Riffology
101: Ted Nugent
Ten Massive Riffs By Ted Nugent That Every
Rock Fan Should Hear.
By Jeb Wright
When looking over the
possibilities to create a Top 10 List of Riffs for this article
I became overwhelmed. Every song written by the Detroit axe man
is a virtual feast of riffology. I sat down and attempted in
earnest to make what I considered to be the ultimate list. I
ended up with 25 songs. Narrowing the list down to 10 was a
daunting task but one I approached methodically. I had to leave
out some of my own personal favs like "My Love is Like a Tire
Iron" and "Put Up or Shut Up." I also had to delete some Nuge
classics like "Little Miss Dangerous" and "Homebound." Perhaps
if there is one riff that deserves to be here but is not it is
"Kiss My Ass." Maybe I will have to do a Part Two for Nuge in
the future but for now the songs that follow, I believe,
represent the heart and soul of the Motor City Madman.
Nugent has the natural
ability to mix locomotive style heavy riffs with the speed of a
blender and then dress it all up in often goofy and sexist
lyrics. When not talking about casual procreation, Nugent loves
to sing the praises of hunting or put down those he sees as a
challenges to his God given right to live the lifestyle he
chooses.
As obnoxious, humorous,
arrogant and opinionated as Nugent's lyrics can be, you will
find below that he does his best talking when he shuts his mouth
and plays his guitar.
01. Stranglehold
Ted Nugent
1975
The first notes on Ted
Nugent's self-titled debut guaranteed the Motor City Madman
would have a career for as long as he wanted one. It took only
the opening riff to prove that Nugent was being held back as a
member of the Amboy Dukes. "Stranglehold" was voted on of the
Top 100 Solos of All Time by Guitar World Magazine.
Nugent created a riff that
had to be learned by all budding guitar players. This song is
his best musical statement and will be the song he is most
remembered for one hundred years from now.
02. Cat Scratch Fever
Cat Scratch Fever
1977
While Nugent was tearing
up auditoriums in support of his first two solo releases he was
having a difficult time getting FM airplay on Top 40 stations.
Many found his music noisy and his antics barbaric. This
changed, however, with the song "Cat Scratch Fever." The song
rose to # 30 and remains his highest charting single.
Producer Tom Werman knew
that Nugent had written a hit as soon as he heard the song and
his premonition was correct. The song is based around the 12
bar blues and the main riff opens the song with an attention
getting bang. A mainstay on Classic Rock Radio, "Cat Scratch
Fever" with its sexual innuendo, groovin' rhythm and rockin'
lead guitar took Nugent to the world's stage.
03. Free For All
Free For All
1976
Nugent answered the
success of his double platinum solo debut with another million
seller, Free For All.
The title track is another classic song that will long be
remembered as one of Uncle Ted's best. Nugent used a Gibson
Byrdland guitar, an instrument mostly used for jazz music with
large hollow body allowing Nugent to master the art of
feedback. On "Free For All" Ted used a mutated E power chord on
the seventh fret. Instead of just hitting the lower register,
Nugent played all of the strings resulting in the high E string
resonating throughout the riff. The result was a triple octave
fat sound that allowed Nuge to solo freely over the E Major
Pentatonic scale. Throw in classic Nuge lyrics like, "When in
doubt I whip it out" and you have a hit.
04. Great White Buffalo
Double Live Gonzo
1978
Perhaps this is the
best song the Amboy Dukes ever recorded. The studio version was
released in July of 1974 and quickly became a staple in the
group's live set. When Nugent went solo he kept the song in the
live repertoire but it was not until the live version appeared
on the platinum selling 1978 Double
Live Gonzo that the hard rock
community fully embraced the song.
The live version was
superior to the Amboy Dukes studio effort. Nugent's guitar came
alive on stage and no song he did benefited more from his
outrageous attitude than "Great White Buffalo." The song
featured Nugent's ode to the Native American and their plight
against the thick headed white man. The day was saved by the
fulfillment of an Indian prophecy and the birth of the great
white buffalo.
Nugent's lead guitar
playing and the songs built for speed main riff made this oddly
titled song one of his most loved anthems. In later years
Nugent fiddled with the arrangement but nothing beats the live
version on Double Live Gonzo.
