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 visiting some old friends May 08, 2007
This is about what I expected. It can't replace the 2 albums I used to own, but it had the songs I wanted to hear most. The band I was in back in high school(37-38 yrs. ago)used to play "Good Natured Emma" and "Migration" so I'm particularly happy to have those again. I really wasn't interested in and don't really care for the stuff from the first album, but that doesn't detract from my enjoyment of the rest of the CD. Not bad for a compilation.
4 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Not definitive but a good overview... Dec 24, 2006
Let me first state my bias: "Journey to the Center of the Mind" is the song that convinced me I needed to become a guitarist, so it's the most important song in my own personal history...a genuinely life-changing thing, so it should come as no surprise that the Amboy Dukes were my favorite band in that time period. The music on this CD is all drawn from the three albums (and one single) released on the Mainstream Records label (when the band was still known only as The Amboy Dukes, without Ted Nugent's name being featured) and purports to be the best of that time period. For my money, the stuff from the first album is interesting from an historical perspective but is definitely the weakest material presented here (tracks 2-6). Tracks 1 and 7-12 come from their second album ("Journey...") featuring a stronger line-up of musicians and a lot of their best stuff (one glaring omission from this album is the song "Surrender to Your Kings": one of the RIPPING-EST Dukes tunes ever, it SHOULD have been included). Track 13 ("You Talk Sunshine...") was their attempt at a follow-up to their hit "Journey...". It's a decent song in-and-of-itself, and I'm glad it's included here, but if you listen to "Journey..." and then listen to "You Talk Sunshine...", it's almost hilarious to hear how these guys practically broke their own necks trying to re-create "Journey..." and score another hit. I've never heard a more blatant example of self-plagiarization. Tracks 14-18 come from the "Migration" album, and the compilers managed to get all the best stuff from this album. HOWEVER (and this is my biggest bitch with this collection), someone decided to re-edit the great "Prodigal Man" to disastrous effect. In the original recording, the solo section starts off with a beatiful drum solo by Dave Palmer; bassist Greg Arama then joins him and takes a bass solo that 99% of all rock bassists would never have been able to accomplish; those two are then joined by Andy Solomon playing some of his exquisite Jimmy Smith-inspired jazz organ stuff; and finally Ted Nugent comes in with one of his most blistering guitar solos ever. This section has a very organic flow to it that just builds and builds and is one of the Amboy Dukes finest moments. So some MORON comes along and shuffles the solos around and completely destroys the flow! This might not be so noticeable to someone who's never heard the song before, but to someone familiar with the original, it's absolutely JARRING.
In closing, I think it's important to note that, although Ted Nugent is featured prominently in these recordings (and rightly so: he WAS a brilliant and unique guitarist and the evidence here is ample), the Amboy Dukes were a great BAND, and Ted WASN'T the only virtuoso therein. If you're a fan of the arena-rock Nuge of the late 70's, you might not be too interested in this music, but if you want to hear a great and largely-overlooked progressive rock band from the late 60's, this collection is well-worth checking out.
7 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Strange bedfellows Aug 19, 2005
Ted Nugent and Steve Farmer had to be one of the strangest combos in rock history, and it still amazes me how well they sounded together. Nugent's early guitar work was distinctive, fluid and original, more refined than much of his later stuff. Farmer's songwriting antics were just as original, although his attempts at psychedelic "deepness" were sometimes hilarious. (And he hasn't changed much, check out his "Journey to the Darkside...")
Nugent claims he didn't know the songs were about drugs... does anyone believe that for a minute?
This disc is missing some notable songs, including "Surrender To Your Kings" and "Inside the Outside". Also, for no good reason, this version of "Prodigal Man" has been remixed, with instrumental passages out of their original order. Who would do such a thing?
But this music is definitely worth hearing... the Amboy Dukes showed WAY more imagination and talent than your average 60's American garage band.
11 of 12 found the following review helpful:
 No Missionary Mary? Dec 12, 2004
This is a very good compilation of the original Amboy Dukes! The sound quality is excellent and nice packaging as well with the Mainstream logo present on this Sony release. Most of the tunes on their 67' debut and their 68' release "Journey To The Center Of The Mind" are awesome garage/psych rock and are included here on Loaded For Bear. Songs NOT included that I would loved to have had on this CD are: "I Feel Free" and "Missionary Mary". I mainly bought this because it contains "Colors" and "Why Is A Carrot More Orange Than An Orange?" which are omitted on other Dukes' compilations for some reason. Two examples of fine ACID ROCK. Ted Nugent's guitar playing during the Dukes' era is among the best of any guitar player in the country. His conviction and execution is almost flawless and the flaws lend very well too. Check out their 3rd album Migration (CD on Repertoire), Nugent is fantastic. I love the Amboy Dukes' first 4 LP's on Mainstream, but sadly, Mainstream producer Bob Shad did very little to promote the groups on the label. He eventually dropped every group from the label, even sold away Janis and Big Brother to Columbia in 68' for a hefty sum. Consequently, most of the rock groups that released a full length album on the label commands high prices and are sought after collector's items! Mainstream signed some other great psychedelic bands, most notable: Big Brother and The Holding Co., The Tangerine Zoo, The Jellybean Bandits (See my Amazon review of this classic), The Art Of Lovin' and The Stone Circus. My favorite Amboy Dukes' tune without a doubt is D.O.P.E. This music was made to be played LOUD!
3 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes Aug 09, 2003
Great Heavy Metal music on this compilation from Ted Nugent's self-contained band, the Amboy Dukes. "Journey Through the Center of the Mind" is one of the best songs ever made and "Baby Please Don't Go" is a great cover also done by the band Them with Van Morrison. The rest of the CD has great music that is and was ahead of its time before the existence of Led Zeppelin and the rest of Heavy Metal. Great music from a great musician, Ted Nugent, because it is worth the price of admission.
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