Rainman RecordsA new three-CD compilation celebrating influential rockers Steppenwolf‘s 50-year history will be released on March 16.
Steppenwolf at 50 is a 41-track collection spanning the group’s entire recording career as Steppenwolf and John Kay & Steppenwolf.
The retrospective includes many lesser-known tunes, a few previously unreleased tracks and a full disc of live performances recorded from 1992 to 1995. Among the concert performances are renditions of Steppenwolf’s biggest hits and best-known songs, including “Born to Be Wild,” “Magic Carpet Ride,” “Rock Me,” “Sookie Sookie” and “The Pusher.”
The compilation also features a remake of “Magic Carpet Ride” that Steppenwolf recorded with hip-hop pioneers Grand Master Flash and The Furious Five.
You can check out one of the unreleased tracks, a 1969 recording titled “Compared to What,” now at GuitarWorld.com.
“A couple of tracks on this collection were never released before now, and hearing them after all these years brought back lots of memories,” frontman John Kay tells Guitar World. “‘Compared to What’ is perhaps my favorite ‘new’ track, particularly because of its relevance in the here and now.”
Steppenwolf at 50 was overseen by Kay and the band’s longtime manager, Ron Rainey. Kay also contributed liner notes to the collection.
Kay & Steppenwolf will return to the road this year with a concert this Saturday in Fort Pierce, Florida. The band currently has six shows on its 2018 itinerary, while Kay also will be playing solo on May 5 in Middletown, Ohio.
Net proceeds from the group’s concerts benefit the Maue-Kay Foundation, an organization founded by John and his wife that helps wildlife and the environment and supports human rights.
Here’s the full track list of Steppenwolf at 50:
Disc 1
“Screaming Night Hog”
“From Here to There Eventually” (alternate version)*
“Angel Drawers”*
“For Ladies Only”
“You Win Again”
“My Sportin’ Life”
“Drift Away”
“Straight Shootin’ Woman”
“Caroline (Are You Ready for the Outlaw World)”
“Skullduggery”
“Hold Your Head Up”
“Hot Night in a Cold Town”
“Give Me News I Can Use”
“Ain’t Nothin’ Like It Used to Be”
“Magic Carpet Ride” (with Grand Master Flash and The Furious Five)
Disc 2
“Hold On (Never Give Up Never Give In)”
“Rock & Roll Rebels”
“Give Me Life”
“Rise & Shine”
“The Wall”
“Rock & Roll War”
“Feed the Fire”
“Rock Steady”
“Down in New Orleans”
“Business Is Business”
“Compared to What”*
“Labor of Love”*
“For the Women in My Life”
Disc 3 (All Tracks Recorded Live: 1992-1995)
“Move Over”
“Rock Me”
“I’m Movin’ On”
“Sookie Sookie”
“I’m Your Hootchie Cootchie Man”
“Hey Lawdy Mama”
“Desperation”
“Ride with Me”
“Snowblind Friend”
“Monster/Suicide/America”
“Magic Carpet Ride”
“Born to Be Wild”
“The Pusher”
* = previously unreleased.
And here are Kay & Steppenwolf’s upcoming tour dates:
3/10 — Fort Pierce, FL, Sunrise Theatre
5/5 — Middletown, OH, Sorg Opera House (John Kay solo)
5/12 — Coconut Creek, FL, The Pavilion – Seminole Casino
5/24 — Worley, ID, Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel
6/9 — Dubuque, IA, America’s River Festival
7/27 — Detroit, MI, Rockin’ on the Riverfront – The GM Renaissance Center
8/10 — Sturgis, SD, Buffalo Chip Campground
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