While Nugent feels this live version is far from the best
recorded version out there, his fans feel his is dead wrong.
05. Wang Dang Sweet Poontang
Double Live Gonzo
1978
The studio version
on this dirty ditty appeared on 1977's
Cat Scratch Fever
and while it featured female backing vocals
and was already a fan favorite, it was not until the live
version on Double Live Gonzo
that this one became a classic.
Nugent banters with the
Nashville crowd while introducing the song. He instructs
"anyone who came to be mellow tonight can turn around and get
the f*ck outta here." He then dedicates the song "to all that
Nashville pussy" before declaring "This is a love song called
'Wang Dang Sweet Poontang." With that kind of introduction how
can this not go down in history?
The song itself is a
simple A and G chord bouncing back and forth with a little run
in between to break up the monotony. What makes the song great,
besides the skull crushing riffs, are the lyrics and, on the
live version, the elongated, improvised guitar solo. Simply
put, "Wang Dang" live is one of the best musical moments Nugent
has ever created.
06. Wango Tango
Scream Dream
1980
After taking a dip
in popularity following the release of 1979's
State of Shock,
Nugent returned to form with Scream
Dream. The album, while selling
only gold, contained the powerfully goofy "Wango Tango," a song
about having sex featuring backing vocals by the Wang-etts.
Despite the song pissing
off women's rights groups around the globe, it was a huge hit.
Like "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang" the song was based around a
lightening fast riff that hammered between an A chord and a G
note on the low E string. The pulsating rhythm is only broke up
for a pentatonic, multi-stringed riff and by Nugent's Energizer
Bunny guitar soloing. Still a fan favorite, "Wango Tango" has
been back in Ted's set list the past few tours and is always
welcomed with loud applause.
07. Stormtroopin'
Ted Nugent
1975
"Stormtroopin'" starts off
with bang and chugs along thanks to a patented Nuge style riff.
The chorus features a bluesy swagger ending on an E7 chord
before going back to the riff and then into descending run on
the A string. In the middle of the song there is a small bass
and drum break that sets up a Chuck Berry on speed guitar solo
from the overambitious Nugent.
08. Just What the Doctor Ordered
Ted Nugent
1975
When Nugent left the Amboy
Dukes he signed up then unknown vocalist Derek St. Holmes to
share lead vocals. The young singer was also a damn good guitar
player and played rhythm behind Nugent. However, Nuge had
plenty of chops on his own and hired the youngster after hearing
him open for an Amboy Dukes gig for one reason only -- his
voice.
No where is St.
Holmes as good as he is on "Just What the Doctor Ordered." The
song features a lickity-split opening lick before going into a
blues rock riff. St. Holmes takes the song to places Nugent
could only dream of vocally. "Doctor" is one of the best
examples of the synergy between the two. Unfortunately, the duo
was not to last much longer as St. Homles and Nugent fought like
brothers. He has been in and out of the band since the second
album and after 1982's Nugent
he has mostly been out on his own. It is a shame as Nugent was
best with St. Holmes on stage with him.
09. Weekend Warriors
Weekend Warriors
1978
Detroit native
Charlie Huhn replaced Derek St. Holmes on vocals for 1978's
Weekend Warriors.
The album is one of the lost gems in the Nugent catalog with the
title track being the best of the bunch. Huhn sounded a lot
like St. Holmes and many fans were not aware of the switch.
On "Weekend Warriors"
Nugent plays a stop and go lick that keeps the song grooving
from the start. During the anthem-like chorus Nuge provides a
catchy phrase that shows he is not missing Derek St. Holmes a
bit. The song has been ignored by current day Classic Rock
Radio, which is a shame because it should be in regular
rotation.
10. Snakeskin Cowboys
Ted Nugent
1975
Sweaty Teddy's ode to the
fake cowboy appeared on his first solo effort and opened with a
classic Nugent riff. The song begins with a long held note
before jumping into the signature lick and then cascading into a
thumping rhythm. Nuge still pulls this one out in concert once
in a while and it always proves to be a delight.
|
