Great Rock Albums of the 70s: Ted Nugent- Cat Scratch Fever

Growing up as a teen in the late 70s, I did not own one of those bulky home entertainment centers like my friend did. Instead, I had to rely on an antique radio that only got AM and had a limited range. As a result, I only got to hear a rock song if it got into the top 40. So, immagine my surprise when listening to my relic when one day the song "Cat Scratch Fever" by Ted Nugent came blasting through it. I'm surprised that that old radio didn't explode upon the heavy riffs which were blasting out of it. That song would change me in more ways than I could have immagined back then.
When I said top 40 earlier, I didn't mention that back in 1977 when this great album was unleashed, that the charts were full of disco. Back then, we had to contend with the "Saturday Night Fever" onslaught, so it was a welcome relief to hear a true rock song on the radio. For me, it was "Cat Scratch Fever" that got me to join the "Death Before Disco" club.
Like the "Hair of the Dog" album by Nazereth a few years earlier, the "Cat Scratch Fever" album could also be cited as a model on what future heavy metal albums were to sound like. When I eventually heard the album in its entirety, I was impressed that it was full on kick ass rock from start to finish. I was mesmeried by the full power of it and even then, I regarded Ted Nugent as a guitar god who could wail away with the best of them.

Track Listing:

1. Cat Scratch Fever

2. Wang Dang Sweet Poontang

3. Death by Misadventure

4. Live It Up

5. Homebound

6. Working Hard

7. Sweet Sally

8. A Thousand Knives

9. Fist Fighting Son of a Gun

10. Out of Control

Ted Nugent- vocals, lead guitar

Cliff Davies- drums, vocals

Derek St Holmes- rhythm guitar, vocals

Rob Grange- bass

When I did finally get to see this guitar god live, I was impressed with how he played "Cat Scratch Fever" and then followed it on with "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang" although I would have preferred to hear the first song played in it's entirety. Both concerts are mentioned in "Rock and Roll Children." "Cat Scratch Fever" will forever go down in the annals of heavy metal history as one of the great albums of all time.

Next Post: Aerosmith- Rocks

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