Sweet Jesus!... I hope I'm as nuts at 52 years-old as TED NUGENT is. Not only is he one of the most pronounced rock guitarists of the past 30 years, he's an outspoken outdoorsman, he hunts his own food to feed his family (an activity that brings much criticism from the often-reactionary animal activist groups), he maintains a wildlife preserve (ironically, by harvesting animals which would otherwise wipe out certain endangered species), he's a Michigan County Deputy since 1978, and he writes for more than 32 publications...and he finds time to tour six months out of the year.
Full Bluntal Nugity marks his first release for new label Spitfire Records (they also re-released some of his back catalog). The disc was recorded in Detroit on New Years Eve 2000, to a packed house of lunatics.
Now, there's no way to really prove this, but on the disc, Nugent claims there aren't any overdubs or studio tweaking...What you hear is what was played by Nugent, Marco Mendoza and dummer Tommy Aldridge on New Years Eve...which is phenomenal considering the elephant-balls wall of sound they produce together.
All of the classics are here, including "Great White Buffalo", "Stranglehold" (which Nugent sings a little less gracefully that originally done by Derek St. Holmes, and of course, "Cat Scratch Fever", which Nugent modestly proclaims is the number one guitar riff of all time. That's debatable. Bassist Mendoza even takes the mic for "Hey Baby". Ted even throws in an acoustic version of "Fred Bear", a song dedicated to Ted's bow hunting mentor and outdoorsman for whom the song is named.
If this review sounds really ass-kissing, that's because it IS. I pray that when I'm in my fifties, that I will have accomplished as much as this guy, and remain as honorable, tough, and of course, just as maniacally egocentric as Ted Nugent.
