Shredder

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A percussive nod to The Who’s “Magic Bus” sets the tone for The Wackers' third and final album with the opening song “Day & Night,” a jaunty number that also recalls Mungo Jerry’s “In the Summertime.” Where 1971’s <i>Wackering Heights</i> backpedaled to folk-rock at the dawn of AOR and 1972’s <i>Hot Wacks</i> spotlighted the band’s ability to make hard rock sound pretty, <i>Shredder</i> found The Wackers working with producer Mark Abramson, who did a great job of making the group sound more relevant to 1973 audiences. “Hey Lawdy Lawdy” blends Status Quo's hard-edged boogie with T. Rex's flashy bubble-glam. “I’ll Believe in You” swaps out electric guitars for an acoustic six-string in hopes to get with the then-burgeoning singer/songwriter vibe, but the result sounds more akin to David Bowie’s mellower moments on <i>Hunky Dory</i>. They flirt with blues-rock in “Puttin’ Myself to Sleep,” where open-chord riffs jive alongside rowdy roadhouse piano playing and impressive Chicago-flavored lead guitar wailing. “Last Dance” is a lilting, melancholy ballad that foreshadowed the band’s demise.

via Apple Music