The Bob Seger Album By Album Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by JamieC, Jul 13, 2011.

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  1. Derek Gee

    Derek Gee Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit
    IIRC, anything produced by Punch is a Hideout Production, but if it wasn't released on Hideout Records, than I personally don't consider it a Hideout.

    Derek
     
  2. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    Smokin' OP's

    From Wiki

    Smokin' O.P.'s is an album by American rock singer/songwriter Bob Seger, released in 1972 (see 1972 in music). The album was reissued on CD by Capitol Records in 2005. It is currently the earliest Bob Seger album available on CD. The cover art is a parody of the Lucky Strike cigarette logo. Smokin' O.P.'s refers to Smokin' Other People's Songs, a derivation on the slang phrase "Smoking O.P.'s" meaning to smoke other people's cigarettes exclusively (never purchasing your own for consumption). Most of the tracks on this release are covers of songs written by other artists.

    The album cover was created by Thomas Leroy Weschler, who was Seger's road manager at the time. The cover was inspired by an advertisement for Lucky Strike cigarettes. Tom Weschler also went on to co-write "Traveling Man: On the Road & Behind the Scenes with Bob Seger".




    Track listing
    Side One
    No. Title Writer(s) Length
    1. "Bo Diddley/Who Do You Love?" Bo Diddley 6:17
    2. "Love the One You're With" Stephen Stills 4:17
    3. "If I Were a Carpenter" Tim Hardin 3:47
    4. "Hummin' Bird" Leon Russell 3:46

    Side Two
    No. Title Writer(s) Length
    1. "Let It Rock" Chuck Berry 3:25
    2. "Turn on Your Love Light" Deadric Malone, Joseph Wade Scott 4:44
    3. "James, Jesse" Traditional 3:26
    4. "Someday" Bob Seger 2:31
    5. "Heavy Music" Seger 2:28
    ------------------------------------------------------------------
    PersonnelBob Seger - guitar, piano, vocals
    Jack Ashford - percussion, tambourine
    Eddie Bongo - percussion, conga
    Michael Bruce - guitar
    Jim Bruzzese - tambourine
    Crystal Jenkins - vocals, background vocals
    Skip Knape - organ, bass, piano, keyboard
    David Teegarden - drums, maracas, marimba
    Pam Todd - vocals, background vocals
    [edit] ProductionProducer: Punch Andrews
    Engineer: Jim Bruzzese
    Assistant engineer: Greg Miller
    Mixing: Jim Cassily, Mabel Louise Smith, Thomas Weschler
    Photography: Thomas Weschler, Peter Lumetta
    Cover Design: Thomas Weschler
    [edit] ChartsAlbum - Billboard (North America)

    Year Chart Position
    1972 Pop Albums 180

    Singles - Billboard (North America)

    Year Single Chart Position
    1972 "If I Were A Carpenter" Pop Singles 76
    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    from The Seger Files
    Smokin' O.P.'s was recorded in 2 and a half days at Leon Russell's Paradise Studios in Oklahoma. (The album includes the Leon Russell song, "Humming Bird.") Seger, Teegarden and Van Winkle recorded 10 songs together, of which 7 were used on the album.

    "Someday," the only Seger original, appears as cut number 8. ("Someday" is a prophetic ballad about reaching the top 'someday,' but the tone is oddly bittersweet, rather than joyful..."someday, we'll be number one, someday...then we'll smile, and raise our glasses high/and the world will know/you and I."

    "Heavy Music" -- actually Heavy Music Part 1 -- is cut number 9.

    Of the seven cover songs, one is "Let It Rock," which became a Seger classic in live sets.

    The album title refers to smoking other people's cigarettes -- or, in this case, playing other people's songs.

    Teegarden and Knape had recorded as Teegarden and Van Winkle and had a hit with "God Love and Rock & Roll." When they started playing with Seger, they were called STK for a short time -- for Seger, Teegarden and Knape.

    Seger: "We were only together about six weeks with the girls [backup singers]...though the 4 of us had been playing together about a year...

    "David and Skip's view was like a jazz coalescence: jazz musicians come together and they play for a time, and then they make a record of what they did...and that's basically what we did...

    "We got together and we played and we enjoyed it. I was learning from them and they were learning from me...we never intended to stay together." Early 1975 radio interview.

    "We never could come together as a writing team...they weren't writing much and I wasn't writing much, so at the end of it we decided to just go in and record our live show. And we did it literally in 2 and 1/2 days." Late 1981 radio interview.

    Smokin' O.P.'s is the first Seger album to appear on Palladium Records -- a label that Punch started after Seger left Capitol. The album was immediately picked up (and reissued) by Warner Bros.
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Longtime Seger photographer Thomas Weschler designed the cover. The original Palladium version opens on the top and has a sticker (meant to look like the sticker on the top of a cigarette pack), which says "Bob Seger - Skip Knape" on it. On reissues, the sticker says "A" (as in Grade A tobacco) and "9 TUNES" on it. Inside the original album was a typewritten 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper listing the credits.

