Good luck finding a clunker of an album in the Bob Seger catalog. Whether delivering solo records or working with the Bob Seger System or the Silver Bullet Band, he has been a bastion of consistency throughout his career. His first album (Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man) arrived in 1969, and his most recent (I Knew You When) was released in 2017. There are some undeniable Seger masterpieces in that span, and there’s nothing in there even resembling a flop, in large part because of his impeccable songwriting and energetic, heartfelt vocal performances. Let’s take a look at the five best Bob Seger albums.
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1. Stranger in Town (1978)
If you’re looking for the Bob Seger album where everything is hitting on all cylinders, it has to be Stranger in Town. He was still using the Muscle Shoals rhythm section part of the time, while also employing the Silver Bullet Band, his regular touring group. But you get the feeling that a group of seventh-graders playing behind him couldn’t have screwed up this batch of songs. Starting out with the thunderous story-song “Hollywood Nights” and closing out with the elegiac ballad “The Famous Final Scene,” there isn’t a single off moment on this record. “Still the Same” displayed how evocative Seger could be without a lot of details, “We’ve Got Tonight” demonstrated how he could caress a ballad, and “Old Time Rock and Roll” is a thriller of a performance by both band and singer. Top to bottom, one of the best albums of the ‘70s.
2. Live Bullet (1976)
Seger had a few hit singles and well-regarded albums in tow, but he wasn’t yet a force on the national scene when he decided on a live record. Live Bullet, recorded in his hometown of Detroit, changed all that. On the one hand, it gave fans a chance to hear some of the great stuff Seger had done in his pre-fame days collected all in one place. It also showed off his interpretive skills, as his furious album-opening cover of Tina Turner’s “Nutbush City Limits” starts everything off on an exhilarating note. Live Bullet also offers up a scintillating performance of “Turn the Page,” one of the best songs ever written about the touring life. (Alto Reed’s chilling saxophone work on the song is worth the price of admission alone.) A lot of live albums in the ‘70s were obligatory. This one is revelatory.
3. Night Moves (1976)
Coming off Live Bullet, Seger needed a big effort to solidify his newfound success. He did more than rise to the occasion with Night Moves. It’s an album where his songwriting chops and the thrust of the music are in ideal balance. Songs like “Rock and Roll Never Forgets” and “Come to Poppa” pack a wallop, but Seger also offers something for the lyric lovers out there with his thoughtful, incisive wordplay. The title track was a massive hit single, an early example of how Seger could write nostalgically and still make it connect to current times. Outstanding cover songs were also hallmarks of Seger records, and Night Moves gives us two beauties in the sultry “Come to Poppa” and the rollicking “Mary Lou.”
[RELATED: Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, “Still The Same”]
4. Against the Wind (1980)
After all the success of his previous records, Against the Wind could have been a no-sweat victory lap for Seger. But he just doesn’t have it in him to mail anything in. The record turns out to be a tour de force in terms of how Seger and ever-ready cohorts bounce between different styles and feels. The title track finds Seger effortlessly spotting the differences and similarities among the various stages of his life, and it’s resonant stuff. “Fire Lake” brings mystery and melody, while “The Horizontal Bop” and “Her Strut” offer grit and fire. “You’ll Accompany Me” doubles as love song and travelogue. And even though Seger didn’t include any cover songs on this one, “Betty Lou’s Getting’ Out Tonight” is such a winning takeoff on ‘50s rock that you’ll still get that classic vibe.
5. The Fire Inside (1991)
Seger’s work in the ‘80s was typically outstanding, with highlights including his masterful cover of Rodney Crowell’s “Shame on the Moon,” literate rockers like “Even Now” and “American Storm,” and the heartland classic “Like a Rock.” And you shouldn’t sleep on the solo albums he did in the new millennium. Yet The Fire Inside, released at the beginning of 1991, sneaks in as the final album on this list. It’s as consistent as you expect a Seger record to be, but the high points are what give it the edge. The title track is one of the finest songs of his career, with the wistful ballad “The Long Way Home” ranking way up there as well. And there’s another wonderful cover, as Seger delivers a winning take on Tom Waits’ “Blind Love.”
Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images
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