LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Label: Sunrise Records

Migration is the third album by The Amboy Dukes, the Detroit psychedelic hard-rock band best remembered today as Ted Nugent’s first major recording vehicle. By this point the group had moved beyond the more obvious acid-rock colour of Journey To The Center Of The Mind, replacing John Drake with Rusty Day and pushing the music toward a tougher, bluesier and more guitar-led sound.

The album still keeps its late-1960s psychedelic character, but the arrangements are heavier and more ambitious, with long instrumental sections, sharp organ work and Nugent’s guitar moving further to the front. Tracks such as Migration, Prodigal Man, Good Natured Emma and Loaded For Bear make this one of the strongest Amboy Dukes records for listeners interested in the bridge between American psych, hard rock and early heavy guitar music. This Sunrise Records CD edition adds two bonus tracks: J.B. Special and Sobbin' In My Mug Of Beer.

1. Migration – 6:06
2. Prodigal Man – 5:48
3. For His Namesake – 4:26
4. I'm Not A Juvenile Delinquent – 1:53
5. Good Natured Emma – 4:37
6. Inside The Outside – 3:22
7. Shades Of Green And Grey – 3:05
8. Curb Your Elephant – 3:49
9. Loaded For Bear – 3:05

10. J.B. Special – 2:32
11. Sobbin' In My Mug Of Beer – 2:21