    On the back, there is an odd paragraph written by Seger featuring a dialogue between a frog and a polluted river. The river asks, what have you done for me lately and the frog replies, "Well, I started Smokin' O.P.'s." The paragraph is deleted from reissues.
     

    Attached Files:

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  3. Hey Vinyl Man

    Hey Vinyl Man Another bloody Yank down under...

    I own an original Palladium copy of the Smokin' O.P.s LP (which like a lot of treasures, turned up when I wasn't even looking for records!), but I've never really gotten into it. I think this is probably because I was already familiar with "Heavy Music" before I found the album. While I love that song, its placement on this album comes across as a relic from an earlier chapter of Seger's career. Which, like it or not, it is. I do also like "Jesse James" a lot, but I already had a 45 of that before I got the album. It doesn't help that the A-side of that single was really "If I Were a Carpenter", which I don't like. Not just Seger's version - I don't think I've ever heard any version of that song that I liked much. Last but not least, I'm not a big fan of cover-albums in general. I can only think of one other one that I own, Paul McCartney's "Russian album", and even that was only because it was cool to be able to say you owned a copy of that before it was officially released Stateside.

    I'd never seen the CD before. It's cool that they were true to the original label design.
     
  4. Baron Von Talbot

    Baron Von Talbot Well-Known Member

    This is an album I like and played pretty much. Found it in a second hand shop, too nearly 10 years ago. While there are no real stand outs here, there are no duds on it neither. It just is what it is, a bunch of decent songs played by a band that plays together fine with a great singer. That is the main surprise. In the years from Mongrel to Smokin O.P.'s Bob's voice and his delivery improved a lot. His phrasing, the way he sings along to the music; often using the parts with acoustic instruments for the longer lines - all that is done remarkably well and to me this is by far the best of the 3 early albums I know.

    This is an LP I can recommend to any fans of Segers voice and sound.
    The band is not exactly at Silver Bullet level, but close enough to make an impression. As a former Lucky Strike smoker, this is an album I liked even if there was no music on it..lol

    Best looking is the reel-to-reel version.
     
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  5. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    --------------
     

    Attached Files:

  6. PTgraphics

    PTgraphics Senior Member

    I have the old Capitol CD of Smokin O.P.'s. Sounds better, IMO, than the remaster which I no longer have. I have a Capitol re-issue on vinyl that sounds pretty good.

    Pat
     
  7. kelhard

    kelhard Forum Resident

    Yeah, I got the remaster and find its way too loud. I'd rather listen to the vinyl or cassette. Wish I had the original CD.
     
  8. Dennis Metz

    Dennis Metz Born In A Motor City south of Detroit

    Location:
    Fonthill, Ontario
    Awful album...I can understand why he doesn't want it out:cheers:
     
  9. JA Fant

    JA Fant Well-Known Member

    Great pics!
     
  10. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    Some are borrowed from the Seger Files site and others from Google.
     
  11. Hey Vinyl Man

    Hey Vinyl Man Another bloody Yank down under...

    I've heard there are two different versions of the "If I Were A Carpenter" single. I know there are two variations of the label (one is darker-blue than the other, and with less white space), but I've heard the recordings are also different. Does anybody know? I only have the lighter-colored version.
     
  12. stumpy

    stumpy Forum Resident

    Location:
    South of Nashville
    I was feeling knife blades to the ears on the remaster so I grabbed the old original vinyl and damn if it didn't sound nearly as bright. Easily corrected, though.
     
  13. GroovinGarrett

    GroovinGarrett Mrs. Stately's Garden

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    I've often wondered how Palladium/Reprise got away with including the Cameo version of "Heavy Music" on Smokin' O.P.'s. Around the time the album was released, a blue-label ABKCO reissue 45 was still in print. A behind-the-scenes agreement between Punch Andrews and Allen Klein ('you let us put the track on the album, we don't sue you for the reissue 45's') perhaps?

    I'm a little late to the party on this thread...props to Jamie for getting it started. The only other thing I can think to add at this point is a bit of information I was given by a local radio personality and music historian several years back when I still lived in Detroit:

    During the Quadraphonic heyday of the early-mid 1970's, a 4-channel mix of the Ramblin' Gamblin' Man LP was prepared and considered for Q8 release by Capitol. If true, it's a shame it was never released, as the title track has never appeared in any form of stereo.
     
  14. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    It was just Palladium to start. OPs was pretty much a local independant release. Punch and Bob put Heavy Music on their own label and waited to hear from a lawyer, which never happened. I think the Warner Reprise promo guy sent word up the chain of command about this local indy album that was burning up Detroit rock radio(no joke). Reprise bought up all the unsold Palladium pressings to distribute.
     
  15. mrmaloof

    mrmaloof Active Member

    Location:
    California
    I'm listening to this again thanks to this thread. I do like a lot of the playing on this album, like the late great Mike Bruce's guitar solos and Skip Knape's organ work. (I've heard that one motivation for the CD remaster was to raise money for Mike Bruce's medical treatment.) However, I'm definitely more of a fan of the later albums than this one.

