Observe-up albums arrived quick within the late Nineteen Sixties. On October 5, 1968, simply 9 months after the discharge of Steppenwolf’s gold-selling, self-titled debut — the one containing “Born To Be Wild” — the Los Angeles rockers had been again on the US album chart with The Second.
Not solely did it repeat the gold certification of its predecessor, their sophomore set grew to become the highest-charting of their profession of their house nation. It made its first look on the Billboard LP chart at No.139, whilst the primary album continued within the Prime 10, holding at No.9. Then the follow-up report began to soar, helped no finish by one other main singles success in “Magic Carpet Ride,” launched as a forty five the month earlier than.
Glory days for Steppenwolf
The Second, produced like Steppenwolf’s debut by Gabriel Mekler (additionally to change into identified for his work with Three Canine Night time and Janis Joplin) zoomed 139-50 in its second week. One other seven days on, and it was standing at No.28, then 23, 15, 7 and 5. After holding its place within the Prime 5 for the remainder of 1968, it edged as much as No.3 within the first chart of the brand new 12 months.
Hearken to the perfect of Steppenwolf on Apple Music and Spotify.
“Magic Carpet Ride,” written by frontman John Kay and bassist Rushton Moreve, fuelled the success, peaking at No.3 on the finish of November 1968. Kay wrote a lot of the remainder of the LP himself, however there have been additionally contributions from Mekler and by Dennis Edmonton, in any other case generally known as “Born To Be Wild” author Mars Bonfire.
These had been glory days for Steppenwolf, and so they had been removed from over, with a third Prime 10 album, At Your Birthday Social gathering, to come back in 1969 and 4 extra gold albums nonetheless in retailer, adopted by a platinum-selling compilation in 1973.
As visiting fanatic Pete Townshend advised the New York Instances on a US tour simply earlier than The Second was launched: “Rock ’n’ roll is happening in America like it always did. We love it here. The Byrds, Steppenwolf, Booker T., Moby Grape, that’s rock ’n’ roll.”
Kay, speaking to Hullabaloo quickly after the LP appeared, mused: “When you first hear the first album, a few things stick in your mind. It has more of an immediate impact. It’s loud, overpowering, and very catchy in parts. The Second is more varied, and you have to listen to it a few more times – it took me a few times – to really hear it. But now, I dig it more than the first record.”
Purchase or stream The Second.
