Search - Steppenwolf :: Skullduggery

Great Mid 1970's Materiel worth a listen

Stephanie (ssandlin@3-cities.com) | The Tri-Cities, Wa | 01/15/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"To the casual fan, Steppenwolf is best known for the half dozen rockers they penned in the late 60's and early 70's that were hits. Of lesser known vintage is the mid 1970's era after the reformation (the band 'retired' in 1972) in 1974 that led to "slow flux" (1974), "hour of the wolf" (1975) and this LP in 1976. The critics have given the album some ribbing and it has never been given its full credit. After this release, the band didn't produce again until the early 1980s. Cut-wise "Skullduggery" is a strong aggressive rocker that still impresses. "I'm a Road Runner" is a good cover and best listened to while driving down the freeway at 90mph. "Rock and Roll Song" is a great commentary on how the political and societal changes had occured since Steppenwolf's creation. "Lip Service" is an interesting intstrumental that stands the test of time. Jerry Edmonton taps out a great beat and Wayne Cook (keyboards) makes it a song to really enjoy. other songs are: "train of thought","life is a gamble", "pass it on" and "sleep." Bottom line on this LP - If your Looking to expand your listening of Steppenwolf off the beaten path of the well known hits -- this is a great LP to start with."

A Stepponwolf Overlooked

Joan B. Montney | Glendale Az USA | 10/01/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"as a music lover i am always searching for the lesser noticed recordings of a particular artist.You can count on hearing their best stuff.Scullduggery is no exception.A nice clean recording on this cd.Great drumming,excellent John Kay with surprisingly good back up vocals from the rest of the guys,nice guitar work,and lots of keyboard influence.The title cut scullduggery is a straight ahead hard rocker,played fast with tons of energy.Great double bass drum intro,powerful vocals and solid guitar/bass playing.Other discriptive favorites are.Life is a gamble-a fast song with some great honky tonk piano.Pass it on-has a country rock flair to it,guitar in particular and strong vocal harmonies.The title of the only slow song is Rock n roll song which is actually a nice ballad! It is smoothly played while maintaining a rock feel.Eight songs are included with this cd.The last song Lip service is an instrumental.In my opinion it is somewhat out of context in comparison.Its soul funk disco feel sets it apart.Still a good song but different for stepponwolf.This album shows great versitality!I am unable to give it five stars however due to the fact that it has a short running time. Bonus tracks would have been nice.A must cd for any Stepponwolf fan/collector or keyboard player.Lots of Hammond B3 sounds to be heard.Enjoy!"

One Of Steppenwolf's Best!!!

John Baranyai | 05/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think it is sad that Steppenwolf will be rembered by many as the band that Played "Born To Be Wild" when they had so much more to offer to the record byuing public. Skullduggery would have to be one of my alltime favourite albums. John Kay belts out his unique rocking vocals on the track "Life Is A Gamble" and then switche to low gear in the Ballad 'Rock and Roll Song". These guys were very talented musicians who could really rock!!!"