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ALBUM REVIEW

BOB SEGER
& THE SILVER BULLET BAND

AGAINST THE WIND

Released - in 1979 on Capitol Records. Produced by Bob Seger, Peter "Punch" Andrews, Bill Szymczyk and Muscle Shoals Rythm Section.

Bob Seger - Lead & Backing Vocals; Guitar, including solos on tracks 1, 3, 4

Silver Bullet Band:
(Performs on tracks 1, 2, 3, 6, 8)
Drew Abbot - Lead Guitar, including solos on tracks 1(middle solo), 6, 8
Alto Reed - Saxophones (also on track 10)
Chris Campbell - Bass
David Tegarden - Drums & Percussion

Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section:
(Performs on tracks 4, 5, 7, 9, 10)
Pete Carr - Lead Guitar, including solo on track 5
Jimmy Johnson - Rhythm Guitar
Barry Beckett  -  Piano
Randy McCormick - Organ
David Hood - Bass
Roger Hawkins - Drums & Percussion

Additional Musicians:
Glenn Frey -  Backing Vocals on tracks 6, 9
Don Henley - Backing Vocals on track 9
Timothy B. Schmit - Backing Vocals on track 9
Bill Payne - Piano, Synthesizer & Organ on track 2
Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack - Piano on track 1
Doug Riley - Synthesizer on track 4
Paul Harris - Keyboards on tracks 6, 8
Sam Clayton - Percussion on track 2

Additional Backing Vocals: 
Laura Creamer, Linda Dillard, Ginger Blake on tracks 2, 7, 10

All songs written by Bob Seger

  REVIEW

Against The Wind was the third masterpiece LP in a row released by Bob Seger. My favorite song on here is "Her Strut", although it might not be the best overall number on the album. Seger writes songs about women while taking on a man's point of view better than just about anybody else out there, and this song would be a good example of that. There is something special in many a women's strut that can alone turn on a man, but how many songs are dedicated to writing only about that? Sure there are a few others, ZZ Top's "Legs" comes to mind, but that song had more of a double meaning to it, where as "Her Strut" is about mainly the subject at hand. It's not looking at a woman's body parts, but the entire package that comes across thanks alone to her special strut.

So, what's the best overall song on here? The title cut, "Against the Wind". I guess serious songs will always win out when looking for the best, and this song is another well written tune by Seger, as all the songs on the album are.

The two other ten's on the LP are "Betty Lou's Gettin' Out Tonight", and "The Horizontal Bop, and they are more fun songs than anything else, but boy do they hit the mark. Both of these are the kind of songs that makes you want to jump up, grab your partner, and cut the rug! There are two other great tunes on Against The Wind. "Fire Lake", which is a nice, simple, smooth song, and "You'll Accomp'ny Me", yet another serious number.

I often wonder why Seger always noted the credit on the album cover as "Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band" when he used the services of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section on a equal number of songs. Perhaps it had to do with legal reasons, I'm not sure. But anyway, the tunes he recorded with the Silver Bullet Band stand out more for me on this LP. 

- Keno 2011

To listen to some soundclips from AGAINST THE WIND or to purchase it click on: Against The Wind [Remastered]

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