Bob Seger - The Albums and the career, song by song thread

That's a pretty rad track. Impressive start.

 

Oh, there is so much to unpack there. In due time.....

 

I just posted it because it's available on streaming, so if people want to listen however they usually listen to streaming while we're talking about some of those tracks. (You posted "East Side Story" above, for example.)

 

Good call mate

 

In 1969, I saw The Bob Seger System in Peoria, Il. I was 15 years old & this was my first rock concert. I don't remember who opened the show, but I do remember the incredible amount of Sunn equipment on stage that was supplied (if I remember correctly) by a local music company. The multiple bass and guitar speakers were stacked almost to the ceiling above the stage floor. But I could tell only a couple of the speaker cabs were being used as I could see the aluminum dust capped woofers moving.
The P.A. was Sunn also, but only a couple of dual 15" cabs with what appeared to be Heil Air-Motion lenses for mid-high frequencies. The musicianship that really impressed me was the drummer Pep Perrine with his 2 over-head ducted toms! What great memories from that time to see and hear a great band and Seger himself!

 

I have never seen a drum kit like that anywhere else. Perrine was a madman on the drums. I still see him windmilling his arms to involve those overhead toms. To explain the drum heads faced Pep on either side of the kit. The drums then took a 90 degree turn opening directly at the audience. To say that the toms and double kicks dominated would be an understatement.

 

Yo! I might dip in for a bit. I've never really bothered with anything pre Beautiful Loser, so I'd be interested in hearing them again.

 

"East Side Story" is a cracker of a single, even more so as a formal debut. Great story in the lyrics and a grungy, garage rock ethos that just seeps out of the grooves. And that voice! The drums strike you right away, being rather unusual for a late '65/early '66 rock arrangement. The instrumental version on the b-side of the single is also a blast to hear as you can focus on the drums and the solo guitar lines.

Seger certainly hit the ground running.

 

I feel like each of the Last Heard singles is... let’s say “heavily inspired by” a different style, artist, or even a specific song that was popular around that time. “East Side Story” clearly owes a lot to Them’s “Gloria.”

 

Here’s Alice Cooper covering “East Side Story” in 2019:

 

Overall there is certainly a feel of trying to find his niche.

 

That’s a good way of putting it. Oddly, I feel like the first and the last are the most “Bob Seger-ish.”

 

I'll be going in the opposite direction of just about everyone else in this thread.

While I have respect for Bob Seger and his rock 'n' roll instincts, and don't dislike his music, most of the stuff that he had his greatest success with never really spoke to me.

On the other hand, "East Side Story" and "Heavy Music" satisfy my garage rock jones to a T. I have all of those Cameo-Parkway singles and have been listening to them for a long time. In my book (yeah, I know, mostly in my book only), Seger started at the very top! Those are just great songs, convincingly sung and played.

Just realized that I at least have to hang around long enough for "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man." Every time someone starts a thread with "great drum intros in rock" (and there've been several over the years), this is my immediate nomination!

 

East side is pretty much a rip off of Gloria.
Looking forward to Heavy Music .

 

"Plagiarism is basic to all culture"

 

So glad this thread is underway! I reckon I'm in the same boat as many of you all. I heard a lot of Seger on the radio as a youngster and then as a teen. The first album I picked up was The Distance and then I worked my way back. I have always been struck by how good his non-radio tracks are. Wonderful deep cuts abound. I love the early stuff on up through his most recent efforts and I am truly looking forward to discussion and listening to his hard to find albums like Back In '72 and Seven. I didn't get to see him live until his tour for Face the Promise(a superb late career album). He was terrific and he seemed to be so thrilled to be playing - it was very joyful.

 

This is an excellent compilation that was briefly available. I bought my copy from Music Direct. The sound quality is pretty good too.

Bob Seger – East Side Story (2012, Vinyl)

Scott

 

This is the school I pretty much attend although I can find some good cuts up through Seven, but yes indeed The Last Heard material is my favorite along with 2 + 2 = ?

 

I totally understand this perspective.
Obviously your welcome to come and go whenever you like....

I'm interested though, you don't like Mongrel?

 

I just went and dug out my Against the Wind tour shirt. It no longer fits though.
I'll post a photo if I can figure it out.

 

I don't really have any particular affinity for the concept of "garage rock," but I'll join you in saying my least favorite Seger stuff is the stuff that got popular. Basically every full band record he cut between 1970 and 1974 is an absolute scorcher...then he started doing stuff people liked it and didn't rock as hard. (Live Bullet excepted, obviously)

 

Perrine, incidentally, later put out an album of his own on the Hideout label.


I've never heard anything from it, and from what I've read it isn't really much good, but it's an interesting tangent from Seger's career anyhow.

 

Bob Seger & The Last Heard* ‎– Sock It To Me Santa
Label: Cameo ‎– C-444
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single, Promo
Country: US
Released: Nov 1966
Genre: Rock, Funk / Soul
Style: Garage Rock, Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues, Classic Rock



Here we have this funny little Christmas track, that is very obviously inspired by the idea of James Brown doing a Christmas track.
We open with a gentle organ and a couple talking about Christmas not being the same, and then the obvious James Brown link "because Santa's Got A Brand New Bag.
We move into a bass and drum driven groove and Bob is singing it like he is singing about something really important, which in itself is actually quite funny and arresting at the same time.
We get some nice little guitar breakdowns ....
Obviously released as a song for the holiday season ... I'm not sure how well it did, but it is a bit of fun.

 

Florida Time

We open up with a car starting and roll into some drums, that are joined by a harmony vocal arrangement .... By the time we get to this point in the song, we realise that this is essentially a Beach Boys pastiche.
It is very well done, and it is interesting hearing Bob sing in a completely different styling.

This is probably my least favourite of the singles and b-sides, but by the same token it is obviously meant in fun, and released for a reason ... so I am not too messed up about it.

 

Florida Time is the Omens. The original B to Yellow Beret and written by Punch. Bob is in the background.