''The Second'' is the second studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf, released in October 1968 on

ABC Dunhill Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels befo ...

. The album contains one of Steppenwolf's most famous songs, " Magic Carpet Ride". The background of the original ABC LP cover was a shiny "foil", in contrast to later (MCA Records) LP issues and the modern CD sleeve. Featuring a style that incorporates

psychedelic music Psychedelic music (sometimes called psychedelia) is a wide range of popular music styles and genres influenced by 1960s psychedelia, a subculture of people who used psychedelic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, mescaline, and cannabis to ...

and

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

, the release has received critical acclaim both when it came out as well as in later years. For example, AllMusic critic Bruce Eder stated that, though "highly derivative" of their first album, ''The Second'' had "very hard and edgy" tracks with the band "in excellent form". It became the band's highest-charting album on the ''Billboard'' 200, reaching number three. The five tracks on side two after "Magic Carpet Ride" consist of a continuous medley.

Track listing

Personnel

Steppenwolf

* John Kay –

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

* Michael Monarch – lead guitar * Goldy McJohn –

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

, piano * Rushton Moreve –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Jerry Edmonton –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, vocals, lead vocals on "Faster Than the Speed of Life" and "28", co-lead vocals on "Don't Step on the Grass, Sam"

Technical

* Gabriel Mekler –

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

* Bill Cooper – engineer * Richard Podolor – engineer * Gary Burden – art direction, cover design * Henry Diltz – photography

Charts

Album -

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

(United States) Singles - Billboard (United States)

References

External links

*
steppenwolf.com
Steppenwolf: ''The Second'' album {{DEFAULTSORT:Second, The 1968 albums Steppenwolf (band) albums ABC Records albums Albums produced by Gabriel Mekler Dunhill Records albums