While
Ted Nugent's second solo album, 1976's
Free-for-All, was another raging slab of rock & roll, it wasn't quite as consistent as his self-titled debut. The main reason was due to singer/rhythm guitarist
Derek St. Holmes' departure from the band just as recording of the album began (due to constant grappling with
the Nuge about certain musical issues). To solve the problem, producer
Tom Werman convinced a then-unknown singer by the name of
Meat Loaf to handle the vocal chores on the songs
Derek was going to sing. While it seems like a mismatch in theory, the results were not catastrophic -- such rockers as "Writing on the Wall" (a virtual rewrite of "Stranglehold"), "Street Rats," and "Hammerdown" are classic
Nuge stompers. But they would have been stronger with
St. Holmes' contributions, as evidenced by a bonus outtake of "Street Rats" with
St. Holmes on vocals and the turbo-charged "Turn It Up." But still, the title track is one of
Ted's all-time best (featuring a downright vicious groove), as is the rocking tale about the 1967 Detroit riots, "Dog Eat Dog." Despite
St. Holmes' absence (he would return in time for the album's subsequent tour),
Free-for-All solidified
Ted's commercial success, reaching the Top 25. ~ Greg Prato