REVIEW: Ted Nugent – Shutup & Jam! (2014)

FolderTED NUGENT – Shutup & Jam! (2014 Frontiers)

Alright Nuge, it’s been a bumpy ride between you and I.  It’s been a love/hate thing with us.  Let’s see if I can stomach 2014 Ted, or if the politics are overshadowing the music.  As we Canadians say, Give’r!

One thing for sure: there is no denying that Ted has lost absolutely nothing.  The opening title track is faster, meaner and more fun than 99% of the flock.  The great Gonzo still shreds a chaotically perfect solo as if the studio is Cobo Hall.  “There just comes a time when you just gotta rock,” he sings.  Sounds good to me Ted, I’m on board for that!  Ted keeps it rolling with a vicious riff on the excellent “Fear Itself”, and old pal Derek St. Holmes lends lead vocals to “Everything Matters”.  A whole album of Ted’s shrieking has never been easy to swallow, so I’m always glad to hear Derek’s smooth pipes.  By the slippery bluesy rock, you might think it’s ZZ Top.

Speaking of old friends, Sammy Hagar (who is friends with everyone except the current members of Van Halen) shows up to sing lead on “She’s Gone”.  It’s a ball crusher of a song (basically just a variation on “Going Down”), but  I guarantee that the guitar solo will sound great wailing out of your car windows this summer.  Even better though is the pure fucking joy in the riff for “Never Stop Believing”.  I have a new favourite riff and it’s “Never Stop Believing”.  The song ends on some really nice laid back picking from Ted, reminding me that he is one of the most underrated players from the classic rock era.

“I Still Believe” indicates to me that Ted really wanted to get his point across when he said he’d “Never Stop Believing”.  The opening riff apes “Helter Skelter” a little bit, but the rest of the track is pure Nuge.  I like that Nuge is singing fairly tame things like “I still believe in America” and “I believe in liberty” rather than “fuck the Democrats”.  The next patriotic statement Ted has for us is “I Love My BBQ”.  And I absolutely dig the shout-out to us Canucks.  “I love my Barbeque, it’s what Canadians do” sings Ted in the first verse!  A small minority may be offended but my mouth is drooling. But I really don’t think it’s Ted’s primary intention to upset you.  I think he’s really just trying to be funny, like a stand up comic.  Sometimes comedy involves a little bit of a poke and a prod.  If Weird Al sang a song about a delicious hamburger, nobody would have a problem with it.

Kicking ass is Ted’s business and “Throttledown” is just one of those pedal-to-the-metal rock instrumentals.  “Do Rags and a .45” sounds like Anvil except for that title.  “Screaming Eagles” doesn’t give up an inch either, guitars fueled and ablaze.  None of these songs overstay their welcome.  Shutup & Jam features five songs in the 2 minute range in a row!  “Semper Fi” is the last of these five, a stomper rather than a screamer.  Ted then tells us he’s going to “Trample the Weak Hurdle the Dead”.  “War is not the answer,” sings Ted. “I only know evil has got to go.”  It’s a great tune and it’s not hard to sing along.  And that’s the key.  All of these tunes are immensely catchy with lyrics I can sing without having to worry about being considered a right-wing radical by my neighbors.

A blues version of “Never Stop Believing” closes the album; a rough recording appropriate for the gritty approach.  It’s a bit of a throw-away compared to the regular version, decent but not nearly as special.  Ted’s playing is always the reason to listen.

I really liked Shutup & Jam.  If I had heard it in 2014, it would have been a contender for the Top Five list.

4/5 stars

TED LOVES HIS BBQ

 

29 comments

    1. In this day and age, people are offended about EVERYTHING. It’s ridiculous. I could imagine somebody thinking Ted’s lyric about “tofu just might kill you” or a “tossed salad will make you weak” is offensive today.

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        1. That’s one of the more tame lyrics! But what I like is that even though it’s Ted saying “meat is awesome”, he’s also being inclusive. He sings, “bring up a chair,” and join him, because if you wanna try his meat, I’m sure it’s delicious.

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  3. Like I said on Deke’s, I’m a Nuge Noob. I’ll be taking your guys’ word for it, on this one. I’m glad you liked it!

    Also, is Give ‘er a Canadian thing? Like, a nationally known thing? THAT’S AWESOME!

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  5. I never got Nugent’s music, Always thought he’s one of the most overrated artists around. The fact that he’s a right wing, trigger happy racist doesn’t make me wanna check out his records more.
    Still, your review makes me interested. Is the album really that good? And I Love My BBQ? I can totally relate to that. I mean, who doesn’t? Hell, even veggies loves a good bbq. Makes me wanna go BBQ a burger right now and it’s friggin’ cold winter here in Sweden now.
    Maybe I should Pirate Bay this one and see what I think. I don’t wanna support the old redneck with my money, no…

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      1. In Nuge’s case, it is not his lyrics that are offensive, it’s what he stands for when he’s not on stage. I think he’s a moron, but then again, I do own Mötley Crüe records and Vince Neil is in that band…

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        1. It’s true. Now to be honest I don’t think Nuge is a moron. I find him well spoken most of the time. I have no problem with hunting. I’m from Canada, I’ve known hunters all my life and have enjoyed the meat they bring home, in the form of sausages, steaks and burgers. But Nugent said some really dumb things during the last couple US elections that alienated a lot of people. I used to like it in the 80’s when bands kept politics out of it completely. Alice Cooper never talks politics and made a point of it. For a long time Kiss never did either, until Gene re-imagined himself as a self-help guru.

          Anyway long story short: I believe that if Ted Nugent and I were to meet and sit and chat about the world we live in, we’d agree on some things. We’d disagree on other things. And we might be passionately opposed to the others’ opinions on some things — but ultimately I decided that I can agree to disagree with Mr. Nugent. Sarah Palin on the other hand, I don’t think I could listen to her speak for more than three minutes (maybe four if I’ve had already had a beer) before I would just start laughing at the words coming out of her mouth.

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        2. Yeah, well, the hunting thing, I can respect that, I mean he do kill to eat so it would be hypocritical of me to have opinions about that – I do eat meat and loving it. And my fiancee’s dad used to hunt quite the bit so I’m not too offended by that. Not all, actually.
          But some things he says… that he loves it when he sees the life fading from the animal’s eyes… Man, that’s just sick.
          But it’s his right wing racist comments and how he speaks of some people – addicts mostly – as lesser folks that gets on my tits. I can’t stand that. Moron might be the wrong word but when he speaks of politics, he sure comes across as someone with an IQ set back…
          Sarah Palin…. Lord, let’s not get into her (that might sound wrong as well…).

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