Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – Night Moves

Details: 1976, Capitol, LP

I almost considered mentioning Bob Seger in the recent “Guilty Pleasures Challenge”. Indeed a conversation with Dave at the time found him considering the same thing, yet both of us left his name off our lists. On reflection, we must both have thought “why the hell feel guilty about liking ol’ Bob Seger stuff!”. In the UK, alongside the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Seger probably represents the pinnacle of the 1970’s US “Blue Collar” rock and although to my mind “Night Moves” isn’t his best album it does mark his big studio breakthrough and has sales over 6 million to prove its popularity.

To my ears though, despite its popularity, its something of a tale of two sides and side one which features The Silver Bullet Band opens with a couple of gems. “Rock And Roll Never Forgets” is perfect American driving rock for starters and the lovely acoustic guitar lead title track “Night Moves” just oozes images of hot summer nights of the kind so rarely seen in damp South Wales. The quality doesn’t stop there though as the mid-tempo head nodder “The Fire Down Below” proves another contender for “The Best US Rock Album In The World… Ever!” (and my personal favourite on this set), while “Sunburst” closes a great side of vinyl with a superbly epic and evocative concert tale.

Despite the album being credited to “Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band” side two sees “The Silver Bullet Band” replaced for the first four tracks by the famous “Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section” but unfortunately the material overall doesn’t match that of the first side. There is little wrong with the solid rock ‘n’ roll of “Sunspot Baby” though, a song you can imaging The Faces doing well, but the ballad “Mainstreet” and the gentle, countrified “Ship Of Fools” don’t appeal and to me seem to fall some way short of the established standard. Of the only two non-Seger compositions, the fun, funky but ultimately forgettable “Come To Poppa” slips too although when the “Bullet Band” return for closer “Mary Lou” things perk up a bit as the old standard, noted as originally written in 1955, is given a nice ‘n’ full, indeed almost “Glam Rock” sounding treatment to end the album on something of a high.

To summarise, it’s fair to say that there are more tracks here that seem timeless rather than aged and its still a fine listen. I suspect that if I had this on CD though I wouldn’t often last past the first five tracks but on vinyl I’ll gladly struggle through the middle of side two for “Mary Lou”!

Highlight: The Fire Down Below

Score: 3.5/5

—–

A new promo for “Night Moves” to accompany the Greatest Hits collection…

—–

BL

Return To Main Page