FMQB & Bob Seger
December 02, 2009
RIGHT MOVES... Bob Seger is universally recognized as one of the hardest working men in Rock & Roll. Since first coming to prominence in the late '60s as a popular Mid-western regional act, Seger's blue-collar tales of the heartland have resonated with music listeners around the world.
Early Seger Vol. 1 is the latest release by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Issued on Seger's own imprint, Hideout Records, the CD culls remastered versions of 10 songs (4 previously unreleased), the majority cut in the early '70s before Seger's national breakthrough. Listening to the 10 tracks, each offers unassailable proof of Seger's renowned musical mastery, coupling his trademark commanding sandpaper vocals, evocative, heartfelt lyrics and gritty musicianship (check out Jimmy McCarty's stellar solo on "Get Out of Denver," a track whose melody was borrowed years later by The Police on "Canary In A Coalmine").
As testament to Seger's interpretative genius, he beautifully reinvents covers of The Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rambler" and Tim Hardin's "If I Were A Carpenter" with typical expertise and aplomb. A notorious perfectionist, Seger reentered the studio in Detroit and fine-tuned several of these recordings: "Gets Ya Pumpin'," "Star Tonight," "Wildfire" and "Days When the Rain Would Come." To his credit, the artist's retro-active tweaking is imperceptible. Early Seger Vol. 1 is prime Seger no matter what you call it.
Track listing:
1. Midnight Rider (remastered from original Back in '72 tapes)
2. If I Were A Carpenter (remastered from original Smokin' O.P's tapes)
3. Get Out Of Denver (remastered from original Seven tapes)
4. Someday (remastered from original Smokin' O.P.'s tapes)
5. U.M.C. (Upper Middle Class) (remastered from original Seven tapes)
6. Long Song Comin' (originally appeared on Seven; extensively re-recorded Early Seger Vol. 1)
7. Star Tonight (Seger recording previously unreleased; first released as a cover by Don Johnson for his 1986 album, Heartbeat)
8. Gets Ya Pumpin' (previously unreleased; Seger's earliest version of this song, written in 1973, was entitled "Pumpin'")
9. Wildfire (previously unreleased)
10. Days When The Rain Would Come (previously unreleased)
Ordering info: http://www.bobseger.com
Retro-Active's Ken Sharp spoke with Bob Seger.
When did you realize music was what you wanted to do with your life?
Seger: It hit me when I was really young. I remember in Ann Arbor high school my best friends were so envious of me. They said, You know exactly what you want to do" and they had no clue what they wanted to do. When I was 15-years-old I played my first gig at the junior prom. I was a sophomore in 10th grade. But I actually played the 11th grade prom and that was the first time I was ever on stage. It was just me, a guitar player and a drummer, and that was it. We didn't even have a bass player. I was the singer. We did songs like "Peggy Sue'" "Summertime'" Elvis and Fats Domino songs.
You weren't an overnight sensation, it took a good 10 years or more before you made it. What kept you going all of those years?
I had some small successes along the way like "Ramblin' Gamblin Man" and then we had local singles that did well. We were able to play 800 to 1,000-seaters and fill them, so we were able to make a little bit of money. I remember looking at my income tax form for 1972 and I think I made $8,200 and we probably played 200 shows. And then I probably spent $7,000 of it on equipment. (laughs)
I just felt that people liked us. No matter where we played, we never got a tepid reaction. It was always a high energy act and we rocked and people that liked Rock & Roll liked us. It's as simple as that. I felt like a success because the crowds liked us. We didn't have the record company interest that we wanted. I guess at that point I wasn't much of a songwriter because I played all the time. I didn't have any time to write songs. I can't tell you how disillusioned I got and how tired I got of not making it, but I never gave up. After everybody had gone and the venues were empty, I remember some nights looking back at stages when I was so disillusioned and said, "You're not gonna chase me off that stage and I'll be back next time." My bass player, Chris Campbell, and I drove many miles together. He's the one who's been with me the longest in the Silver Bullet Band.
Early Seger Vol. 1 is the latest release by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Issued on Seger's own imprint, Hideout Records, the CD culls remastered versions of 10 songs (4 previously unreleased), the majority cut in the early '70s before Seger's national breakthrough. Listening to the 10 tracks, each offers unassailable proof of Seger's renowned musical mastery, coupling his trademark commanding sandpaper vocals, evocative, heartfelt lyrics and gritty musicianship (check out Jimmy McCarty's stellar solo on "Get Out of Denver," a track whose melody was borrowed years later by The Police on "Canary In A Coalmine").
As testament to Seger's interpretative genius, he beautifully reinvents covers of The Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rambler" and Tim Hardin's "If I Were A Carpenter" with typical expertise and aplomb. A notorious perfectionist, Seger reentered the studio in Detroit and fine-tuned several of these recordings: "Gets Ya Pumpin'," "Star Tonight," "Wildfire" and "Days When the Rain Would Come." To his credit, the artist's retro-active tweaking is imperceptible. Early Seger Vol. 1 is prime Seger no matter what you call it.
Track listing:
1. Midnight Rider (remastered from original Back in '72 tapes)
2. If I Were A Carpenter (remastered from original Smokin' O.P's tapes)
3. Get Out Of Denver (remastered from original Seven tapes)
4. Someday (remastered from original Smokin' O.P.'s tapes)
5. U.M.C. (Upper Middle Class) (remastered from original Seven tapes)
6. Long Song Comin' (originally appeared on Seven; extensively re-recorded Early Seger Vol. 1)
7. Star Tonight (Seger recording previously unreleased; first released as a cover by Don Johnson for his 1986 album, Heartbeat)
8. Gets Ya Pumpin' (previously unreleased; Seger's earliest version of this song, written in 1973, was entitled "Pumpin'")
9. Wildfire (previously unreleased)
10. Days When The Rain Would Come (previously unreleased)
Ordering info: http://www.bobseger.com
Retro-Active's Ken Sharp spoke with Bob Seger.
When did you realize music was what you wanted to do with your life?
Seger: It hit me when I was really young. I remember in Ann Arbor high school my best friends were so envious of me. They said, You know exactly what you want to do" and they had no clue what they wanted to do. When I was 15-years-old I played my first gig at the junior prom. I was a sophomore in 10th grade. But I actually played the 11th grade prom and that was the first time I was ever on stage. It was just me, a guitar player and a drummer, and that was it. We didn't even have a bass player. I was the singer. We did songs like "Peggy Sue'" "Summertime'" Elvis and Fats Domino songs.
You weren't an overnight sensation, it took a good 10 years or more before you made it. What kept you going all of those years?
I had some small successes along the way like "Ramblin' Gamblin Man" and then we had local singles that did well. We were able to play 800 to 1,000-seaters and fill them, so we were able to make a little bit of money. I remember looking at my income tax form for 1972 and I think I made $8,200 and we probably played 200 shows. And then I probably spent $7,000 of it on equipment. (laughs)
I just felt that people liked us. No matter where we played, we never got a tepid reaction. It was always a high energy act and we rocked and people that liked Rock & Roll liked us. It's as simple as that. I felt like a success because the crowds liked us. We didn't have the record company interest that we wanted. I guess at that point I wasn't much of a songwriter because I played all the time. I didn't have any time to write songs. I can't tell you how disillusioned I got and how tired I got of not making it, but I never gave up. After everybody had gone and the venues were empty, I remember some nights looking back at stages when I was so disillusioned and said, "You're not gonna chase me off that stage and I'll be back next time." My bass player, Chris Campbell, and I drove many miles together. He's the one who's been with me the longest in the Silver Bullet Band.
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