A trio of albums from the reborn Steppen
wolf – all presented here in a single set! First up is Slow Flox – a set that has the group really coming back into the fray, after John Kay had left for a bit and recorded as a solo act! All the raw power of the group is still very much at play here – plenty of searing guitars, at that level that made Steppen
wolf such a key precursor to the hard rock sound of the 70s – maybe answered to by the group themselves here, who felt a need to reform and show the younger acts how things were done! But there's also some fuller production at times too – touches of soul inspiration that hit a few of the songs, but without ever knocking the guitars out too much – on titles that include "Get Into The Wind", "Children Of The Night", "Smokey Factory Blues", "Morning Blue", "A Fool's Fantasy", and "Gang War Blues". Hour Of The
Wolf is a record that seems to have Steppen
wolf adapting nicely for the 70s – not in any sort of too-commercial way, but with a vibe that brings in all these nice shifts to their sound! The guitar and bass are still plenty high in the mix, but the vocals of John Kay are varied a bit more from track to track, as is the use of organ – which sometimes steps out as a great force in the sound, even at a time when so many other groups had switched to more modern styles of keyboards. Titles include "Caroline", "Just For Tonight", "Two For The Love Of One", "Someone Told A Lie", "Mr Penny Pincher", "Another's Lifetime", and "Annie Annie Over". Skullduggery is a set with a skull on the cover and some massive drums at the start – both of which are key signals to the world that Steppen
wolf are still alive and well! Despite their lack of chart success at this point, the group are still super-sharp – burning on all the best elements that made their classics so great – burning organ, bubbling basslines, searing guitar, and those vocals from John Kay that really send things over the top – schooled on soul in the 60s, but turned much more towards a hard rock standard here – on titles that include "Rock N Roll Song", "Life Is A Gamble", "Skullduggery", "Lip Service", "Pass It On", and "Train Of Thought". 3CD set features two bonus tracks – "Angeldrawers" and "Caroline (mono promo mix)" – plus a big booklet of notes!