The Bob Seger Sound

I wanted to write about a musical arrangement Bob Seger has used in his music. It isn’t always

present in his music and he has used it less over the years, but it is common and a significant part of

his work so I’m calling it the Bob Seger sound. This Bob Seger sound incorporates piano, electric

guitar, acoustic guitar and organ. It’s most common on rock ballads, but is also present on full on

rock songs and of course quiet ballads. I’m only including songs in this article that feature these four

instruments. I am mentioning many, but not every single Bob Seger song that has all these

instruments on it will be featured. 

The song I’m going to begin with is a rock ballad “Mainstreet” (1976). This song is significant as the

lead guitarist of the song Pete Carr recently passed away at the end of June. That song was

recorded with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, a group of session musicians Bob Seger has

recorded with several times. I’ll now mention three songs from the next album “Stranger in Town”

(1978). One of its songs “Till It Shines” sounds similar to “Mainstreet” and it uses these four

elements effectively. It’s lead guitar part is far more intense than “Mainstreet” and the guitar solo is

played very well by late Glenn Frey of The Eagles. We’ve Got Tonight has those four instruments,

but uses them in a different way to produce a ballad that isn’t overtly rock like. It has an orchestra

and the organ parts are more subtle. Also, the electric guitar doesn’t give a rock sound. The Famous

Final Scene on the same album uses the ballad with an orchestra sound of “We’ve Got Tonight”, but

it brings the rock style into it, especially by Pete Carr’s rocking lead guitars. The piano on the song

rocks too.

The following album “Against The Wind” (1980) featured quite a few songs with these instruments,

being its ballads “No Man’s Land”, “Good For Me”, “Shinin’ Brightly”, “Fire Lake” and “Against the

Wind”. The last two are hits, especially the title track which is one of the most globally recognised

Bob Seger songs. Against The Wind goes in a more country direction, which is most evident in Paul

Harris’ piano solo and Drew Abbott’s electric guitar part playing along with it. Its organ is probably

most prominent in the second verse. 

The “Like a Rock” (1986) song has this arrangement. It’s a title track of the album of the same name.

It feels like a hybrid of “Against The Wind” and “Mainstreet”. It even refers to “Against The Wind” with

its lyric “Hard Against The Wind”. The organ is the only keyboard part during the first verse and it

does have a moment later on where it's louder in the mix with it matching with Bob’s powerful

singing. There are two other songs recorded during the same album’s sessions which remained

unreleased until 2009’s “Early Seger Vol. 1”, being “Star Tonight” and “Wildfire”. Star Tonight is a

signature Bob Seger rock ballad. We initially only hear piano, acoustic guitar and organ. The electric

guitar is barely present until it comes in giving the sudden jolt of a rocking guitar solo. The organ is

prominent in a special way in parts of the song. Wildfire is a full on rock song with these four

instruments, which has a similar arrangement of not having its electric guitar part until the solo and it

has some parts following that. It’s organ part is very subtle. This song features great piano, including

a piano solo and is reminiscent of his 1982 hit “Roll Me Away”.    

In 2003 for his “Greatest Hits 2” album, Bob Seger used these four instruments in a different way

than he usually does with his original blues song “Satisfied”. This song is interesting as it features

two acoustic guitars and one electric guitar, unlike some of the songs on this article which feature the

reverse arrangement when it comes to guitars. The electric guitar part is barely audible, with the

acoustic guitars being the prominent guitar part. The acoustic guitars do a blues part following the

first piano solo. Speaking of the piano, it is very catchy and melodic. I’ll conclude with “I’ll Remember

You” from Bob’s latest album “I Knew You When” (2017). This song features all four instruments

prominently with each one being stronger in different parts of the song. It’s a rock ballad that really

rocks and has incredible singing by Bob. It could have been a hit if it came out during Bob Seger’s

peak period.

Many of the songs on this list have been featured in my articles “Ten Powerful Rock Ballads by Bob

Seger” and “Ten Great Bob Seger Songs by Ten Different Piano Players”. I dedicate this article to

Pete Carr who played on some of the songs discussed and many others for Bob Seger. RIP Pete

Carr.  

Ten Powerful Rock Ballads by Bob Seger

Having written an article “Ten Powerful Rock Ballads by Elton John”, I decided to write a similar one

about Bob Seger. I have also written a Bob Seger article like this, that being “Ten Great Bob Seger

Songs by Ten Different Piano Players”. These songs also feature piano. I made a selection of Bob

Seger songs that I consider to be both ballads and rock songs. Some songs have more emphasis in

its ballad aspects, while others have more emphasis on its rock aspects. I feature a mixture of his

hits and album tracks. I feature songs credited with his band the Silver Bullet Band as well as solo

songs. Not all songs credited with the Silver Bullet Band feature them, and I’ll specify if that’s the

case. The first seven songs are credited with the Silver Bullet Band with the remaining three songs

being solo.

