By 1968, the concept of altering one's brain chemistry through psychedelics had made its way into popular culture and therefore into popular music. Even if you leave out "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (which John Lennon claimed was not about LSD), there's still gems such as Kenny Rogers and the First Edition's "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)", recorded long before Rogers was telling people that they had to know when to hold them and know when to fold them. "Journey to the Center of the Mind" falls squarely into this pop psychedelia category. Listening to it many years later, I find that it takes itself too seriously.
The Amboy Dukes were from Chicago but later relocated to Detroit, where everybody liked to play loud. They featured guitarist Ted Nugent, who was a teenager at the time of this single release and wasn't yet known for right-wing politics and hunting.
For some reason, I thought that "Journey to the Center of the Mind" did better on the charts than it actually did - I heard it a lot when growing up. It reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 but only made it to #32 in Toronto. The Amboy Dukes didn't have any chart success after this song and, after some personnel changes, gradually transitioned into becoming Nugent's backing band. He ended the use of the name in 1975.
I can't leave here without showing this video of the band performing "Journey to the Center of the Mind". Dig the ruffles on the lead singer's shirt sleeves! And is Nugent wearing some sort of strange eye makeup or is that just the shadows of his hair falling on his eyes?
Created January 20, 2026.