Shredder

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 Wackering Heights backpedaled to folk-rock at the dawn of AOR and 1972’s Hot Wacks spotlighted the band’s ability to make hard rock sound pretty, Shredder 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 Hunky Dory. 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.