    You can see why Seger considers it his first mature album, though. Seger's singing and the band's playing are a step up from the albums that preceded. All this needed was Seger's songwriting to be added to the mix to start the string of magical albums that continues through today.

    The remaster is more compressed than would be ideal, but I find the overall sound quality to be better than the original CD release. None of Seger's first albums are sonic masterpieces though. Note that the frog and the river dialog is indeed included in the remaster's packaging.

    - Joe
     
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  16. Derek Gee

    Derek Gee Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit
    Punch stated in an interview that ABKCO violated the terms of the LICENSE agreement when they reissued the track in the C-P box set because Cameo failed to make the annual payments required. They later settled, but if it was a license agreement in the first place, it might not have been an exclusive license, or the lack of annual payments may have breeched the agreement even earlier than when Cameo folded.

    Derek
     
  17. Derek Gee

    Derek Gee Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit
    deleted duplicate post
     
  18. GroovinGarrett

    GroovinGarrett Mrs. Stately's Garden

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    Jumping ahead a few albums, but posting here instead of a new thread---from today's Oakland County (MI) Press:

    Bob Seger to reissue, expand live albums
    By GARY GRAFF
    Of The Oakland Press

    While we wait for word on Bob Seger's brand new album, he's planning a couple of re-releases to prime fans for his fall tour.

    On Sept. 13, Seger will reissue his two live albums — 1976's "Live Bullet" and 1981's "Nine Tonight," both recoded all or partially at Detroit's Cobo Arena — with a bonus track on each. "Live Bullet," which as sold more than 5 million copies, will feature "I Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody's Home," which was recorded June 26, 1976 at the Pontiac Silverdome (then known as the Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium).

    The quadruple-platinum "Nine Tonight," meanwhile, will add a version of "Brave Strangers" that was originally released on the B-side of the single "Tryin' to Live My Life Without You."

    Both titles have been remastered and will feature updated packaging. A special box set with a T-shirt will be available at select retailers.

    Seger is working on his first set of all-new material since 2006's "Face the Promise," though no title or release date have been set. He's announced a fall tour with his Silver Bullet Band, but only one date — Nov. 13 at the Orlando Calling festival in Florida — has been announced

    http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2011/08/17/entertainment/doc4e4bcd6aeb358431947345.txt

    Nine Tonight has been OOP for several years. Live Bullet, the last remaster was terrible. Where's the rest of the catalog, Bob???
     
  19. Scott in DC

    Scott in DC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Smokin's OPs

    I like this album and find it to be an interesting entry in Bob's catalog. Some of the covers are quite good and there are no real duds here. Even so, I don't listen to this one much anymore. The band sounds pretty tight and it shows on these songs. Someday and Heavy Music are a nice addition but they sound out of place. For me though the ability to have Heavy Music was a welcome bonus.

    My copy is shown here. The album cover has the opening at the top rather than the usual side opening. The blue tag on the top is actually a flap that had to be torn open to gain access to the album (when new). I also have an insert sheet with credits to the songs. It looks like someone made it on a typewriter. I hope it is dark enough that you can see the contents.

    Scott
     

    Attached Files:

  20. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    That was mine too!

    OP's was like a bootleg and a present to his fans in Detroit. Screw Capitol! We can support him. The whole of the new covers were all over FM here. This is where he really hits his stride. Seger, Teegarden and Knape had been playing all over Michigan, Ohio, etc. as STK.

    Except for the fake stereo needle drop of Heavy Music, his first real classic. I like his version of Love The One Your With better than Stills own. And may I just say a loud and appreciative "WHOA" for Crystal Jenkins and Pam Todd who work so well with Bob on vocals it opens him up and shows the final piece of the puzzle. This is the anchor for the rest of his career.

    4/5
     
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  21. stumpy

    stumpy Forum Resident

    Location:
    South of Nashville
    Thanks! I've been waiting for a "second" on that opinion from my previous post on another thread. "If I Were A Carpenter" was originally my "cranked loud" favorite on this LP. I see some disagree.
     
  22. JA Fant

    JA Fant Well-Known Member

    'If I were a Carpenter' is a great one!
     
  23. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    Next week we go back with Back In 72!
     
  24. Hey Vinyl Man

    Hey Vinyl Man Another bloody Yank down under...

    After a dinner out with friends tonight, I got in a taxi and thought I heard "Vagrant Winter" playing on the radio. How remarkably hip and obscure for a radio station anywhere, but especially Singapore! After a few minutes of drinking in the sonic delight, I realized I had "pocket dialled" my iTunes on my mobile phone. The radio was really playing Shania Twain. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
     
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  25. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    Lest you should think finding these early LPs was easy, even in Detroit, here is my 32 year old cassette(just ran across it) taped off albums that a friend borrowed from a friend of his.
     

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