Mainstreet (1976)

This song is recorded with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, a group of session musicians in Alabama. This is a great song which has a brilliant guitar riff played by Pete Carr. The piano plays alone for half a second which is then joined by Pete Carr’s guitar riff which continues to come throughout the song. It has the Bob Seger sound of piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar and organ. The piano and organ is played by Barry Beckett. The piano brings a gentle feel and the organ has a relaxed, lounge atmosphere. About two minutes into the song Pete Carr delivers a captivating guitar solo. I like it how some of the lyrics say “Sometimes Even Now” as “Sometimes” and “Even Now” are two other Bob Seger songs I love. Near the end of the song Bob shoutingly sings “down on Mainstreet” in a long way. The organ does some good effects at this part.

The first song in my similar Elton John article is “Candle in the Wind”, and I think both songs sound

alike. They both have a similar length. In fact, I had described Elton John & Bob Seger performing

these songs together one after the other in my article of an imaginary concert by them called “Elton

John & Bob Seger Live in Concert”. 

The Famous Final Scene (1978)

This song uses the same set of musicians as the previous song. It opens with piano which is soon

joined by electric guitar which gives a rock vibe. The electric guitar plays the same riff as the piano in

a different way. We are then joined by Bob singing with it being mainly piano backing him. The

electric guitars come back about a minute into the song. There are some strings and an organ. The

guitar parts played by Pete Carr are rocking and powerful. In the last minute of the song, the piano

does a few good rock notes accompanied by the drums. 

You’ll Accomp’ny Me (1980)

This is a softer song whose guitar parts are all acoustic. This song seems like soft rock. The acoustic

guitar is played by Bob. The opening of the song is mainly acoustic guitar with brief bits of keyboards

in the background until the piano comes thirty six seconds in. Bill Payne plays piano, organ and

synthesizer on this song. His piano parts bring energy to the song. In parts of the song, the organ

becomes prominent and does something good. This is the first song on this list to feature Silver

Bullet Band musicians, being bassist Chris Campbell and drummer David Teegarden. 

The live version from the 1981 live album “Nine Tonight” is even better with its powerful piano played by Craig Frost. This song is from his successful “Against The Wind” album which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, having been released in 1980. The next song is another hit from the same album.

Fire Lake (1980)

Bob Seger described this song as “R&B meets country” and while those elements are there, I’d

place it as soft rock. The electric guitar parts have an interesting effect. Don Henley, Timothy B.

Schmit and Glenn Frey of the Eagles sing backing vocals. They sing supporting effects and at the

two and a half minute mark sing “who wants to go to fire lake” which they repeat several times. This

song is recorded with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and features piano by Barry Beckett and

organ by Randy McCormick (who played the piano on “Old Time Rock & Roll”). 

Like a Rock (1986) 

This is the title track of Bob Seger’s 1986 album and is a hit song. It opens with acoustic guitars with

subtle slide guitar parts by Rick Vito. The song is more rock than the previous two songs. Silver

Bullet Band member Craig Frost’s organ has a presence in the background. Bill Payne’s piano

comes in just before the chorus. In the chorus, Russ Kunkel ramps up his drums. In the bridge, Bob

sings much more intensely. Following this, Rick Vito gives the first of two incredible slide guitar solos.

Bill Payne gives good piano accompaniment to the slide guitar solos. I like it how Bob seemingly

makes a reference to his other hit “Against The Wind” with the line “Hard Against the Wind”. This

song goes on for an epic five minutes and fifty seven seconds. 

Miami (1986)

This is a song about the Cubans immigrating to America during the 1980s. It’s melodic and has a pop rock feel. It opens with drums, which is joined by the other instruments in a second. Bob Seger plays the piano in this song. He plays it well in a melodic way. The guitar part is an acoustic guitar. The song has good organ and horn parts, as well as Alto Reed’s saxophone playing. Craig Frost’s organ plays a good riff throughout the song. There is good harmony vocals by Don Henley. About the halfway mark, Brazilian percussionist Paulinho Da Costa plays good percussion with his hands. There is a brief moment where it’s just percussion and Bob’s singing. Bob brings his piano notes back in a good way a few seconds later. Near the end of the song, there’s a bit of rock piano playing by Bob Seger which is good to hear as he rarely plays rock piano. Bob’s rock piano notes here sound like the piano notes at the end of Jackson Browne’s “The Pretender”, which isn’t surprising as I remember reading Bob Seger speak highly of that song when praising Jackson Browne’s songwriting.

