Monster (Steppenwolf album)

Monster
Studio album by Steppenwolf
Released	1969
Recorded	1969, American Recording Co. Studio, Studio City, California
Genre	Rock, Hard Rock
Length	32:53
Label	ABC Dunhill Records
Producer	Gabriel Mekler
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Rolling Stone (unfavorable) link
Steppenwolf chronology
Early Steppenwolf (1969) Monster (1969) Steppenwolf Live (1970)

Monster is an album by the band Steppenwolf, released in 1969 (see 1969 in music) and was their first LP with new lead guitarist, Larry Byrom instead of Michael Monarch. The album was Steppenwolf's most political one, making references to important issues at the time, such as the Vietnam War. The title refers to the contemporary politics and state of the U.S., as in the lyrics to the title song:

"The cities have turned into jungles,

and corruption is stranglin' the land.

The police force is watching the people,

and the people just can't understand.

We don't know how to mind our own business,

'cause the whole world's got to be just like us.

Now we are fighting a war over there.

No matter who's the winner, we can't pay the cost.

'Cause there's a monster on the loose,

it's got our heads into the noose.

And it just sits there... watching."

The album was the first Steppenwolf album not to feature a US top ten hit, and can thus be seen as the beginning of their slow fall from fame. Even though this album, "Live", "Steppenwolf 7" and "For Ladies Only" are today seen as making up the latter half of their ultimate prime, their days of "Born to Be Wild"-like fame were over. Still two singles from the album cracked the top 40, and Steppenwolf would continue landing albums in the US top 20 for a while yet, a factor that became more and more important during this time. As seen above, the title track is a left-wing call for pacifism and a more ethical society. The tone, which can be seen as very provocative towards the political decisions of the US at the time, continues with "Draft Resister", which glorifies draft resisters as heroes, who by their moral example and determination, are at least the equals, in terms of patriotism and heroism, of any American, who did go to Vietnam as a soldier.

Track listing

1. "Monster" (Kay, Edmonton) / "Suicide" (Kay, St.Nicholas, Byrom, Edmonton) / "America" (Kay, Edmonton) – 9:16
2. "Draft Resister" (Kay, McJohn, Byrom) – 3:22
3. "Power Play" (Kay) – 5:26
4. "Move Over" (Kay, Mekler) – 2:53
5. "Fag" (Byrom, Edmonton, St.Nicholas) – 3:13
6. "What Would You Do (If I Did That To You)" (Francen, Porter) – 3:23
7. "From Here To There Eventually" (Kay, McJohn, Edmonton) – 5:30

Personnel

• Gabriel Mekler - Producer
• Steppenwolf - Main Performer
• Bill Cooper - Engineer
• Richard Podolor - Engineer

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Singles - Billboard (North America)