This baby was requested here as it has become pretty hard to find: Classic Rock’s legend BOB SEGER “Ultimate Hits: Rock and Roll Never Forgets”, a career-spanning 2 CD set running the length of his full music career, featuring completely new remasters of each song, all from the original master tapes.
The best part of a compilation that takes the best pieces of an artist’s career is the opportunity to remember why a particular artist stayed around and popular for so long.
For more than 40 years, the songs of Bob Seger have resonated in a songwriter’s style with a sound Seger keeps individualistic. His attention to the details make his songs stand up above simple chord progressions.
For those listeners who may have only heard the super popular hits, “Ultimate Hits: Rock and Roll Never Forgets” introduces songs like “Fire Lake” and his first-ever single “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” shows up here for the first time on CD, finally bringing something from the Bob Seger System days to the digital era.
More stories that stay timeless while transporting the listener to different places in time through effective use of imagery. “Like A Rock” may pull listeners into a Chevy commercial, while tracks like “Her Strut” may show the inspiration Seger took from artists like ZZ Top.
Even “Still the Same” recalls a Led Zeppelin feel in its theme and presentation.
The rockers like “The Fire Down Below” and the title track sound terrific, the ballads like “We’ve Got Tonight” and “Against the Wind” sound as fine as always, and of course you can’t begrudge the absolute classics: “Night Moves”, “Mainstreet”, “Turn the Page” and his biggest-charting song; the 80’s mainstream “Shakedown”.
We also have two previously unreleased tracks: a middle-of-the-road ride on Tom Waits’ “Downtown Train” and a far more fun romp through the Little Richard classic “Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey (Going Back to Birmingham)”.
“Ultimate Hits: Rock and Roll Never Forgets” adequately comprises Seger’s career, one of the biggest icons of the Classic Rock genre.
What is perhaps most striking about this set, though – and this speaks more to Seger’s indelible impact on American music than it does anything else – is that at 26 tracks it still doesn’t cover all the hits.
Young listeners who heard Bob Seger because of Metallica’s cover of “Turn the Page” should dive into this compilation to uncover the nuggets of truth that may have been missed.
For the Classic Rock fans, here’s a way to finally get remastered material plus some rare tracks in one convenient place, surrounded by some of Seger’s very best music.
Solid ‘as a rock’ retrospective. Highly Recommended
Disc One:
01. Old Time Rock And Roll
02. Hollywood Nights
03. Night Moves
04. Mainstreet
05. Roll Me Away
06. Turn The Page
07. Her Strut
08. Still The Same
09. You’ll Accomp’ny Me
10. We’ve Got Tonight
11. Like A Rock
12. Fire Lake
13. Tryin’ To Live My Life Without You
Disc Two:
01. Rock And Roll Never Forgets
02. Against The Wind
03. Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man
04. The Fire Down Below
05. Travelin’ Man (Live)
06. Beautiful Loser (Live)
07. Shakedown
08. Shame On The Moon
09. Katmandu
10. Little Drummer Boy
11. Wait For Me
Previously Unreleased:
12. Hey Hey Hey Hey (Going Back To Birmingham)
13. Downtown Train
BOB SEGER – Ultimate Hits; Rock And Roll Never Forgets (Remastered 2-CD)
 |
