Steppenwolf 7
Steppenwolf 7 is the fifth studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. The album was released in November 1970, by Dunhill Records. It is the first Steppenwolf album with new bass player George Biondo. While the album featured Steppenwolf's trademark rock and roll sounds, none of the songs were able to make the top 40. The album featured a cover of Hoyt Axton's "Snowblind Friend", their second cover of one of his antidrug songs (the first being "The Pusher"). Along with "Who Needs Ya", it was one of two singles from the album which made the charts, but fell short of the top 40.[3] The album track "Renegade" is autobiographical for lead vocalist John Kay, recounting his flight with his mother from the Soviet occupation zone to the West in 1948. The intro to "Earschplittenloudenboomer" is spoken by Kay partially in German.
| Steppenwolf 7 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1970 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:57 | |||
| Label | Dunhill | |||
| Producer | Richard Podolor | |||
| Steppenwolf chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Steppenwolf 7 | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C–[2] |
Track listing
All tracks composed by John Kay and Larry Byrom; except where indicated.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ball Crusher" | 4:50 | |
| 2. | "Forty Days and Forty Nights" | Bernie Roth | 3:02 |
| 3. | "Fat Jack" | George Biondo | 4:50 |
| 4. | "Renegade" | 6:07 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Foggy Mental Breakdown" | 3:52 | |
| 2. | "Snowblind Friend" | Hoyt Axton | 3:52 |
| 3. | "Who Needs Ya'" | 2:59 | |
| 4. | "Earschplittenloudenboomer" | 5:00 | |
| 5. | "Hippo Stomp" | 5:43 |
Personnel
Steppenwolf
- John Kay – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica
- Larry Byrom – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Goldy McJohn – Hammond organ, piano
- George Biondo – bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Fat Jack" and co-lead vocals on "Foggy Mental Breakdown" and "Who Needs Ya'"
- Jerry Edmonton – drums
Technical
- Richard Podolor – producer, engineer
- Bill Cooper – engineer
- Tom Gundelfinger – photography
- Gary Burden – art direction, liner design, artwork
Charts
Album - Billboard (United States)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Billboard 200 | 19[4] |
Singles - Billboard (United States)[3]
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | "Who Needs Ya" | Billboard Hot 100 | 54 |
| 1971 | "Snowblind Friend" | Billboard Hot 100 | 60 |
References
- Allmusic review
- Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 13, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- Steppenwolf USA chart history, Billboard.com. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- "Billboard 200-Steppenwolf". Archived from the original on February 18, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2017.