Six Strong Silver Bullet Band Work for Bob Seger

Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band are a very successful band in American classic rock. In this article, I decided to feature six songs of theirs focusing on a contribution on each one from a Silver Bullet Band member. I will give my thoughts on the importance of their part/s in the song.

Robyn Robbins - Organ on Live Version of Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man (1976)

Keyboardist Robyn Robbins who was in the Silver Bullet Band in the 70s provides great rock organ playing in the live version of Bob Seger’s first US hit. He improves upon the instrument’s part in the original recording. Robyn’s organ is the lead instrument and gives a good musical base for this song. Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man gives a unique sound fusioning rock and soul.

David Teegarden - Double Drums on Hollywood Nights (1978)

Drummer David Teegarden plays two sets of drums on “Hollywood Nights”. This provides a powerful rock beat with it frequently having the drum effects where it sounds like it’s going up and then down. David’s drums work very well for this intense rock song which has a hard rock feel.

Bob Seger - Piano & Acoustic Guitars on Still the Same (1978)

I wanted to feature an instrumental contribution from Bob Seger himself. He’s on double duty on this ballad playing both piano and acoustic guitars. His acoustic guitars contribute to the musical texture of this song. I’m focusing specifically on his piano playing. Bob’s piano playing suits this ballad well. His piano has detail and is the song’s lead instrument. Bob gives us a nice piano solo.

Alto Reed - Saxophone on Old Time Rock & Roll (1978)

This is probably Bob Seger’s most popular song which pays tribute to 50s rock & roll music. It’s interesting as Bob recorded his vocals to the original demo of the song by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (a group of session musicians Bob worked with in the 70s & 80s). Silver Bullet Band saxophonist Alto Reed recorded his solo as an overdub. Alto’s sax part has a warm and soulful feel suiting a rock & roll song. It provides a good contrast to Forrest McDonald’s guitar solo which came earlier in the song.

Drew Abbott - Lead Guitar on Feel Like a Number (1978)

For this intense rock song, I’m focusing on original guitarist Drew Abbott. I don’t know if Drew is playing all the guitars, but he is definitely playing the lead guitar. There is an intense rock guitar which matches well with the piano. The opening guitar riffs are catchy. These riffs also appear throughout the song. Drew plays a powerful guitar solo which is recognisably his style. This solo is fast and has a lot of energy. This song showcases what a great rock guitarist Drew Abbott is.

Craig Frost - Piano & Organ on The Ring (1986)

Craig Frost who joined the Silver Bullet Band as the keyboardist in 1979 plays piano & organ on this song. His piano part is prominent, but his organ part is low in the mix. The Ring has a pop rock feel. The guitar parts are acoustic, which gives the keyboards more room to rock. Craig plays a powerful melodic heartland rock piano sound which Bob Seger uses in his songs. There are two incredible piano solos. When Craig’s piano rocks in this song, it’s in sync with the drums played by session drummer Gary Mallaber.

These songs show what a great rock band Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band are. They can rock very well and also deliver strong ballads. The songs above are musically diverse, reflecting their creativity.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Bob Seger & the Silver Band’s breakthrough. The Silver Bullet Band had toured with him for a few years and appeared on his albums, but it was in 1976 that they started being credited with Bob on his albums. The Silver Bullet Band haven’t made an album with Bob Seger since 1995. I would like Bob Seger to make a new album with the Silver Bullet Band again. I would want an album to have the melodic songwriting and great piano use of their 1978 album “Stranger in Town”.

Sadly, Alto Reed passed away in 2020. The only remaining band members other than Bob are Chris Campbell (bass) and Craig Frost (keyboards). I’d like to see former members Drew Abbott (guitar), David Teegarden (drums) and Robyn Robins (keyboards) come back for this. Bob Seger can produce this album with his manager Punch Andrews as they produced some of his best work in many Silver Bullet Band recordings in the 70s and 80s.

Singers & Sidemen Songs

Sidemen are backing musicians who play for singers. They could be members of a singer’s band and/or session musicians. I decided to write an article collecting a set of songs of singers and a song one of their sidemen sing. I paired it so that the sideman played on the singer's song. These pairs are set where the first song is by the singer and the second song is by the sideman. There are even a few cases where the singer appears on the sideman’s song. We’ll start by going back 50 years.

Elton John - (Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket (1975)

I chose this song as Elton John’s “Captain Fantastic” album is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. I recently listened to the very good Dolby Atmos version of the album on Blu-ray audio. This is a powerful rocker opened by Davey Johnstone’s guitar. Davey plays great guitar throughout. Elton rocks out on his piano and also plays a clavinet which gives quirky keyboard parts. Elton’s vocals are aggressive. The backing vocals of Elton’s band support him well. Davey gives one of his signature sounding guitar solos. Nigel Olsson rocks very well with his powerful drumming. This song shows what a great rock artist Elton John is.

