Ted Nugent — Free-for-aAll
Ted Nugent: Lead and Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Vocals
Cliff Davies: Drums, Percussion and Background Vocals
Rob Grange: Bass
Derek St. Holmes: Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Meat Loaf: Vocals on tracks 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9
Steve McRay: Keyboards and Backing Vocals
Tom Werman: Percussion
A Joint Production of Lew Futterman, Tom Werman and Cliff Davies for The Next City Corporation
Recording Engineer: Anthony Reale
Recorded at The Sound Pit, Atlanta
Mixing Engineer: Tim Geelan
Mixed at CBS Recording Studios, New York
Mastered at Sterling Sound, New York
Reissue credits
Produced for Reissue by Bruce Dickinson
Mastered by Vic Anesini at Sony Music Studios, New York
Project Director: Stephan Moore
A&R Coordination: Patti Matheny & Darren Salmieri
To all you muthas who I’ll call friends,
I’m glad to have you with me, ‘cuz here we go again" Ted Nugent
|
Label |
Cat.No. |
F. |
Y. |
C. |
Notes |
| 1 |
Epic |
EPC 81397 |
LP |
1976 |
NL |
|
| 2 |
Epic / Legacy |
494796 2 |
CD |
1999 |
AU |
remaster, 3 bonus tracks, liner notes |
Writing on the Wall
Racin’ down the highway, I’d rather had it my way
Gotta have more
Rules on the roadside, floor it like a landmine
Keep ya on your toes
It’s there for the takin’ an’ what’s the fuss your makin’
Can’t ya see the light?
Ya gotta get down when you roll upon the town
If it makes ya feel alright
My life is a good life to lead
Writing on the wall is a good story to read
You think me a trusting tiger, I know you’re a liar
Eatin’ from your hand
Burn down the hotel, runnin’ round hell now
Rock and roll band
Runnin’ helter skelter, knock her down and belt her
Show her who’s the boss
Ya better treat her sweet or ya be out in the street
And that would be a loss
My life is a good life to lead
Writing on the wall is a good story to read
Lining up the tour bus, I’m sure they won’t thank us
Needle in your mouths
But now that we know where to shoot the goods again
Flyin down south
Writin’, writing on the wall
Writin’, writing on the wall....
Racin’ down the highway, I’d rather have it my way
Gotta have more!
Rules on the roadside, floor it like a landmine
Keep ya on your toes
Writin’, writing on the wall
Writin’, writing on the wall
Writin’, writing on the wall
Writin’, writing on the wall....
T. Nugent—Magicland Music—ASCAP—1976
Street Rats
Midnight in the cellar
Dinner on the floor
Sleeping in the gutter
He fights another war
Hiding in the doorway
Weapon at his side
Rob you for a nickel
You’d better run and hide
He’s a—
Street rat—nothing to offer
Street rat—snake in the grass
Street rat—steals another meal
Street rat—but it maybe his last
The look of desperation
Sure to bite the dust
His constant nauseation
A real social cross
He’s a—
Street rat—nothing to offer
Street rat—snake in the grass
Street rat—steals another meal
Street rat—but it maybe his last
Post-war anti-social
Fadin’ of the brain
He’s hopeless at his high school
And lurking in the rain....
His face is badly beaten
A nasty thing to see
Street rats on the rampage
You’d best keep away from me
(street rat, street rat)
(street rat, street rat)
(street rat, street rat)
(street rat, street rat)
(street rat, street rat)
(street rat, street rat).....
T. Nugent—Magicland Music—ASCAP—1976
Together
Summertime, summer days and different ways of loving you
Stary skies, stary nights and northern lights are shinin’
A crystal ball so we saw all there was to see
Your time, and mine belong together… together
Many times of wanting you and needing you, yes, all the time
Many nights of lovin’ you and holdin’ you and feelin’ fine
A crystal ball so we saw all there was to see
Your time, and mine belong together… together....
Thinkin’ back ‘bout the time when we had younger ways
Oh, summertime, you’ve gone to cloudy skies and rainy days
The crystal ball is on and, aaah
The vision seems less clear somehow
Your time and mine belong together… together
Together (long time)
Together (long time)
Together (long time)
Together (long time)
Together.....
