Against the Wind (album)
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| The Boston Phoenix | Unfavorable[2] |
| Robert Christgau | C+[3] |
| Los Angeles Times | Favorable[4] |
| The New York Times | Favorable[5] |
| Rolling Stone | Unfavorable[6] |
| Smash Hits | 5/10[7] |
Against the Wind is the twelfth album by American rock singer Bob Seger and his fourth with the Silver Bullet Band. It was released in February 1980. It is Seger's only number-one album to date, spending six weeks at the top of the Billboard Top LPs chart, knocking Pink Floyd's The Wall from the top spot.
Release
Against the Wind was an immediate commercial success, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart in its third week and remaining there for five weeks behind Pink Floyd's The Wall before reaching No. 1 and holding the top position for six weeks.[8] By late 1981 the album sold 3.7 million copies in the United States[9] and was certified 5x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2003.
Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band won the 1980 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for the album Against the Wind and Capitol Records art director Roy Kohara won the Grammy Award for Best Recording Package.[10][11]
Critical reception
Rock critic Dave Marsh, writing for Rolling Stone, strongly criticized the album as a betrayal of Seger's longtime fans: "I'd like to say that this is not only the worst record Bob Seger has ever made, but an absolutely cowardly one as well" saying that Seger had crafted "failureproof songs that are utterly listenable and quite meaningless." Marsh had followed Seger since before Night Moves, when Seger finally gained national fame, and said in his review that Seger's long, tireless struggle to stardom is trivialized by this record. "He had to fight hard to prove there was still a place in rock & roll for a guy like him, and, with Night Moves, he won. This is the LP that makes such a victory meaningless ... It makes me sad, and it makes me angry (another emotion that's disappeared here, though it's often fueled Seger's finest work)."[6]
Marsh did concede that on the album "Seger sings fantastically well" and called it a "carefully constructed album." A review in the The Boston Phoenix echoed some of Marsh's criticisms, saying that Seger offered nothing that hadn't been heard before or equaled his best work, "only heavy-handed efforts to simulate it."[2]
In a more positive review in the Los Angeles Times, critic Robert Hilburn said the album was "close to [Seger's] earlier works" but represented a "mastering of the form" and that the reflective ballads stood out.[4] John Rockwell of The New York Times called it an "honest, attractive album" and a "nice return to his Night Moves form."[5]
Seger himself said the album "is about trying to move ahead, keeping your sanity and integrity at the same time."[12]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Bob Seger
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Horizontal Bop" | 4:03 |
| 2. | "You'll Accomp'ny Me" | 4:00 |
| 3. | "Her Strut" | 3:51 |
| 4. | "No Man's Land" | 3:43 |
| 5. | "Long Twin Silver Line" | 4:18 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Against the Wind" | 5:34 |
| 7. | "Good for Me" | 4:03 |
| 8. | "Betty Lou's Gettin' Out Tonight" | 2:52 |
| 9. | "Fire Lake" | 3:30 |
| 10. | "Shinin' Brightly" | 4:30 |
The Silver Bullet Band perform on tracks 1–3, 6, 8
The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section perform on tracks 4, 5, 7, 9, 10
Personnel
- The Silver Bullet Band
- Bob Seger – guitar, vocals, background vocals
- Drew Abbott – guitar
- Alto Reed – horn, saxophone
- Chris Campbell – bass
- David Teegarden – percussion, drums
- The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section
- Barry Beckett – piano, keyboard
- Randy McCormick – organ, keyboard
- Pete Carr – guitar
- Jimmy Johnson – guitar, horn
- David Hood – bass
- Roger Hawkins – percussion, drums
- Additional Musicians
- Bill Payne – organ, synthesizer, piano on "You'll Accomp'ny Me"
- Dr. John – keyboard on "Horizontal Bop"
- Paul Harris – organ and piano on "Against the Wind" and piano on "Betty Lou's Getting Out Tonight"
- Doug Riley – synthesizer on "No Man's Land"
- Sam Clayton – percussion on "You'll Accomp'ny Me"
- Backing harmony vocals on "Fire Lake"
- Backing harmony vocals on "Against the Wind"
- Backing Vocals on "You'll Accomp'ny Me" "Good For Me" and "Shinin' Brightly"
- Ginger Blake
- Laura Creamer
- Linda Dillard
Production
- Producers: Punch Andrews, Steve Melton, Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Bob Seger, Bill Szymczyk
- Engineers: John Arrias, Steve Melton, Bill Szymczyk
- Mixing: Punch Andrews, John Arrias, Steve Melton, Muscle Shoals Sound Rhythm Section, Bob Seger, Bill Szymczyk
- Mastering: Wally Traugott
- Remastering: Robert Vosgien
- Art direction: Roy Kohara
- Photography: Tom Bert
- Paintings: Jim Warren
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Billboard 200[8] | 1 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "Fire Lake" | Billboard Hot 100[8] | 6 |
| 1980 | "Against The Wind" | Billboard Hot 100[8] | 5 |
| 1980 | "You'll Accomp'ny Me" | Billboard Hot 100[8] | 14 |
| 1980 | "The Horizontal Bop" | Billboard Hot 100[8] | 42 |
Awards
| Year | Winner | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band[11] | Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal |
| Roy Kohara[11] | Best Recording Package |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[13] | 5× Platinum | 500,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[14] | 5× Platinum | 5,000,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
References
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band: Against the Wind > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
- ^ a b Frost, Deborah (April 15, 1980). "Bob Seger: Against the Wind". The Boston Phoenix. Boston, Massachuessetts.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Christgau, Robert (1980). "Consumer Guide Reviews". robertchristgau.com. Robert Christgau. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ a b Hilburn, Robert (March 16, 1980). "Seger, Joel: Artistry vs. Hit Making". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ a b Rockwell, John (March 28, 1980). "The Pop Life". New York Times. New York, New York.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ a b Marsh, Dave (May 15, 1980). "Bob Seger's 'Wind' is mostly hot air". Rolling Stone. New York, New York: Straight Arrow Publishers Inc.
{{cite magazine}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Hepworth, David. "Bob Seger: Against the Wind". Smash Hits (March 20 – April 2): 31.
- ^ a b c d e f "Bob Seger - Chart history". www.billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
- ^ White, Timothy (November 26, 1981). "Bob Seger: no more 'platinum paranoia'". Rolling Stone. New York, New York: Straight Arrow Publishers Inc.
{{cite magazine}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "Nominations for Grammy Awards". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. January 14, 1981.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ a b c "23rd Annual Grammy Award Winners". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. February 27, 1981.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ White, Timothy (May 1, 1980). "The Fire This Time". Rolling Stone. New York, New York: Straight Arrow Publishers Inc.
{{cite magazine}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "Canadian album certifications – Bob Seger – Against the Wind". Music Canada.
- ^ "American album certifications – Bob Seger – Against the Wind". Recording Industry Association of America.