B Seger Rides Again (Rating: 3 out of 5) Some great songs (Her Strut/Rock & Roll Never Forgets) some lame fillers. Seger's stuff is not on iTunes, so not being able to buy individual songs forces you to buy whole CD's-a strategy that maximizes Bob's net worth-not yours.
Old School to the max (Rating: 3 out of 5) Audio quality wasn't up to par with modern CDs. I bought this for a couple of songs but I'm not a big Seger fan overall. I think these songs are best remembered and not purchased. If you must, buy a single from iTunes or something similar and save $10.
Seeger at his best (Rating: 5 out of 5) Most greatest hits CD's are terrible. This one is outstanding and shows Seeger at his best.
startin' to learn (Rating: 4 out of 5) Ah, Bob, Bob, Bob, you do it so well.
Rock-and-roll troubadour of the male soul, there is nobody quite like Bob Seger for a night at home after some manly task has been accomplished.
How, then, to sum up the man's gift? Bob Seger's reportoire is one of the purest exemplars of basic, raw rock-and-roll that one can hope to hear. There's nothing fancy. Basic bass patterns, predicatable but competent drumming, the characteristic Seger-esque female background vocals, and Seger himself practically swallowing the microphone. It's classic, and oh how it works!
The two poles of Seger's work are exemplified by the hilariously raucous 'Katmandu', followed immediately by the sensitive and balladic 'Shame on the Moon'. The latter is worth quoting:
Until you've been beside a man
You don't know what he wants
You don't know if he cries at night
You don't know if he dont
When nothin' comes easy
Old nightmares are real
Until you've been beside a man
You don't know how he feels
Once inside a woman's heart
A man must keep his head
Heaven opens up the door
Where angels fear to tread
Some men go crazy
Some men go slow
Some men go just where they want
Some men never go
Oh blame it on midnight
Ooh shame on the moon
Everywhere its all around
Comfort in a crowd
Strangers faces all around
Laughin right out loud
Hey watch where your goin
Step light on old toes
Cause until youve been beside a man
You don't know who he knows
Oh blame it on midnight
Ooh shame on the moon
Oh blame it on midnight
Ooh shame on the moon
In the hands of a lesser rock-and-roll artist, this tune would sound maudlin, even grotesque. Seger tunes it just right, so much so that even a listener damagingly intoxicated by the crude reductions of men that are too common must surely sense the genuine portrait of the masculine soul that Seger's brush gives us here.
Other high points on this compilation include the bluesy 'Hardest Thing I'll Ever Do' followed by the driving, up-tempo comin'-to-get-you 'Shakedown'. Seger was made for this tune, which served as the theme song for the motion picture Beverly Hills Cop. Yet, for this reviewer, it is Seger's balladesque moments that stand out. Like Eros Ramazotti and other scratchy-voiced male soloists, Seger goes down exceptionally well in duet with an expressive female voice. This anthology's luscious paring of our man with Martin McBride on 'Chances Are' is a parade example.
There are sixteen tracks on this rather thick 'best of' album. It's rich fare. Don't miss Seger's first and principle "Greatest Hits' album, but when you've finished with that one, Greatest Hits 2 will keep the this thing he's got goin', well, goin'.
Rounds out your collection of this great singer writer. (Rating: 5 out of 5) Saw Bob Seger in Feb 07 and he did a few songs from this album, so I bought it the next day. Not quite as great as the first Best Hits album but it is needed for a more complete collection. I like the song 'Understanding' and never heard it before.