Four Wheel Drive - BACHMAN TURNER OVERDRIVE***

Four Wheel Drive/She's A Devil/Hey You/Flat Broke Love/She's Keepin Time/Quick Change Artist/Lowland Fling/ Don't Let The Blues Get You Down

Four Wheel Drive was the quick follow up to hard rock Bachman Turner Overdrive’s top selling album. Critics suggested they should have waited a bit longer to garner some stronger material. (US:5)

“The follow up to the chart topping Not Fragile was a bit of a letdown. The album was pretty much made up of outtakes from the earlier sessions. It's really unfortunate that this was a rush job although it has its moments. Highlights include the title track and the single Hey You.”

“Even though a fairly strong hard rock album, Four Wheel Drive suggests that BTO are slowly beginning to falter. The majority of the songs were reportedly rejects from the Not Fragile sessions, and one can detect that this album was put together very quickly. It would likely have been much better if the group had waited until some stronger material was available.”

“This is pretty dumb radio-friendly hard rock, but quite well done with lots of strong riffs and hooks. There's also something a bit unique about the singing. It's basically a standard early 70s heavy blues-rock sound taken in a more poppy direction.”

“This was the rushed follow up to a hit album. The basic song structures are accentuated by there being no time to compose anything better. So its bluster and bombast to hide the shortcomings in the songwriting department.”

“Pushed by the record company for a follow up to Not Fragile BTO quickly recorded Four Wheel Drive. It's a competent mixed bag rock and roll album, but some of the songwriting is a bit weak.”

“While BTO may not have invented the power chord, they certainly perfected it or, at the very least, brought it to an art form. Following on the heels of their masterpiece, Four Wheel Drive came very close, to equalling the heights of sonic bombast they unleashed on the previous album.”

“This is hard crunching, driving music from a band who never got the recognition they deserved. With so much fluff coming out on the radio in the early 70s, these guys kicked hard. This music just can't be duplicated today. They had the perfect combination of talent and naiveté that makes for a powerful musical experience.”