Formed in Toronto and adding two Los Angeles-based musicians, Steppenwolf came on the music scene just as hard rock was heading toward its ascendancy. Looking for all the world like a biker gang, Steppenwolf could have been created by central casting to portray a hard-edged, leather-clad group of rockers. But Steppenwolf was a real group, taking its name from a 1927 novel by Herman Hesse and led by vocalist and guitarist John Kay.
Steppenwolf had released their debut single, “A Girl I Knew” b/w “The Ostrich,” in late 1967, but the 45 went largely unnoticed, making not a ripple on the singles charts. Both tunes would be included on the group’s self-titled LP, recorded in the fall of ’67 and released on January 29, 1968. In fact eight of the album’s 11 tracks would eventually appear on singles as the band’s reputation took off.
For that debut album, the band worked with Gabriel Mekler, house producer at Dunhill Records. Mekler’s résumé at that point was quite thin; his only previous production credits were three singles by the Dunhill act Lamp of Childhood. But working together, Mekler and Steppenwolf crafted a debut that defined the new rock subgenre that would come to be known as heavy metal. (The term would eventually come to represent a very different style of music, but in 1968, heavy rock meant Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly, Blue Cheer and other loud, aggressive rock acts.)
Steppenwolf opens with the first of three cover songs, a reading of the 1966 Steve Cropper-Don Covay soul tune, “Sookie Sookie.” Where Covay’s original featured a prominent horn section, Steppenwolf’s version features distorted electric guitar. Kay and his band change the key, slow the arrangement down a bit, and mine the blues influences in the song. Goldy McJohn’s gurgling Hammond organ underpins the song while the guitar and rhythm section move it forward. Mid-song the band steps up a key as Michael Monarch takes a short electric guitar solo. More a groove than a song, “Sookie Sookie” nonetheless establishes the hard rock template upon which Steppenwolf would find its fortunes.
“Everybody’s Next One” is cut from some very different musical cloth. Co-written by Kay and Mekler, the tune opens with some baroque-flavored electric piano from McJohn. Eventually the intro gives way to the main melody. While it’s not the most memorable song in the Steppenwolf catalog, the pop-leaning “Everybody’s Next One” does display some Who-like power chording. Rushton Moreve’s bass guitar work makes good use of the instrument’s upper register, inviting further comparisons with the Who.
The first minute of “Your Wall’s Too High” is half blues, half pop, with some barroom piano from McJohn. The tempo shifts radically after that, but despite the presence of some inventive licks, it feels musically underwritten. Credited to Kay, “Your Wall’s Too High” sounds like the product of some collaborative late-night jamming. Still, both Monarch and McJohn turn in some memorable work, elevating what’s nearly a one-chord vamp.
Steppenwolf closes with “The Ostrich,” a John Kay original with no connection to the early Lou Reed composition of the same name. McJohn’s Hammond organ is joined by a stinging electric guitar, giving way to a Bo Diddley-style beat that moves the song along. Quite similar in feel and arrangement to “Born to Be Wild,” it’s perhaps one of the most underrated songs in the band’s catalog. Interesting chord changes enliven a blues-based melody, and the song features plenty of space for each of the band members to take a turn at showcasing. The final 30 seconds of “The Ostrich” are made up of studio outtakes and noodling, ending the album on a cacophonous note. From: https://bestclassicbands.com/steppenwolf-debut-album-review-11-27-177/
