Marriage on the Rocks/Rock Bottom is the fourth album by American rock band The Amboy Dukes, released in 1970, this was a more experimental album than their previous releases. It is the first of two albums released on the Polydor Records label.
Production
During the recording of the Amboy Dukes' albums for Polydor Records, the band experienced creative differences in regards to their musical direction, and drummer Dave Palmer left the group to become a recording engineer. The album was recorded by a four-member lineup consisting of Ted Nugent, Dave Palmer, Andy Solomon, and Greg Arama.
Reception
AllMusic wrote, "Amboy Dukes' Marriage on the Rocks/Rock Bottom is a very musical record, more experimental than their releases on Mainstream Records". The website compared the band's recordings on Polydor to the band Ten Years After and said that "Marriage/Part 1: Man/Part 2: Woman/Part 3: Music" sounded like the band Jethro Tull, calling it a progressive blues song. The album's songs are longer and more reliant on improvisation, with AllMusic noting that "Breast Fed Gator (Bait)" is one of the only songs that could have been released as a single, due to its shorter length compared to the rest of the album. AllMusic called "Children of the Woods" "workable British pop". AllMusic compared "The Inexhaustible Quest for Cosmic Cabbage", which quotes Béla Bartók's "String quartet no. 2", to the Beach Boys, Spirit and Ten Wheel Drive, and said that it sounded like the Amboy Dukes hoped "to be the Mothers of Invention".
Track listing All tracks composed by Ted Nugent, except where indicated.
Personnel Ted Nugent – guitar, lead vocals on track 4 Andy Solomon – keyboards, lead vocals, saxophone Greg Arama – bass Dave Palmer – drums, assistant engineer
Production Edwin H. Kramer – producer, engineer
Charts Chart (1970) Peakposition US Billboard Top LPs191 References