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.

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.

Bob Seger & the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section

Bob Seger has recorded many songs in the 1970s & 1980s with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (MSRS), a group of session musicians in the small town of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The core members of the MSRS are Barry Beckett (keyboards), Pete Carr (lead guitar), Jimmy Johnson (rhythm guitar), David Hood (bass) and Roger Hawkins (drums & percussion). I’m writing about their work with Bob Seger covering many of the songs they recorded with him from 1975’s “Beautiful Loser” album to 1980’s “Against the Wind” album. They also did some recording with Bob in the few years before and after this. Bob during this period alternated recording with the MSRS and his own band the Silver Bullet Band (SBB). A few SBB members played with the MSRS as we’ll soon see.

We’re starting with the “Beautiful Loser” album in 1975. The MSRS on this album had a second keyboardist, Spooner Oldham. The title track is a warm melodic ballad. Barry Beckett’s piano has a strong presence. He gives a good piano solo and also plays synth parts. The electric piano rocker “Black Night” is a case where the MSRS is augmented by an SBB member, being lead guitar by Drew Abbott. The electric piano would be played by Barry or Spooner. Drew also played guitar with the MSRS on the rock & roll song “Katmandu”. Barry gives great rock & roll piano including glissandos near the end.

We’re now going to the 1976 “Night Moves” album. The rocker “Sunspot Baby” opens with piano and is joined by guitar. Barry’s piano and Pete’s guitar go well together in this song. Pete has two amazing guitar solos. Roger rocks well with his powerful drumming. Rock ballad “Mainstreet” has incredible guitar by Pete Carr throughout it. Barry is on both piano and organ. David’s bass guitar gives deep notes that enrich the song. The ballad “Ship of Fools” is led by Pete’s acoustic guitar and Barry’s piano. Silver Bullet Band guitarist Drew Abbott plays guitar licks on it.

Sunspot Baby (1976)

Mainstreet (1976)

The following album is 1978’s “Stranger in Town”. The iconic “Old Time Rock & Roll” is written by George Jackson, Thomas Earl Jones III and Bob Seger in an uncredited capacity for re-writing the lyrics. Bob recorded his vocals over the original demo and added his saxophonist Alto Reed on it. The piano is played by Randy McCormick who was also involved with the MSRS and opens the song with its legendary intro. The guitars are played by different guitarists, Ken Bell and Forrest McDonald (lead).

A few members of the Eagles played guitar solos with the MSRS. Till it Shines featured the guitar solo by Glenn Frey. Don Felder played the guitar solo on the Frankie Miller cover “Ain’t Got No Money”. Barry gives great rock & roll piano notes near the end of that song. The popular ballad “We’ve Got Tonight”’s main instrument is Barry’s piano. Roger drums effectively where he alternates between playing softly and fully charged. David’s bass playing suits the song well. The Famous Final Scene is also a ballad with Barry on piano & organ and featuring orchestra. It’s more rock sounding than the previous song with Pete’s guitars throughout. All the instruments play strongly, matching well with Bob’s singing.

Ain’t Got No Money (1978)

The Famous Final Scene (1978)

On 1980’s “Against the Wind” album, the band is augmented by Randy McCormick of “Old Time Rock & Roll” on organ. The rocker “Long Twin Silver Line” is driven by Pete’s guitars. It opens with the guitars and is followed by Barry’s piano coming in via a glissando. Barry plays rock & roll piano notes which are louder in parts of the song such as the chorus. Pete plays a rocking guitar solo with subtle country influences. Randy’s organ has a stronger presence on the next two songs. They are both ballads with a soft rock feel. The guitars feature a good mix of acoustic and electric. I wonder if Jimmy is playing the acoustic guitar parts. Fire Lake features Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles on wonderful backing vocals. Barry’s piano and Randy’s organ go well together. Shinin’ Brightly is a positive, optimistic song. Throughout “Shinin’ Brightly”, Randy’s organ does great musical explorations. Barry does a bit of rock piano near the end.

Fire Lake (1980)

These songs are very well produced by Bob Seger and the MSRS. The MSRS are a great band who wonderfully support Bob Seger’s brand of American rock music. They are able to perform intense rockers, slow ballads and everything in between.The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section are an important part of the legacy of Bob Seger’s music. If you enjoyed this article, you might be interested in my previous article “Bill Payne’s Keyboards for Bob Seger”.

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.

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 Classic Rock Songs for Bob Seger to Record

In this article I’m listing ten classic rock songs that I think would be good choices to be covered by Bob Seger who I’m a fan of. The songs will be listed in the order of their release date. I’ll explain how his version of the song could go. Most of the artists are well-known, but some of the songs here are less famous. Bob has recorded songs both with his band the Silver Bullet Band and solo, so I will be making reference to the Silver Bullet Band in most cases. I’ll be listing the songs in the order of their release date and will be giving a list of musicians who would play on the song for some of them. Here’s my list.

