Original band was much grittier and more enjoyable... - A double disk live concert from 1995. John Kay is the one original member and he has surrounded himself with a very talented band but it s not Steppenwolf. The original band was much more gritty. About 40% of the concert are songs they made from the 90 s and while I respect and think it s crucial for a band to continue to churn out new material to be relative, the material they create today is pretty mundane. The highpoint for me is that they performed Snowblind Friend, a powerful song about a buddy they Kay to drugs. Of course if includes all their hits including another favorite of mine The Pusher, but they sounded so much better the first time around.
Still wields power and poise! - Very enjoyable 2 cd set. The sound is more polished, less raw than the original recordings. A few tracks are arguably better due to the crowd and Kay s banter before and after each track. HEY LAWDY MAMMA, DESPERATION,MONSTER, SNOWBLIND FRIEND are standouts due to some extended jamming flourishes not as evident in the originals. I never realized just how socio-political Kay s lyrics were when I first listened back in 1968. MONSTER is relevant today though not exactly as originally intended (ie anti-war,military/industrial complex)...it s theme actually fits nicely when superimposing the Terror-War as the new MONSTER. strange that.Worth the price...great music also.