Nigel Olsson - Showdown (1980)

This is a solo song by Elton’s drummer Nigel Olsson. Nigel and Elton’s roles are inverted here as Elton plays piano on this song. Elton’s original bassist Dee Murray is also on this song. Nigel sings soulfully in this rock song and his drumming is powerful. The castanets remind me of those instruments featured on Elton’s rock classic “Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding”. There are good synth parts featured in the song. This song has a good early 80s soft rock feel. Elton plays great rock piano especially at the end of the song.

Eric Clapton - Somebody’s Knockin’ (2016)

This is Eric Clapton’s version of an unreleased J.J. Cale song. It has a blues rock feel. Eric rocks out with his guitar in the opening section. Keyboardist Chris Stainton supports the song with his piano. A few minutes into the song, Chris gives a good piano solo. I like how he makes the notes go up and down. Following that, we get a bluesy organ solo by Paul Carrack. Paul’s organ has a good presence in the song following this solo. The song ends with Eric giving a powerful solo. In it, Eric’s guitar matches well with Chris’ piano and Paul interjects good organ parts in.

Ace (Paul Carrack) - How Long (1974)

This is a hit song Paul Carrack had with the band Ace. Paul has worked with Eric in the studio and been a member of his band for some tours. Paul wrote, sang and played keyboards on this song. It’s opened solely by its bass guitar part and Paul’s electric piano part soon joins in. Paul sings in a warm and melodic way. His electric piano matches well with the guitar solo. This is a 70s soft rock classic.

Jackson Browne - For Everyman (1973)

Jackson Browne’s folk rock song features a mix of guitars, piano and organ. The guitar part is mainly acoustic. Jackson and David Lindley both play that instrument, with David also playing electric guitar. Jackson sings in an intimate way. Craig plays a good piano part. The organ played by Jimmy Buffett’s keyboardist Michael Utley adds a lot of colour to the song. David plays a gentle electric guitar part near the end. This is an epic six minute long song.

Craig Doerge - Reno (1973)

This is a song from Craig Doerge’s solo album. Craig did a lot of work with Jackson Browne in the studio and has toured with him. He was part of Jackson’s hit album “Running on Empty” of original songs recorded on the road. Craig plays good rock piano and sings in a deep way. The backing vocals are strong and effective. The guitar comes in and out of the song with its strong parts. The guitar part at the end of the song goes well with Craig’s piano. This is a good mid-tempo rock song.

Michael Stanley - Sound of a Train (2015)

Michael Stanley is an American rock singer from Cleveland. I wish more people around the world knew about his work. This is a song he wrote with his guitarist Marc Lee Shannon. I had previously featured Marc’s version of the song in my article “Ten Train Songs”. This song features acoustic guitar, piano and organ. Michael sings in a warm and powerful way. The piano gives off a relaxing, warm feel and the organ adds to the song. It has an americana rock ballad feel, which reminds me of Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind” album.

Marc Lee Shannon - I’m On It (2006)

Michael produced Marc Lee Shannon’s debut album, which sees them reverse roles. Michael played instruments on the album, and he wrote and provided backing vocals on this song. It opens with a powerful drum beat and gets into this great rock feel. The song features a good mix of guitar, piano and organ. Marc sings in a tough way with passion. His vocals are very effective. Michael’s backing vocals come in which are featured in sections of the song. They support Marc well. I like how Marc and Michael’s voices go together. There’s a creative country influenced guitar solo I’m assuming is by Marc. I like the ad-libbing Marc does towards the end of the song. This is a catchy, melodic country rock song.

Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Little Drummer Boy (1987)

As we’re approaching Christmas, it’s fitting to feature a Christmas song. Bob sings this Christmas classic powerfully. Silver Bullet Band keyboardist Craig Frost provides a good piano part which gives a foundation to the song. Saxophonist Alto Reed provides nice sax parts. Alto mentioned that the Silver Bullet Band had recorded often with drummer Don Brewer, yet this is the only officially released studio track with him. Don was a touring drummer on most Silver Bullet Band tours from the 1980s to the 2010s. The guitar parts are played by Rick Vito and Bruce Springsteen guitarist Nils Lofgren. There is a great guitar part that comes throughout the song. It’s great to have a Christmas song given the Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band rock treatment.

