Ted Nugent-Ted Nugent (1975)

In 1975, Ted Nugent began his solo career after disbanding his previous psychedelic rock band, The Amboy Dukes. This debut would become one of the most outstanding in the history of American rock, featuring a stellar lineup of musicians led by singer Derek St. Holmes, bassist Rob Grange, and drummer Cliff Davies. On this first album, Ted Nugent delivers an energetic record of pure rock and roll, with Southern influences and hints of blues, achieving a work that is both perfect and superb. From the opening track, "Strangehold", a spectacular piece of experimentation with a tense and hypnotic atmosphere, the album unfolds with a relentless succession of songs that offer no respite. This is followed by the effective and visceral "Stormtroopin' ", the mid-tempo "Hey Baby," a track that provides a counterpoint to the frenetic rhythm, the psychedelic "Just What The Doctor Ordered", and the defiant "Sneakeskin Cowboys", the latter of which concludes the first side of the original vinyl. Side two begins with the frenetic "Motor City Madhouse", followed by the melodic "Where Have You Been All My Life" and "You Make Me Feel Right At Home", before ending with the powerful and potent "Queen of the Forest", thus concluding one of the best American hard rock albums, Ted Nugent's magnum opus, and a true gem of rock music.