Truly dynamic 1974 broadcast from Bob Seger’s most potent era
By the mid-1970s, only one other American performer could match the popularity and impact of the recently baptised ‘Blue-Collar hero’ Bruce Springsteen, in terms of street cred. The man was Bob Seger, who by this juncture had led a number of local Detroit based bands since the early 1960s. He went solo in the early seventies, and formed the long-standing Silver Bullet Band in ’74.
The performance on this CD is from July 1974 – when Bob Seger was busy rampaging across the USA steadily solidifying his reputation as an all-out rocker of the very highest calibre. By this stage he already had a supremely strong body of work to draw on for his live sets, having released seven well-received studio albums since 1969. He had already built up a fearsome reputation in his native state, Michigan.
Probably the best-known of Seger’s own early compositions included on this CD is ‘Get Out Of Denver’ (from the 1974 album Seven), which was later covered by Eddie & the Hot Rods and Status Quo amongst others. ‘Rosalie’ is another of Seger’s better-known songs, taken from Back in ‘72 (1973) and most memorably covered by Thin Lizzy. The oldest Seger original here is ‘Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man’ the title track of his 1969 debut.
By now too Seger’s live sets were liberally sprinkled with dynamic cover versions – included here are the relatively-obscure ‘Gang Bang’, originally by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Ike and Tina Turner’s storming ‘Nutbush City Limits’ (written by Tina), Van Morrison’s bluesy ‘I’ve Been Working’, a marathon 12-minute version of Chuck Berry’s ‘Let It Rock’ and, the set-opener, blues legend Albert King’s ‘Don’t Burn Down The Bridge’.
Performed at Denver, Colorado’s legendary Ebbets Field venue on July 8th 1974, this irresistible show remains perhaps Bob Seger’s finest solo-gig across his entire career.