Always In My Heart (1991)

This song opens with piano played by Bruce Hornsby who had some hit singles credited with his then backing band The Range from 1986 - 1990. Bruce plays very good piano in this song. He moves the piano notes into good places musically which enriches the song. Bob sings powerfully. This song is recorded with session musicians except for Craig Frost’s synthesizer strings. It is reminiscent of Bob Seger’s popular song “We’ve Got Tonight”. We’ve Got Tonight was recorded with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and this song was produced by Barry Beckett (Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section keyboardist) and Bob Seger.

Wait For Me (2006)

This is a solo song as are the remaining two songs on the list. It opens with drums joined by piano a

few seconds later. This is the signature Bob Seger rock ballad sound featuring piano. It’s played by

frequent collaborator Bill Payne. Bob delivers the good lines “No matter how far, no matter free”. Bob

sings with such soul and passion in this song. He plays a good rocking guitar solo. If this song was

released during Bob’s classic period, I think it would have become a big hit. I’d say the same thing

about the next song.

I’ll Remember You (2017) 

This song has the Bob Seger sound of piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar and organ. It is similar to

his 1980 piano ballad “Good For Me”, so it seems like a rockier version of that song. The piano and

organ is played by Reese Wynans. Bob sings very powerfully in the song, most noticeably in the

choruses. The backing vocalists support Bob well and Kenny Greenberg gives intense rocking

guitar. Reese features his organ throughout the song. He plays some of his piano notes hard in an

effective rocking way. 

Maire (2017)

This song has the familiar Bob Seger piano ballad sound, while also sounding unlike anything he’s

ever done before. The piano is played by Steve Nathan. The song does rock with the piano and

drums giving a rock vibe. There are acoustic guitars including the acoustic flamenco guitar played by

Rob McNelley. Rob’s flamenco guitar parts appear in the last minute of the song. The flamenco

guitar is one aspect that makes it sound different to other Bob Seger songs.   

I hope you enjoyed my selection of Bob Seger rock ballads. I featured songs from every decade

from the 1970s to the 2010s. The 2020s isn’t featured as it’s only just beginning and there’s no new

Bob Seger songs so far. I’m sure Bob Seger would release his next album in this decade featuring

more powerful rock ballads worthy of this list. Feel free to give your thoughts on these songs or any

other Bob Seger rock ballads you like that are not featured here. 

Ten Powerful Rock Ballads by Elton John

I’m a fan of Elton John so I decided to write an article highlighting ten powerful rock ballads by Elton

John. I like piano in rock music, and the piano in these songs is played by Elton who’s the world’s

most successful singing pianist. I featured some of his hit songs in this list. I tried to select songs that

are both rock and ballad. If you don’t agree with my assessment of a song being a rock ballad, I

hope you’ll at least be interested in the song. All these songs are composed by Elton John with lyrics

written by his lyricist Bernie Taupin. I mention some of the musicians who played on these songs in

this post, most of which are Elton John’s band members as well as session musicians he’s worked

with. The most prominent member is Elton John’s guitarist Davey Johnstone who appears on eight

of the ten tracks. We begin with a song from the most popular period of Elton John’s career. 

Candle in the Wind (1973)

This song is part of Elton’s most successful studio album "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and was

recorded with the original Elton John band line-up of Davey Johnstone (guitars), Dee Murray (bass)

and Nigel Olsson (drums). The piano is most prominent in the verses. It has both acoustic and

electric guitars. The electric guitars give the song a rock feel, featuring the great guitar riff played

throughout the song. This is one of Elton’s most well known songs which is a showcase of his

melodic songwriting skills. I would like to see Elton record a whole album with just the four

instruments in this song (piano, guitar, bass, drums) and nothing else (meaning no keyboards,

percussion, strings, horns, etc) except backing vocals.  

The Fox (1981)

It opens with a piano which is soon joined by harmonica. After that Elton sings, with subtle drumming

by Nigel Olsson. A few guitar notes by Richie Zito are played. Dee Murray’s bass gets a bit louder.

After about a minute the drumming gets more intense with the guitar parts played a bit more. This

song has a country/americana element with the harmonica giving a sound different to the usual Elton

song, but at the base it has the traditional Elton John song structure. This song is a good example of

Elton mixing his own style with something different. This song’s rock elements come most

prominently from Elton’s great piano playing.

