Steppenwolf 7
title: "Steppenwolf 7" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1970-albums", "steppenwolf-(band)-albums", "albums-produced-by-richard-podolor", "dunhill-records-albums"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steppenwolf_7" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Steppenwolf 7 |
| type | studio |
| artist | Steppenwolf |
| cover | Steppenwolf7.jpg |
| released | November 1970 |
| genre | |
| length | 39:57 |
| label | Dunhill |
| producer | Richard Podolor |
| prev_title | Steppenwolf Live |
| prev_year | 1970 |
| next_title | For Ladies Only |
| next_year | 1971 |
| misc | {{Singles |
| name | Steppenwolf 7 |
| type | studio |
| single1 | Who Needs Ya' |
| single1date | 7 October 1970 |
| single2 | Snowblind Friend |
| single2date | January 1971 |
| :: |
| name = Steppenwolf 7 | type = studio | artist = Steppenwolf | cover = Steppenwolf7.jpg | alt = | released = November 1970 | recorded = | venue = | studio = | genre = | length = 39:57 | label = Dunhill | producer = Richard Podolor | prev_title = Steppenwolf Live | prev_year = 1970 | next_title = For Ladies Only | next_year = 1971 | misc = {{Singles | name = Steppenwolf 7 | type = studio | single1 = Who Needs Ya' | single1date = 7 October 1970 | single2 = Snowblind Friend | single2date = January 1971
|rev1 = AllMusic |rev1score = |rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide |rev2Score = C−
Steppenwolf 7 is the fifth studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. The album was released in November 1970, by Dunhill Records. It is the first Steppenwolf album with new bass player George Biondo. The album’s numerical title reflects the fact that it was the band’s seventh album release for ABC/Dunhill records (including the four preceding studio LP’s, as well as two live albums). While the album featured Steppenwolf's trademark rock and roll sounds, none of the songs were able to make the top 40. The album featured a cover of Hoyt Axton's "Snowblind Friend", their second cover of one of his antidrug songs (the first being "The Pusher"). Along with "Who Needs Ya'", it was one of two singles from the album which made the charts, but fell short of the top 40. The album track "Renegade" is autobiographical for lead vocalist John Kay, recounting his flight with his mother from the Soviet occupation zone to the West in 1948. The intro to "Earschplittenloudenboomer" is spoken by Kay partially in German.
Critical reception
Robert Christgau stated: "Laying back hasn't been good for them, and neither has getting heavy. Their way lies somewhere in between--which come to think of it is also how it is for the rest of us."
Track listing
| headline = Side one
| title1 = Ball Crusher | writer1 = John Kay, Jerry Edmonton, Goldy McJohn | length1 = 4:50
| title2 = Forty Days and Forty Nights | writer2 = Bernie Roth | length2 = 3:02
| title3 = Fat Jack | writer3 = George Biondo, Edmonton, Larry Byrom | length3 = 4:50
| title4 = Renegade | writer4 = Biondo, McJohn, Kay | length4 = 6:07 | headline = Side two
| title1 = Foggy Mental Breakdown | writer1 = Byrom, Kay | length1 = 3:52
| title2 = Snowblind Friend | writer2 = Hoyt Axton | length2 = 3:52
| title3 = Who Needs Ya | writer3 = Byrom, Kay | length3 = 2:59
| title4 = Earschplittenloudenboomer | writer4 = Byrom | length4 = 5:00
| title5 = Hippo Stomp | writer5 = Byrom, Kay | length5 = 5:43
Personnel
Steppenwolf
- John Kay – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica
- Larry Byrom – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Goldy McJohn – Hammond organ, piano
- George Biondo – bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Fat Jack" and co-lead vocals on "Foggy Mental Breakdown" and "Who Needs Ya'"
- Jerry Edmonton – drums
Technical
- Richard Podolor – producer, engineer
- Bill Cooper – engineer
- Tom Gundelfinger – photography
- Gary Burden – art direction, liner design, artwork
Charts
::data[format=table] | Chart (1970–1971) | Peak position | |---|---| | last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=293}} | 26 | | US Billboard 200 | 19 | ::
Singles ::data[format=table]
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | "Who Needs Ya'" | Billboard Hot 100 | 54 |
| 1971 | "Snowblind Friend" | Billboard Hot 100 | 60 |
| :: |
References
References
- Hung, Steffen. "Steppenwolf - Who Needs Ya'".
- Hung, Steffen. "Steppenwolf - Snowblind Friend".
- "Steppenwolf 7 - Steppenwolf | Album".
- Christgau, Robert. (1981). "[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]". [[Ticknor & Fields]].
- [{{BillboardURLbyName
- "Robert Christgau: CG: Steppenwolf".
- Kent, David. (1993). "Australian Chart Book 1970–1992". Australian Chart Book.
- "Billboard 200-Steppenwolf".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::