Amboy Dukes - 1968 [1992] "Journey To The Center Of The Mind"

AMG EXPERT REVIEW: Long before Ted Nugent made his name as a mighty crossbow hunter, there was this heavy Detroit band in which he was content to play lead guitar, something he does very well and with much less threat to the Midwest's deer population. The Nuge shouldn't try to take all the credit for this band, because the other members such as vocalist John Drake and rhythm guitarist Steve Farmer contributed with great aplomb, the latter writing much of the material on the second side's ambitious suite as well as co-writing the title hit with Nugent. This is some hard-hitting, well-done psychedelic music, recorded with taste by a producer known much more for his work with mainstream jazz artists, Bob Shad. One thing that made the Amboy Dukes special was the amount of power and drive in their playing, something lacking in other psychedelic outfits that take a more airy-fairy approach. The Nuge's guitar sound is recorded as if this was a mainstream jazz album by Harold Land, and it helps.  -- Eugene Chadbourne

AMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW
As great as I remember!, May 7, 2004
Reviewer: pfsguy (Snellville, Ga United States)
I had not heard this collection of music in over 25 years and wondered if it just wasn't my youthful listening habits that made me think it was good music back then. But, no, these guys were just good, ahead of their time. The vocals and guitar are great, and the "journey" of blended songs on the second part of the CD is very well done. The lyrics are strange and sometimes meaningless, but that is what the 60's psychedelic music was all about, and the quality of the recording technique of instrument separation in the channels really makes it work. Shop around for a good price (under $20) and get this CD.

AMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW
Journey To The Center Of The Mind : The Amboy Dukes, March 25, 2003
Reviewer: JCB,HIFIGUY (Upstate N.Y. USA)
This Lp. shows the kind of regional-local talents around the USA that were pioneering hard rock music before the post Woodstock ultra-commercialization of the genre.While some of the songs may be a little sixties silly, the music, that is the playing, singing and arragements are quite good.It is great early hard rock without the "canned" sound formulated into so many bands since.(hey it's what most people want though)If you like heavy guitar/organ rock,this is an absolute must, and John Drakes powerful vocals are truly a huge part of the bands great sound.He left after the first 2 lps., and the band was never again as good, in my opinion.Ted Nugents guitar is perfect for the format they used as well.

AMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW
centering your mind, November 26, 2005
Reviewer: D. Schmittdiel (Clinton Twp., MI)
On July 11 of 1968 I was turning 14 years old, and the single 'Journey to the Center of the Mind' was number one on my favorite AM radio station, WKNR ('Keener13') in my hometown of Detroit, Michigan. Of course 'The Motor City Madman', Ted Nugent, and his Dukes had a decided edge in their own backyard, but the single did rise to number 16 on the national charts also. I clearly remember that summer being deeply impressed by the quality guitar work on several hit songs. At the same time 'Journey...' was claiming the top slot in Detroit, the Stones' 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' was resting at number 11, and Cream's 'Sunshine of Your Love' had retreated to number 27. But it was Nugent's guitar heroics that dazzled the most. Fortunate for myself, my older brother was working at McDonalds, and had brought home a vinyl copy of this, the Amboy Dukes (annotated as 'The American Amboy Dukes' via a carrot insert on the cover) second album, for my perusal.

Ted Nugent named his band after an R & B outfit that had recently disbanded, saying "I thought it was a cool name". He was unaware that 'The Amboy Dukes' was also the title of a book about a 1950's street gang from Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Ted has also claimed to be unaware that the lyrics to 'Journey...' had stong allusions to psychedelic drug use, as does the collection of vintage pipes on the album's cover. I tend to believe Ted when he claims to have never inhaled. I also regard Nugent as being especially astute, and as a young man probably realized that using acid-tinged imagery would further the chances of success for a psychedelic rock band. For most of his associates however, being in a psychedelic rock band must have implied psychedelic drug use, and this resulted in significant conflicts between the anti-drug Nugent and the remaining Dukes.

If you're still reading, you're probably wondering about the album itself. There aren't a whole lot of highlights, save the title track, which features one of the finest electric guitar performances of the psychedelic era, matched by some of the finest psychedelic lyrics ever penned, matched by one of the heaviest bridge segments ever committed to vinyl, tape, or digital stock. Only three other songs really deserve mention, track number 5 (which closed out side one of the original vinyl release), 'Dr. Slingshot', which features overlapping vocal lines from lead singer John Drake and rhythm guitarist Steve Farmer (who, together with Nugent, penned all the songs on the disc), and a great lead guitar riff from Nugent. Unfortunately, Nugent's talent on the six-string are only occasionally put on display, such as on track 12, 'I'll Prove I'm Right', where his fine picking underlies another strong vocal performance from Drake. The band relies much more on the psychedelic imagery of its lyrics rather than Nugent's axe, a highly questionable choice given the quality of the lyrics (on 'Why Is a Carrot More Orange Than an Orange', for instance, we are offered other deep questions such as, "Why are you greener than green?"; go figure). If it's of interest, the tracks on the second side of the disc segue into one another, and while the liner notes claim they collectively tell "a story", the plot is hard to discern. The final track, 'Conclusion', does reintroduce the 'Journey...' melody, and for a few moments brings back Nugent's sterling guitar lines, but it's a case of too little too late. There is a bonus track offered on the Repertoire versions of the disc, the 7" follow up to 'Journey...', a shameless ripoff of its predecessor titled 'You Talk Sunshine, I Breathe Fire'. Despite its obvious origins, it stands as perhaps the fourth best track offered here.

AMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW
Worse Than I Remembered - Which Is Not Much, September 7, 2001
Reviewer: A music fan
I grew up when the 'Dukes were around. I always loved 'Journey' but I never bought any of the Duke album - yes they were actually albums in those days. Now I know why. Ouch! Ted could smoke on the guitar but the group as a whole pretty much comprehensively [stunk]. Compares to Hendrix? Hey give me some of that stuff. Anyway this CD is an interesting historical document in that it shows that my musical tastes were not as warped as the rest of my mind back in those days. Now that I've ripped 'Journey' who wants a great deal on a very slightly used CD?
Now how many of you - please raise your hands - really believe that Ted did not know that 'Journey' was a drug song? Sure Ted - there really is an Easter bunny, at least if you haven't blown off its head yet.

https://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=ted+nugent

Track listing:

01    "Mississippi Murderer" (Nugent, Farmer) – 5:12
02    "Surrender to Your Kings" (Nugent) – 2:52
03    "Flight of the Byrd" (Nugent) – 2:50
04    "Scottish Tea" (Nugent) – 4:01
05    "Dr. Slingshot" (Nugent, Farmer) – 3:09
06    "Journey to the Center of the Mind" (Nugent, Farmer) – 3:33
07    "Ivory Castles" (Farmer) – 3:21
08    "Why Is a Carrot More Orange Than an Orange" (Farmer) – 2:26
09    "Missionary Mary" (Farmer) – 2:35
10    "Death Is Life" (Farmer) – 2:08
11    "Saint Philips Friend" (Farmer) – 3:33
12    "I'll Prove I'm Right" (Farmer) – 1:38
13    "Conclusion" (Nugent, Farmer) – 1:57

CD bonus track

14    "You Talk Sunshine, I Breathe Fire" (Nugent, Farmer) – 2:44

Personnel:

    John (J.B.) Drake – vocals
    Ted Nugent – lead guitar
    Steve Farmer – rhythm guitar, vocals
    Greg Arama – bass
    Dave Palmer – drums
    Andy Solomon – organ, piano, vocals