Healing Hands (1989)

This is my favourite Elton John song. It opens with Jonathan Moffett’s drums which is joined by the

piano four seconds later. The piano is joined by Davey Johnstone’s guitar and there is some

synthesizer parts. The guitar parts may not be very loud, but they do have a rock feel. Elton plays a

great piano solo that rocks at about the two and a half minute mark. Elton does great powerful

singing and I really like the optimistic message of the lyrics. I love the lyric "There’s a light, where the

darkness ends" in it.   

Amazes Me (1989)

The song has good backing vocals in the opening part and later on in the song. Elton delivers soulful

strong vocals. Davey plays rock guitar throughout the song. There is suddenly an intense guitar solo

giving the song a sudden jolt which contrasts with what was heard before with its stronger rock feel.

Near the end it is good to hear Elton sing the chorus line "could be this tune" very expressively unlike the previous instances.

The One (1992)

This is an epic long rock ballad going on for five minutes and fifty three seconds. It starts off simple

and slow, and the song gets more intense about fifty seconds in with the drums. In the first chorus

there is an acoustic guitar part. The piano and the drums give some rock in the chorus. The second

verse starts off slower with subtle drumming and then brings back the intense drumming and some

electric guitar comes in. Elton delivers a good piano solo which is supplemented with synthesizer.

Elton’s part at the end of the song is similar to his piano solo which is soon joined by a good rock

guitar part. The guitars on the song are played by Adam Seymour and Davey Johnstone. I assume

that the electric guitar parts are played by Davey, but I don’t know for sure. This song is reminiscent

of "Candle in the Wind" as both songs have acoustic & electric guitars and a rock guitar part, but no

guitar solo.

Believe (1995)

It opens with piano and subtle acoustic guitars. Drums soon join in. There is an orchestra and some

electric guitars. Near the end of the first verse, the electric guitars become more prominent which are

a strong part of the chorus. The electric guitars give the song a rock element. There is also a good

electric sitar solo by Davey Johnstone. This song can be described as a power ballad. 

Something About the Way You Look Tonight (1997)

This is his biggest hit as it was paired together with "Candle in the Wind 1997". It opens with all

instruments featuring a memorable opening played by the orchestra doubled on guitar. After that

piano is the dominant instrument which it continues to be during most of the verses. It features organ

by Paul Carrack. It has a great melody. About three minutes in, there is a good guitar solo played by

Davey Johnstone or John Jorgenson (who were both in Elton’s band on this album). Following that

there are some more prominent guitar parts.

I Want Love (2001) 

This song comes from his great 2001 comeback album "Songs from the West Coast". The album

had a back to the 70s approach, yet also is the most modern sounding album he’s made. The album

featured session musicians and his original two band members Davey Johnstone (guitar) and Nigel

Olsson (drums) who are both on this track. It opens with the great piano opening that’s joined by the

acoustic guitar played by Bruce Gaitsch. Interestingly, Bruce co-wrote Richard Marx’s 1987 hit rock

song "Don’t Mean Nothing" that I like. We hear some bass guitar notes, Nigel Olsson’s drums and

about twenty seconds later Davey Johnstone’s rocking electric guitar parts come in. There is a

bridge which gives a good change to the melody followed by Davey’s great guitar solo. This is one of

Elton’s best songs showcasing his strength in writing a melodic rock ballad.

Tinderbox (2006)

This song has a 70s Elton feel and also features both original band members Davey Johnstone

(guitars) and Nigel Olsson (drums). There is both acoustic and electric guitars, with the electric

guitars coming in at about the two minute mark. The bridge has more guitars and rocks well. There

is also good organ on the song by Elton’s late keyboardist Guy Babylon who died in 2009. His late

bassist Bob Birch is also on the track. Bob plays noticeable bass notes in the opening part as he’s

the only instrument other than piano in that section. Bob Birch died in 2012. The album "The Captain

& the Kid" that it's from is the last Elton John studio album that they both appeared on.

Candlelit Bedroom (2013)

This is a very Elton John song, having his signature piano based rock ballad sound. Doyle Bramhall

II’s guitar joins in about a minute in giving a good addition to the song. About two and a half minutes

in, there a rocking guitar solo which is good to have. We then go back to the chorus. It’s fitting that

this song list both opens and closes with a candle song which interestingly were released forty years

apart.  

I hope you enjoyed reading this list of Elton John rock ballads. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts

on any of these songs. If you enjoyed this article, you may be interested in my previous article "Sci-Fi

Elton John Songs".