Grand Funk Railroad (Don Brewer & Craig Frost) - We’re An American Band (1973) 

This #1 US hit is written and sung by Don Brewer who’s the drummer of Grand Funk Railroad. The song opens with a creative drumming part. Don sings loudly in a passionate way. He drums very well throughout this song, hitting the drums with intensity. The band’s keyboardist Craig Frost plays great electric piano. He does wonderful synth work in the choruses. Don and Craig would both end up working with Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band the following decade with Don as a touring musician and Craig an official member. Mark Farner gives a good guitar solo. This rock song is produced by Todd Rundgren.

These singers & sidemen songs feature a diverse range of rock songs. It’s interesting that the opening and closing pairs both feature a sideman song by a singing drummer. The singers in both pairs are my two favourite singers Elton John & Bob Seger. If you enjoyed this article, you might be interested in my previous article “Ten Songs Featuring Elton John Sidemen Vol. 2”.

Bob Seger's You'll Accomp'ny Me Live

One of Bob Seger’s popular songs is “You’ll Accomp’ny Me”. It comes from his 1980 album “Against the Wind” which includes the hit single of the same name. I decided to write a blog post about the live version. The original version featured Bob Seger on acoustic guitar. He was accompanied by members of the Silver Bullet Band Chris Campbell (bass) & David Teegarden (drums) and Little Feat members Bill Payne (keyboards) & Sam Clayton (percussion). Little Feat is a southern rock band. This is an upbeat soft rock song with a jolly feel.

The live version is from 1981’s live album “Nine Tonight”. It was performed at the Boston Garden in October 1980 which is exactly 45 years ago. Silver Bullet Band members Drew Abbott and Alto Reed who weren’t on the original recording play on this version. Drew plays acoustic guitar and saxophonist Alto doesn’t play sax, but organ. Piano is played by keyboardist Craig Frost who joined the band for the “Against the Wind” Tour this performance is from.

The opening section has acoustic guitar with organ briefly appearing. Bob sings and soon the piano appears. Alto’s organ contributes greatly to the rich musical sound of this performance. Bob sings powerfully with passion. I think this version is better than the studio version. Craig’s piano is what elevates it in my view. I love the way he rocks on that instrument. The song concludes with Bob thanking the audience and saying “great to be back in Boston”. Even though this song is a ballad, it has a great rock energy. It showcases the power of Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band at their peak. Similar to how this performance is exactly 45 years ago, this month marks my 15th anniversary of becoming a Bob Seger fan in October 2010.

Ten Great Rock Songs Opening Albums

I decided to write an article about ten great rock songs that open albums. I wrote about a few of the songs with different text before in previous articles. In the headings, I mention the song and the artist followed by a colon with the album name. Let’s begin.

Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding by Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

This is an epic progressive rock opener from Elton John’s most popular studio album. It opens with atmospheric effects and bells followed by David Hentschel’s synth playing. Elton’s piano then comes with the other instruments being subtle. Soon it goes into a full band sound with Davey Johnstone providing a guitar solo. David Hentschel’s synth parts add to the song. Funeral for a Friend is the instrumental part of the song and “Love Lies Bleeding” is the second half featuring Bernie Taupin lyrics sung by Elton. In “Love Lies Bleeding”, bassist Dee Murray’s part is noticeable. This song showcases Elton John’s strength as a rock artist as it rocks so hard.

Nothing but the Truth by Procol Harum: Exotic Birds and Fruit (1974)

Both this song and the previous one overlap as they are both by English artists from the same time period and Procol Harum are a progressive rock band. Lead singer and piano player Gary Brooker leads the song with his piano playing. His opening piano riff rocks great and comes back a few more times. The arrangement is expansive with a subtle orchestra included. This is a powerful catchy rock song with its incredible chorus.

Once or Twice by Chicago: Chicago X (1976)

This song goes in a different direction to the previous ones as this is jazz rock. It’s written and sung by original Chicago guitarist Terry Kath. The signature Chicago horns are a big part of the song including a saxophone solo. I like Robert Lamm’s rock and roll piano. It’s creative to feature that kind of piano playing in a jazz rock song. Terry provides a tough vocal which is suitably powerful.

Running on Empty by Jackson Browne: Running on Empty (1977)

This is the title track from Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty” album of original songs recorded entirely on the road, with some of it recorded live such as this one. The song is led by the guitar and features the piano well. Pianist Craig Doerge’s notes are an important part of this song. David Lindley provides two incredible slide guitar solos. Jackson crafted a memorable melodic piece of heartland rock reflecting the US at that time.

