Steppenwolf box set ‘The Epic Years 1974-1976’ due in January

Steppenwolf was formed in 1967 and after scoring massive hits like “Born to Be Wild,” “Magic Carpet Ride” and “Rock Me,” broke up in 1972. The band reformed in 1974 and then split again two years later — and it’s that second era that is now being collected in a new box set slated for release on January 27.

The Epic Years 1974-1976 gathers together the three albums Steppenwolf recorded for the Epic label: Slow Flux, Hour of the Wolf and Skullduggery. 1974′s Slow Flux contained Steppenwolf’s final U.S. top-40 hit, “Straight Shootin’ Woman.”

When the 1975 follow-up, Hour of the Wolf, barely made the charts, frontman John Kay tried to break up the group, but the label demanded the band fulfill its contractual obligation with one more album. Skullduggery came out in 1976, and later that year, Kay announced on TV that the band was splitting up.

In addition to those three albums, the box set also includes two rare bonus tracks: a mono promotional single mix of “Caroline (Are You Ready for the Outlaw World),” from Hour of the Wolf, and that single’s B-side, “Angeldrawers.”

You can preorder the box set now at Cherryred.co.uk.