Greatest Hits

by Bob Seger

Product Description:

Personnel includes: Bob Seger (vocals, guitar, piano); Glen Frey (vocals); Joe Miquelon (electric guitar); Steve Lukather, Waddy Wachtel, Drew Abbott (guitar); Rick Vito (slide guitar); Alto Reed (saxophone); Roy Bittan (piano); Bill Payne (piano, organ, synthesizer); Doug Riley (piano, organ); Robyn Robbins (Mellotron, organ); Craig Frost (organ); Michael Boddicker (synthesizer); Chris Campbell, Bob Glaub (bass); Russ Kunkel, Charlie Allen Martin, David Teegarden (drums, percussion).

Producers include: Jimmy Iovine, Jack Richardson, Bob Seger, Punch, Bill Szymczyk.

Engineers include: Shelly Yakus, Brian Christian, Jim Bruzzese.

Includes liner notes by Bob Seger.

Detroit has produced more than its share of great music: from jazz stars like Hank, Thad & Elvin Jones; to the Motown stable of vocal artists, and legendary rhythm players Benny Benjamin and James Jamerson. Not to mention a whole lot of hard funk and primal metal, everyone from Funkadelic and Ted Nugent, to Iggy & The Stooges and the MC5--hard driving, rugged rock and roll. Put it all together with a touch of pop, and a lot of soul, and you've got Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band.

It's easy to divine Seger's influence on the music of Bruce Springsteen, and draw parallels with the vocal style of Van Morrison. The epic themes of Seger's characters on "Night Moves" certainly parallel those of the folk heroes who populate Springsteen songs (though he began developing his menagerie a good decade before the Boss). The chant-like, testifying cadences of Seger's blowtorch voice, and his predilection for gospelish motifs, puts one in mind of the mighty Celt's visionary flights.

And as the fine GREATEST HITS makes clear, Bob Seger's influence on contemporary roots music is enormous. A song such as "Like A Rock" practically defines a roots approach to power pop, while "Old Time Rock & Roll" finds Seger in an upbeat, Little Richard mode. Celebrations notwithstanding, "Still The Same" and "Turn The Page" are dark, unstinting unsentimental looks at the underbelly of the showbiz animal and the road.