Say You’ll Be Mine by Christopher Cross: Christopher Cross (1979)

This is from Christopher Cross’s self-titled debut album. Christopher sings with passion in his voice. Jay Graydon provides a guitar solo that’s both relaxing and rocking. I detect a possible jazz influence in Jay’s solo. Michael Omartian’s piano notes work well in the song. Nicolette Larson gives good backing vocals singing well with Christopher. This is an enjoyable form of yacht rock.

Running Man by Al Stewart: 24 Carrots (1980)

It opens with backing vocal singing, piano notes and other instruments including guitar. Following this section, there is the main piano riff which is soon doubled by guitar. This song has a good mix of piano and guitar. There is a latin sounding acoustic guitar solo. I like the percussion beat. Al Stewart brings his signature brand of soft rock.

I’ll Never Need Anyone More by Michael Stanley Band: Heartland (1980)

This song by the Michael Stanley Band is written and sung by Michael. It’s guitar driven and features good piano backing. There is a strong guitar solo in the middle. I like the fact that this song has three keyboards which are piano, organ and synth. The synth effects near the end are nice. I like this heartland rock sound.

Rosanna by Toto: Toto IV (1982)

This song opens with Jeff Porcaro’s epic drumming. The singing alternates between guitarist Steve Lukather and lead singer Bobby Kimball in the verses. I like the sound of the band singing together in the choruses. Steve Porcaro provides a synth solo followed by Steve Lukather’s guitar solo which contrasts well. David Paich who wrote the song provides a great piano part which holds the song together. I assume the organ part near the end is by David. It’s nice to hear jamming by David Paich and Steve Lukather in the final section.

Allentown by Billy Joel: The Nylon Curtain (1982)

This song is about the American town of Allentown, Pennsylvania. It opens with a train noise. Billy’s piano leads the song well with it being the most prominent in the verses. There are cool percussion and sound effects repeated throughout. The percussion is by drummer Liberty DeVitto and Billy seems to be doing the sound effects. This song shows Billy's strength in writing and singing a melodic rock song. It’s good how Billy stretches certain words he sings. There is a prominent rocking guitar part near the end.

Even Now by Bob Seger: The Distance (1982)

This is one of Bob Seger’s lesser known hits. It has an epic intro. This song is very melodic with incredible piano by Roy Bittan. Former Eagles guitarist Don Felder plays the guitar. Bob’s saxophonist Alto Reed provides good support. Bob gives incredible singing showcasing his vocal range. I love how he sings both the lead vocals and the backing vocals in the chorus. Bob ends with singing “Even Now” stretched out followed by guitar & piano parts and Craig Frost’s organ notes which close the track. This is my favourite Bob Seger song.

This was my selection of rock songs I like that open albums. I tried to feature a balance of popular and lesser known songs. Interestingly, I recently listened to Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty” albums from this article in 5.1 surround sound which sounded very good in that format.

Bill Payne's Keyboards for Bob Seger

Bob Seger has worked with keyboardist Bill Payne from 1978 onwards. Session musician Bill Payne is part of the southern rock band Little Feat. Bill first worked with Bob playing piano & organ on his 1978 hit “Hollywood Nights” from the “Stranger in Town” album. Bill’s keyboards are just organ at the start. During the first verse, he brings in his piano which adds depth to the song. The piano rocks well with some notable moments. A few years later Bill played all the keyboards (piano, organ & synth) on the ballad “You’ll Accomp’ny Me” from the “Against the Wind” album. This song opens with acoustic guitar and Bill soon brings in his piano & organ. His synth is hard to hear. The piano makes this song whole and there are strong organ moments. In both songs, Bill played with Bob who was the sole guitarist.

Hollywood Nights (1978)

You’ll Accomp’ny Me (1980)

On the next album “The Distance”, two songs Bill played piano include the country hit “Shame on the Moon” and the ballad “Love’s the Last to Know”. On the Rodney Crowell cover “Shame On the Moon”, the sole keyboards at the start are organ. After the first chorus, Bill brings in a memorable piano solo with piano continuing throughout the song. Bill’s piano elevates “Shame On the Moon”. Piano is the main instrument on the ballad “Love’s the Last to Know” giving Bill a stronger presence than the previous songs. He plays gently and melodically giving the power of a piano ballad. In these three songs, he played with Silver Bullet Band keyboardist Craig Frost on organ and would do the same on the songs in the next paragraph.

Bill played keyboards (piano & synth) on most tracks on the 1986 “Like a Rock” album. This is the most prominent presence he’s had on a Bob Seger album. I will describe what I consider to be his best contribution from that album. In the heartland rocker “American Storm”, his piano is driving the song. In the rock ballad title track, he was playing gently and supported Rick Vito’s slide guitar solos well. In the intense rock song “Sometimes”, he played a good supporting role and provided a memorable piano solo.

