Retro Spins: Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Like A Rock

 

Popularity had waned drastically for Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band over the past few years. Sales for his 1982 released, The Distance, drastically decreased from previous albums. While he remained a platinum selling artist, records such as Night Moves (1976), Stranger In Town (1978), and Against The Wind (1980), far surpassed it with their five- and six-times platinum certifications.

Returning to the mic, the band released Like A Rock. Like its predecessor, it fared well, reaching platinum status, but again failed to reach the status of previous releases. Despite this, the album peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 200, producing two hit singles for the Billboard Hot 100, Like A Rock (12), and American Storm (13).

Embracing the MTV generation, Seger would record music videos for both. However, the latter would prove to be the more popular, mainly for its inclusion of actors, Lesley Ann Warren, James Woods, Randy Quaid and Scott Glenn.

Things started out fairly strong with American Storm, Like A Rock, and Miami, but then quickly drifted off to mediocrity, and candidly, forgettable. I honestly found myself more entertained with reading about the remainder of the decade for the band. Things did course correct, and I can't believe I'm saying this, with the ballad, Somewhere Tonight.

I think the biggest aspect missing from the album is that traditional storytelling that Seger is known for. Rather than painting vivid pictures through his lyrics, things seem pretty generic. It's as if he's trying to embrace a more mainstream sound but failing in the process.

What makes no sense is the band's cover of Creedence Clear Water Revival's Fortunate Son. Mind you, the cover itself is serviceable. Seger definitely has the voice to do justice to John Fogerty. Where it fails is that it's a live track tacked on at the end and completely comes out of nowhere. Basically, it's out of place.

Prior to closing out 1986, Seger contributed the song, Living Inside My Heart for the film soundtrack About Last Night... Then in 1987, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Seger would have one final hit in the decade, but it wouldn't come about from normal circumstances.

Based on his hit single, The Heat Is On for the film Beverly Hills Cop, Glenn Frey was asked to take the reins on the sequels lead track, Shakedown. However, the singer not only disliked the lyrics, but came down with laryngitis leading up to recording sessions. He would ask his buddy Bob to take over, which in hindsight may have been a mistake by Frey. The song became Seger's one and only number one hit and garnered him an Oscar nomination as co-writer in the Best Original Song category the following year.

I already touched on where he went from there in my post about 1980's Against The Wind, so rather than rinse and repeat, we'll call it a day.

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