tom Werman and former If manager Lew Futterman. Nugent said about the album, "If anyone wanted to know what rock 'n roll was all about, that's the only album they'd need". "One had to recognize that there was a definite synergy between the band and Nugent", said producer Tom Werman.
Reception
In 2005, Ted Nugent was ranked number 487 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time. "Stranglehold" has been ranked 31st greatest guitar solo of all time by Guitar World.
Track listing
All songs are credited as "written and arranged by Ted Nugent", except "Hey Baby", which is credited as "written and arranged by Derek St. Holmes". In Martin Popoff's book Epic Ted Nugent, Nugent admits that "Stranglehold" was co-written by Rob Grange, who never received a royalty share. Derek St. Holmes claims the album was co-written by the whole band, and that Nugent took sole credit as a way to not pay them royalties.
