Steppenwolf will be the subject of an 8-CD box set that collects their material from 1967-1971. The new collection, Magic Carpet Ride – The Dunhill/ABC Years, 1967-1971, arrives December 3, 2021 in the U.S. (and Nov. 19 in the U.K.), via Cherry Red Records’ Esoteric Recordings label. The newly remastered set features each album recorded by the band for the label, plus 26 bonus tracks drawn from rare singles and mono mixes.
The set includes the studio versions of such classic rock favorites as “Born To Be Wild,” “Rock Me” and the collection’s title track, as well as concert performances from their 1970 double LP, Steppenwolf Live.
From the label’s announcement: Steppenwolf was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by John Kay (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Goldy McJohn (organ, piano) and Jerry Edmonton (drums) who were previously members of the Canadian band The Sparrows. They were joined by Michael Monarch (lead guitar) and Rushton Moreve (bass). The band signed to Dunhill/ABC the same year and with producer Gabriel Mekler they recorded their self-titled debut album.
The band were propelled to success with their classic single “Born To Be Wild” (a #2 hit in the U.S.) and became even wider known when the track was featured, along with their version of “The Pusher” in the classic 1969 counterculture film Easy Rider.
Watch how “Born To Be Wild” is used in the classic film’s opening scene
Related: Our feature story on “Born To Be Wild” and Easy Rider
The July 1969 release, Early Steppenwolf, featured live recordings made at The Matrix in San Francisco in May 1967 and featured a 20-minute version of “The Pusher.” The band’s next studio album, Monster, was issued in November 1969 and dealt with America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. Steppenwolf disbanded in February 1972 only to reform in 1974.
The complete track listing appears below the links.
Magic Carpet Ride – The Dunhill/ABC Years, 1967-1971 Track Listing
DISC ONE:
Steppenwolf – Released in January 1968
1 Sookie Sookie
2 Everybody’s Next One
3 Berry Rides Again
4 Hootchie Kootchie Man
5 Born To Be Wild
6 Your Wall’s Too High
7 Desperation
8 The Pusher
9 A Girl I Knew
10 Take What You Need
11 The Ostrich
Bonus tracks (Mono Single Versions)
12 Sookie Sookie
13 Born To Be Wild
14 Everybody’s Next One
15 Take What You Need
16 A Girl I Knew
17 The Ostrich
18 The Pusher
19 Berry Rides Again
DISC TWO:
The Second – Released in October 1968
1 Faster Than The Speed Of Life
2 Tighten Up Your Wig
3 None Of Your Doing
4 Spiritual Fantasy
5 Don’t Step On The Grass Sam
6 28
7 Magic Carpet Ride
8 Disappointment Number (Unknown)
9 Lost And Found By Trial And Error
10 Hodge, Podge, Strained Through A Leslie
11 Resurrection
12 Reflections
Bonus tracks
13 Magic Carpet Ride (mono single version)
14 Spiritual Fantasy (mono single version)
DISC THREE:
At Your Birthday Party – Released in March 1969
1 Don’t Cry
2 Chicken Wolf
3 Lovely Meter
4 Round And Down
5 It’s Never Too Late
6 Sleeping Dreaming
7 Jupiter Child
8 She’ll Be Better
9 Cat Killer
10 Rock Me
11 God Fearing Man
12 Mango Juice
13 Happy Birthday
Bonus tracks (MONO SINGLE VERSIONS)
14 Rock Me
15 Jupiter Child
16 It’s Never Too Late
17 Happy Birthday
DISC FOUR:
Early Steppenwolf – Released in July 1969 (Live at The Matrix 1967)
1 Power Play
2 Howlin’ For My Baby
3 Goin’ Upstairs
4 Corina, Corina
5 Tighten Up Your Wig
6 The Pusher
DISC FIVE:
Monster – Released in November 1969
1 Monster / Suicide / America
2 Draft Resister
3 Power Play
4 Move Over
5 Fag
6 What Would You Do (If I Did That to You)
7 From Here to There Eventually
Bonus tracks
8 Monster (single version)
9 Move Over (mono single version)
10 Power Play (mono single version)
DISC SIX:
Steppenwolf Live – Released in April 1970
1 Sookie Sookie
2 Don’t Step On The Grass
3 Tighten Up Your Wig
4 Monster
5 Draft Resister
6 Power Play
7 Corina, Corina
8 Twisted
9 From Here To There Eventually
10 Hey Lawdy Mama
11 Magic Carpet Ride
12 The Pusher
13 Born To Be Wild
Bonus tracks (MONO SINGLE VERSIONS)
14 Hey Lawdy Mama
15 Twisted
16 Corina, Corina
DISC SEVEN:
Steppenwolf 7 – Released in November 1970
1 Ball Crusher
2 Forty Days And Forty Nights
3 Fat Jack
4 Renegade
5 Foggy Mental Breakdown
6 Snow Blind Friend
7 Who Needs Ya
8 Earschplittenloudenboomer
9 Hippo Stomp
Bonus tracks
10 Screaming Night Hog
11 Snowblind Friend (single version)
12 Hippo Stomp (single version)
DISC EIGHT:
For Ladies Only – Released in November 1971
1 For Ladies Only
2 I’m Asking
3 Shackles And Chains
4 Tenderness
5 The Night Time’s For You
6 Jaded Strumpet
7 Sparkle Eyes
8 Black Pit
9 Ride with Me
10 In Hopes Of A Garden
Bonus tracks:
11 For Madmen Only
12 For Ladies Only (single version)
13 Ride With Me (mono single version)
3 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationI worked for/with ABC/Dunhill records back in the early days. I also drove John to and from LAX at all hours of the day/night. He was a great guy. Damn we had great times during those ‘Wolf’ days.
It’s about time! My LPs are long gone. The cassettes eventually jammed and broke. My CDs have scritches all over.And if you missed “For Ladies Only” when it came out on CD 30 years ago, it’s one of those CDs that you actually pay more for now than you did then. Bring it on!
As rightfully celebrated as they were in they heyday, they seem vastly underrated and largely forgotten in the years since. One of the true “signature” bands of the 60s.