Opening with another Mars Bonfire number (вЂFaster Than The Speed Of LifeвЂ™) The Second fairly races out of the blocks but, rather strangely, features the vocals of drummer Jerry Edmonton. More expansive than its predecessor this record incorporated elements of hard rock, psychedelia and blues. Released barely nine months after their debut album, SteppenwolfвЂ™s sophomore effort (imaginatively titled The Second ) showed a great development. Perfectly capturing that moment when the hippy dream turned into a bad acid nightmare, Steppenwolf remains one of the eraвЂ™s key releases. The success of this album is often credited to its association with counter-cultural film Easy Rider and while it didnвЂ™t do any harm Steppenwolf had already made inroads into American consciousness. However, the slower tracks (вЂTake What You NeedвЂ™, вЂThe PusherвЂ™) end up sounding flat and one-dimensional. Guitar based tracks like вЂBorn To Be WildвЂ™ and вЂEverybodyвЂ™s Next OneвЂ™ sound far more urgent and direct. Seven bonus tracks are added, mono versions from single releases, and they sound markedly different from the versions that appeared on Steppenwolf. Vocalist John Kay proved himself the bandвЂ™s main lyricist, and while heвЂ™s still honing his craft he shows a promise that would blossom on future releases. Of the original cuts вЂYour WallвЂ™s Too HighвЂ™ and вЂThe OstrichвЂ™ stand apart along with the appropriation of every cool move Chuck Berry made on the racy вЂBerry Rides AgainвЂ™. It was this last track, the third single from Steppenwolf, that finally broke the band and although itвЂ™s been covered by a multitude of artists, this version remains the best. In fact, the best tracks on this debut are the work of outside hands Willie DixonвЂ™s вЂHootchie Kootchie ManвЂ™, Hoyt AxtomвЂ™s вЂThe PusherвЂ™ and, of course, вЂBorn To Be WildвЂ™ (written by ex-member Mars Bonfire). Awash with Hammond organ opening track, a cover Don CoveyвЂ™s вЂSookie SookieвЂ™ is a hard-hitting number that got the band some airplay on soul stations, and that crossover appeal would characterise their early career. Marching in lock step with bands like Vanilla Fudge and Blue Cheer thereвЂ™s was a testosterone fuelled sound muscular and punchy that provided a nice antidote to the prevailing hippy-dippy, flower power music that cluttered the charts.

Years of relentless touring had rendered Steppenwolf a tight unit meaning that when they scored a record deal they were riled up and ready to go. During their original incarnation (1967-1972) they released eight albums on the ABC Dunhill label (remastered and collected here as Magic Carpet Ride ) all of which stand as testament to their continuing influence. Not as well, of course, but it still sounds good in the hands of a local bar band, which is one the true tests of a good rock & roll song.Formed from the ashes of beat group the Sparrows, and taking their name from a Hermann Hesse novel, Steppenwolf forever changed the course of popular music as one of the propagators of heavy metal. It probably grew out of a jam, but Kay wound up with an actual song, not just a collection of hooks - the original recording is terrific, but it also works as a cover. More importantly, he wrote a great three-chord riff that just gained depth and strength as it was fleshed out by bass, organ, and drums. The lyrics may have been nothing more than a hippie fantasia, but John Kay did write some evocative lines ('Last night I held Aladdin's lamp,' etc.). Steppenwolf's original recording was a wonderful, spare but dirty, groove. The great thing is, it doesn't really depart from the original all that much.

If you doubt whether it's actually funky, check out the reworking on the soundtrack to Doug Liman's 1999 film Go, where it sounds as contemporary as anything else on the electronica-laden soundtrack.

Why? Well, it's a funkier ride, with a real deep guitar-organ groove and a great singalong chorus. 'Born to Be Wild' is Steppenwolf's best-known song, and possibly its best, but there are some that argue that 'Magic Carpet Ride' is every bit as good, if not better, than that biker anthem.

Magic carpet ride