I remember exactly where I was when I bought this album. Plus five of the nine songs on it remind me of my best buddy Dennis, today would’ve been his 59th birthday, but more on that later.

Ted Nugent (by Ted Nugent) was Ted’s first album under his own name and it put him on the rock radar with guitarist everywhere. Released in September 1975, I can distinctively remember seeing this album and Thin Lizzy’s Jailbreak (March 1976) at the same time in the Post Exchange (PX) of Ft. Buchanan Puerto Rico. So I’m guessing sometime around May 1976 I saw these in the record bins. We would leave Puerto Rico in July 1976 for Texas.

I compared the two albums, because I only had enough money for one, and decided to get Ted’s freshman effort. I was an aspirating guitarist and I though the cover was cool. I would pick up Jailbreak eventually in Texas. I’d only read about Ted (and Thin Lizzy) in CREEM magazine. There was no internet or MTv. We found out about artist through CREEM magazine.

My first impression of the album – the first side was killer with Stranglehold, Stormtroopin, Hey Baby and Just What the Doctor Ordered are all classics ti this day. Side two starts with Snakeskin Cowboys and then kinda peters out with a rarely heard Queen of the Forest. So I feel I made a good decision picking Ted over Thin Lizzy. But Jailbreak is just as phenomenal as well and will be a vinyl of the week soon.

So back to Dennis. Dennis passed away in July 2019. He was a Ted Nugent fanatic and a superb guitar player. Dennis could play five of the songs on this album note for note. He was known for his note for note live rendition of Stranglehold. From the first time we ever played it in our band Second Chance to his last gig with a band called Rockenstein, he was mesmerizing when he played it. I have played the rhythm guitarist to his lead on all of these Nugent tunes (and more) at one time or another since he first taught them to me in 11th grade. Happy Birthday Dennis, I miss you.

So many memories from this one album. So many great songs. This is what great music is and I wish there was more of it today. For all the memories with Dennis and playing these songs, Ted Nugent by Ted Nugent is PawPaw’s Vinyl of the Week.