(fade)
C. Davies/R. Grange—Next City Music—ASCAP—1976
Hammerdown
Ahw go ahead, Ted…
Beats on the street and I’m coming
Deadhead over the map
Highway trains keep on runnin’
Sneakin’ right thru their traps
White line, double time
Come around with a hammerdown
Hammerdown
Hammer—
Last night saw me in Detroit
Hometown boy lookin’ good
Rotting with stink in the daylight
Play rock and roll like I should
White line, double time
Come around with a hammer—hammer—hammer—hammerdown
Hammerdown
Hammerdown
Hammerdown
Hammer—
Thousand leagues to Chicago
Never played Delaware
There are places where I’ll go
I fly by night, love affair
White line, double time
Come around with a hammer—hammer—hammer—hammerdown
Hammerdown
Hammerdown
Hammerdown
Hammer....
Last night saw me in Detroit
Hometown boy lookin’ good
Rotting with stink in the daylight
Play rock and roll like I should
White line, double time
Come around with a hammer—hammer—hammer—hammerdown
Hammerdown
Hammerdown
Hammerdown
Hammer—
Hammerdown
Hammerdown
Hammerdown
Hammer—
Hammerdown
Hammerdown
Hammerdown
Hammerdown
Hammerdown…
[fade out]
T. Nugent—Magicland Music—ASCAP—1976
I Love You So I Told You a Lie
Every time I hear your name
You know I wonder why
But you wanted to go—I said No
You couldn’t come along for the ride
I said Hey, I want outta here
And nobody taggin’ behind
Dontcha know—
I love you so I told you a lie
Love you so I told you a lie
When I told you goodbye
A family life and a lovin’ wife
Just ain’t my kind of scene
Well, when I’m all alone when the nights are cold
I get to thinkin’ I was kinda mean
We coulda had a good thing
But I never wanted to try
Don’t you know—
I love you so I told you a lie
Love you so I told you a lie
When I told you goodbye
You know I told you a lie....
Ah, ah ah, aha
Ah, ah ah, aha
Ah, ah ah, aha
Ah, ah ah, aha
A family life and a lovin’ wife
Just ain’t my kinda scene
Well, when I’m all alone when the nights are cold
I get to thinkin’ I was kinda mean
We coulda had a good thing
But I never wanted to try
Don’t you know—
I love you so I told you a lie
Love you so I told you a lie
When I told you goodbye
You know I told you lie
When I told you goodbye
Dontcha know… I love ya so I…
Dontcha know… I love ya so… I told ya…
Dontcha know… I love ya so… I told ya a lie…
Love ya so I told you a lie
Love you so I told you a lie
Love you so I told you a lie
Love you so…
Love you so…
I—love you so I told you a lie
I—love you so I told you a lie....
C. Davies—Next City Music—ASCAP—1976
Extract from the 1999 reissue liner notes
[Ted] Nugent did some of the singing himself, but Free-For-All’s testosterone oomph was taken up a notch by a new arrival—a then on-the-rise performer named Meat Loaf, who provided lead vocals on songs such as “Hammerdown,” “Together,” “Street Rats” and “I Love You So I Told You A Lie.” Meat Loaf—born Marvin Lee Aday in Texas—had made an impact in the Detroit music scene, first in a Broadway-bound production of Hair and also in a duo called Stoney & Meat Loaf, which recorded an album for Motown (Stoney was Shaun Murphy, who later gained fame as a backup singer in Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band and, most recently, as the frontwoman with Little Feet).
But it was [Tom] Wehrman who actually brought him into the sessions. I said I don’t think this guy’s right for the job, but he’s got a fantastic voice,
remembers the producer, who first met Meat Loaf in New York City, when he and his “Bat Out of Hell” partner Jim Steinman auditioned for Wehrman. He was really up [for Free-For-All],
adding that while Loaf’s massive, theatrical project was not necessarily what we wanted, it’s what we got, and it worked.
—Garry Graff
Garry Graff is an award-winning syndicated music journalist and Supervising Editor of the Music Hound Essential Album Guide series on Visible Ink Press.