The title track of For Ladies Only is a classic slice of Steppenwolf's brand of hard rock: gritty chord guitar from Blues Image refugee Kent Henry (Steppenwolf went through as many or more guitarist changes as the Guess Who), elegant piano from Goldy McJohn, even jazz flavors on a nine-minute-plus track as blatantly sexist as the album gatefold. The graphic photo of a huge penis car alongside the Hollywood walk of fame tucked inside the cardboard is completely juvenile, while the back of the LP features the boys all reading books, from -The Sensuous Woman to -Snow White the Seven Dwarves -- interesting imagery that doesn't complement the music as much as the artists might have thought it did at the time. The Jerry Edmonton/Goldy McJohn composition I'm Asking has a heavy Jumpin' Jack Flash riff that's all sludged out and a weak non-John Kay vocal -- like, why bother? Kay's snarling voice was as much a part of the sound as the heavy keys, and without it the otherwise fine performance and production are just totally eradicated; it's a song that would've worked better as an instrumental. Ditto for Jerry Edmonton's Jaded Strumpet, which is also in desperate need of Kay's authoritative tone, which is refreshingly surreal on the singer's co-write with George Biondo that is Sparkle Eyes.

1		For Ladies Only
2		I'm Asking
3		Shackles And Chains
4		Tenderness
5		The Night Time's For You
6		Jaded Strumpet
7		Sparkle Eyes
8		Black Pit
9		Ride With Me
10		In Hopes Of A Garden

	Like us on Facebook
	@SoundHound	Follow