MY BOB SEGER AWAKENING

For some reason, I never got into Bob Seger when I was younger, I don't really know why.  I didn't mind him, but I didn't really "get" him.  In 2004, when I was covering the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony the year he got in, I was struck by Kid Rock's speech about him.  I have always liked Kid Rock's taste in music - I generally like what he likes (although I don't dislike the same things that he does, we don't agree on Radiohead). Anyway, I picked up both of Bob's greatest hits albums and was knocked out by how many great songs that he's written.

Earlier this year, he reissued his two live albums, both classics: 1976's Live Bullet and 1981's Nine Tonight. It really pointed out just how great The Silver Bullet Band were, they were probably as tight as, say, The E Street Band or The Heartbreakers.

Full disclosure: I got these CDs from the label, but if I didn't, and someone played them for me, I'd buy them.  They are great, great live rock and roll records that you really need to hear. The difference in the albums is that the band (two guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and sax) got smoothed out a bit by Nine Tonight and they added female backing singers, and by that point, they started having hits with mellower songs that kind of laid the foundation for classic rockers making "adult contemporary" music (like "Against The Wind," "You'll Accomp'ny Me"). When I was younger, these songs didn't do anything for me.  Some things you just grow into, I guess.

Nine Tonight has one of my favorite songs ever, "Rock and Roll Never Forgets," which I definitely prefer to "That Old Time Rock and Roll." "Rock and Roll Never Forgets," it could almost be about me.  It still rings true when I hear it, and I never get tired of it.  I feel like I owe Bob something for writing it.

By the way, Bob has also just released Ultimate Hits, a 2 CD set, which is a great place to start out, but I definitely recommend the live albums.