Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band - Night Moves

 

I've been a fan of Seger's since "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" hit the airwaves, but, as with most rockers with long-term careers, I dig his earliest stuff the best, although this record falls right on the cusp of his coolness factor, in my eyes. While it is pretty damn clean'n'commercial - I believe it is this record that really catapulted him into super stardom - there are still some hot moments here. It came out in the fall of 1976, just as punk rock was rearing its safety-pinned head, which means that I still had at least one foot in the classic rock'n'roll camp, and I could still relate to albums like this one, although I might have dismissed it just a few months later.

Seger was always a champion for the classic r'n'r sounds, which explains his writing a song like the Chuck Berry-ish "Rock'n'Roll Never Forgets" - certainly an anthem for the long haired rocker kids of the time. The title cut is one of Bob's impassioned acoustic memories of teen years gone by, with plenty of emphasis on sexual exploits (hence the title, natch), and speaking of sex, one of my all-time favorites of Seger's is his damn-near single entendre, "The Fire Down Below", with heavy guitars, a simple, rockin' riff and a great swagger. "Sunburst" is one of his patented power ballads that chugs'n'churns in the rockin' mid section before returning to the quieter side. This is followed up, appropriately, I suppose, by "Sunspot Baby", another Chuck Berry-ish choogler, that doesn't succeed as well as some of the others, although it's certainly not bad, just not particularly special. "Mainstreet" is a catchily melodic ballad in which Bob once again remembers his younger days (I actually just realized it is about stalking a stripper - go figure!) - it has gotten a bit too much airplay, but is still a good one. He gets downright funky and puts the Muscle Shoals rhythm section to good use (which he uses for about half the record, despite the cover just referencing his band) in "Come To Poppa", while "Ship of Fools" is a rather forgettable piece of mellowness but the finale, "Mary Lou", while a bit cliched, still works pretty well as another Berry-like, 50's-styled rocker with some nicely heavy guitars.

While certainly not raw'n'raucous, for those who enjoy radio-friendly 70's rock'n'roll, it's still worthwhile.