Wolftracks is an album by John Kay and Steppenwolf, released in 1982 by Wolf Records, with distribution by Nautilus Records in the U.S. and Attic Records in Canada.[1] It was the first new studio album in six years for John Kay, featuring a new line-up of Steppenwolf and Kay renaming the group accordingly.
| Wolftracks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Studio | Ocean Way, Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 45:09 | |||
| Label | Wolf | |||
| Producer | John Kay, Richard Podolor | |||
| Steppenwolf chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Wolftracks | ||||
| ||||
Background
editIn 1980, John Kay reclaimed the Steppenwolf name, touring as “John Kay & Steppenwolf.” The album Wolftracks, the first after the band reformed, was recorded "live" in the studio on a 2-track digital recorder, which was then a new medium.[2]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
The Globe and Mail wrote that "the basic elements are all there: Kay's husky, Wilson Pickett singing style dominates the digitally processed mix, and Michael Wilk adds the familiar, fat organ sounds to the lurching, half-soul and half-rock beat."[5]
Track listing
edit- Side one
- "All I Want Is All You Got" (John Kay) – 3:55
- "Time" (Kay, Michael Palmer, Kevin Kern) – 3:31
- "None of the Above" (Kay, M. Palmer, Steven Palmer) – 5:59
- "You" (Kay) – 3:50
- "Every Man for Himself" (Kay) – 3:19
- "Five Finger Discount" (Kay) – 4:36
- Side two
- "Hold Your Head Up" (Rod Argent, Chris White) – 3:42
- "Hot Night in a Cold Town" (Rick Littlefield, Geoffrey Cushing-Murray) – 3:20
- "Down To Earth" (Kim Fowley, Ross Wilson) – 3:00
- "For Rock-N-Roll" (Kay) – 3:42
- "The Balance" (Kay) – 6:15
Personnel
editJohn Kay and Steppenwolf
edit- John Kay – guitar, vocals
- Michael Wilk – keyboards, vocals
- Michael Palmer – lead guitar, vocals
- Welton Gite – bass
- Steven Palmer – drums, percussion, vocals
Additional musicians
editTechnical
edit- John Kay – producer
- Richard Podolor – producer (track 1)
- Kevin Kern – engineer, assistant producer
- Rich Feldman – engineer
- Mark Ettel, Steve Crimmel – assistant engineers
- Bruce Leek, Richard Donaldson – mastering
- Drennon Studio – art direction
- John Exley – photography
References
edit- ^ "Steppenwolf Biography by Mark Deming". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ "Wolftracks-CD". Stepphenwolf.com. John Kay & Steppenwolf. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
- ^ "Wolftracks John Kay & Steppenwolf". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 670.
- ^ Lacey, Liam (11 Sep 1982). "Wolftracks Steppenwolf". The Globe and Mail. p. F6.