Wild World - Cat Stevens (1970)

This song is chosen as it sounds like Bob Seger’s hit “Still The Same” having a similar set of instruments and even a short piano solo like “Still The Same”. On “Still The Same”, Bob played piano & acoustic guitars, and the impression I get is that Cat Stevens played those same set of instruments on “Wild World”. On this version, Bob would play piano & acoustic guitars. I don’t think the original version has an organ, and this version would have an organ that’s clearly audible similar to the one in “Still The Same”. This version would sound more like his song “Still The Same”. Here is a list of musicians that could play on it with the drummer being the only non-Silver Bullet Band musician.

Bob Seger - Vocal, Piano, Acoustic Guitars

Craig Frost - Organ

Chris Campbell - Bass

Russ Kunkel - Drums

Bad, Bad Leroy Brown - Jim Croce (1973)

I chose this song as it sounds a bit like Bob Seger and it’s melodic with great piano played in it. This version would have the addition of organ played by Silver Bullet Band keyboardist Craig Frost. Here is what I see as the line-up for the song.

Bob Seger - Vocal, Acoustic Guitar

Bill Payne - Piano

Craig Frost - Organ

Chris Campbell - Bass

Russ Kunkel - Drums

Ridin The Storm Out - REO Speedwagon (1973)

This is an old REO Speedwagon song from 1973 with Mike Murphy on lead vocals. The keyboards on the original are piano and synthesizer which were played by REO’s keyboardist Neil Doughty. Bob Seger’s version would have the addition of an organ. The original opens with a synthesizer effect followed by the guitars. In this version the organ would start when the guitars start. Original Silver Bullet Band guitarist Drew Abbott would come back for this song as I see similarities between the song’s guitar parts played by Gary Richrath and Drew’s playing.

Two Tickets to Paradise - Eddie Money (1977)

The type of signing that Eddie Money does on this song would suit Bob Seger’s singing and be even more powerful with his voice. It’s also a melodic rock song with piano which fits Bob Seger. I also envision original Silver Bullet Band guitarist Drew Abbott coming back for this song.

Lights - Journey (1978)

This is a great song due to its melody, piano, guitar, organ and powerful singing. This version would sound fantastic sung with Bob Seger’s powerful voice. I’d like to see Bob play more rock songs on the piano, and am envisioning him play piano on this song as its piano rocks well, but isn’t complicated.

What a Fool Believes - The Doobie Brothers (1978)

This version would really rock unlike the original. It would start off with the piano and then be joined by rocking guitars that replace the synths of the original. It would sound more like Bob Seger’s own song “Sunspot Baby”. The guitar solo that The Doobie Brothers have done in live versions would be used in the song and this version would have organ as well. As this is a rock version of the original, even the piano would be redone in a rock way.

Breakdown Dead Ahead - Boz Scaggs (1980)

Boz Scaggs has a high voice, and Bob Seger would sing this song quite different to the original. He would sing the song in his deep voice. This version would have organ as well.

Make Believe - Toto (1982)

I already envisioned Bob Seger covering a Toto song before in my post ‘Toto Tribute Album’ where I wrote of an imaginary Toto tribute album by big names in classic rock and even assigned another artist to this song there. However, I chose this as it has a saxophone (an instrument used a lot in Bob’s music) and also has some similarities to his 1982 hit song “Even Now” which is my favourite Bob Seger song. Both songs were produced in the same year, and this version would sound more like “Even Now”. The saxophone would be played by Silver Bullet Band saxophonist Alto Reed.

If This Is It - Huey Lewis and The News (1983)

I’m imagining this version sounding more like a track off Bob Seger’s album ‘Stranger In Town’ using that album’s arrangement style. This cover would sound more like his song “Till It Shines” off that album.

The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby & the Range (1986)

This version wouldn’t have the drum machines and synthesizers of the original replacing them with real drums and organ. I envision Bob making it sound more like his own song “The Fire Inside” and the musicians I’ve listed for playing this song feature pianist Roy Bittan, Silver Bullet bassist Chris Campbell and drummer Russ Kunkel who played on “The Fire Inside” song. The song’s intro would just be piano, then it gets joined by the drums at the same point as the original and the other instruments would join in. Bob would play an electric guitar which would have a rockier tone than the original and have a bit more prominent role in this version. Bob’s voice and singing style is quite different to Bruce Hornsby’s thus he’d sing it differently to Bruce in a louder way using the powerful qualities of his voice.

Bob Seger - Vocal, Guitar

Roy Bittan - Piano

Craig Frost - Organ

Chris Campbell - Bass

Russ Kunkel - Drums

That was my list of classic rock songs that I think would be good for Bob Seger to record. You might have noticed similarities between these songs and I hope you thought they suited Bob Seger. If you liked this article you might also like a previous Bob Seger article of mine ‘Ten Great Bob Seger Songs by Ten Different Piano Players’.