American Storm (1986)

This album also has songs with the combination of him on piano and Craig Frost on synth. The two keyboards went well together on “The Aftermath” with Bill rocking out well. The two instruments were used in a different way on the ballad “Somewhere Tonight”. Somewhere Tonight has gentle sections driven by Bill’s piano and rockier sections driven by Rick Vito’s guitar. On the following 1991 album “The Fire Inside”, he played on two Tom Waits covers. One of them was the jazz song “New Coat of Paint” which brings a completely different sound to what Bob normally does. Bill does incredible piano playing including having two piano solos. The other one was the country song “Blind Love” with his prominent gentle country playing.

We’re now going back to a Bob Seger original. Bill played piano on the 2006 rock ballad “Wait for Me” which is a very Bob Seger song. Bill gives warm melodic playing. He backed Bob Seger’s guitar solo. I didn't like how the “Face the Promise” album this song is from had a lack of keyboards on it. I wanted there to be more piano on the album. I wish Bill could have played on more tracks. His presence would have elevated the material like how he did on “Hollywood Nights” as that song was recorded as a band without the keyboards first. I’m imagining how great the title track could have sounded with Bill’s piano & organ.

Wait for Me (2006)

On Bob’s last album “I Knew You When” in 2017, Bill played on three songs. The “I Knew You When” songs featured unreleased songs, most of which had been updated as well as a few covers and newly written songs. These songs Bill played on were from the unreleased “Blue Ridge” album recorded in the late 1990s. On the piano ballad “I Knew You When”, Bill plays in a relaxed, gentle way. In aggressive rocker “Forward Into the Past”, Bill plays a supporting role. He gives good rock piano moments throughout the song. The song “Blue Ridge” opens with real drums and steel drums. I suspect these steel drums are played by Craig Frost on keyboards as I didn’t see any steel drums in the credits. Soon, Bill’s piano appears. It gives a good presence in this melodic rocker. Bill accompanies Bob on his rocking guitar solo.

Blue Ridge (2017)

These songs showcase Bill Payne’s contributions to Bob Seger’s work. He is one of the key session musicians Bob has worked with over the years. Bill contributed to the iconic Bob Seger sound and brought vibes from americana & southern rock. The Bob Seger songs he played on are rockers & ballads and also other genres like country & jazz. Bill showed the power of the piano as a rock instrument. I hope to see Bill Payne reunited on the next Bob Seger album.

Bob Seger's Old Time Rock & Roll Live

In 2004, American rock singer Bob Seger was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. One of the two songs he performed with the Silver Bullet Band at his induction ceremony was his iconic hit “Old Time Rock & Roll”. The song comes from his 1978 album “Stranger in Town” and I wrote an article about the making of it for its 40th anniversary three years ago. I recently discovered an official video of him performing that song that was uploaded by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year to YouTube on Bob Seger 75th birthday. I’m pleased that they uploaded this video as I had been wanting to see this performance for years. In this post, I’m embedding the video below with my thoughts on it afterward.

This version has similarities to the live version on his 1981 live album “Nine Tonight” which includes the rockier guitar solos by Drew Abbott, Alto Reed’s saxophone solos and Craig Frost’s piano. I’m pleased that this version has the original piano intro which is played by Craig Frost unlike the “Nine Tonight” version that uses a long guitar intro. A new component in this version is the more intense guitars which probably comes from Mark Chatfield who plays guitar alongside original Silver Bullet Band guitarist Drew Abbott. I’m glad that Drew reunited with the Silver Bullet Band for Bob Seger’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. 

You can see Bob’s enthusiasm and happiness in his performance. It’s evident when he calls and points to Drew Abbott before Drew’s first solo. This solo is Drew’s own creation taking inspiration from the song’s original solo by Forrest McDonald. About a minute later Alto performs his solo which is a more soulful variant of his original solo that’s been heard numerous times the world over. It’s special to see Alto as he sadly passed away in December 2020. 

I like how this version is longer than the original as there is an extended section near the end of the song. This section includes another guitar solo by Drew that takes elements from the guitar notes towards the end of the studio version. Alto also plays his saxophone solo a second time. It’s great to see Craig play prominent rock & roll piano notes in the middle of Alto’s solo. Old Time Rock & Roll is a globally popular classic rock song which is a celebration of the power of music, specifically rock & roll music. While Bob is singing about 50s rock & roll, to me this song is a celebration of his and other great rock & roll from his generation.

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.