The Silver Bullet Band was formed in 1974. Its original members were:
* Drew Abbott, guitar
* Charlie Allen Martin, drums
* Rick Mannassa, keyboards
* Chris Campbell, bass guitar
* Alto Reed, saxophones, flutes, acoustic guitar, keyboards and percussion.
Seger himself did all lead vocals and plays guitar and piano.
In 1975 Mannassa was replaced by Robyn Robbins on keyboards, who in 1980 was replaced by Craig Frost. Around 1977 Martin was replaced by Dave Teegarden on drums, who in 1983 was replaced by Don Brewer. In 1982 Abbott was replaced by Dawayne Bailey on guitar.
Seger has almost always used session musicians, most notably The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, on his albums as well.
In 1974 Seger formed the Silver Bullet Band and released the album Seven (credited to Bob Seger), which contained the Detroit-area hard rock hit "Get Out of Denver". This track that was a modest success and charted at #80 nationally.
In April 1976 Seger and the Silver Bullet Band had an even bigger commercial breakthrough with the album Live Bullet, recorded over two nights in Detroit's Cobo Arena in September 1975. The album stayed on the Billboard charts for 168 weeks, peaking at #34 which was Seger's highest charting album at the time. It also contained Seger's hit rendition of Tina Turner's "Nutbush City Limits" (#69 US) as well as Seger's own classic take on life on the road, "Turn the Page", from Back in '72. It also included his late 1960s successful releases — "Heavy Music" and "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man".
Critic Dave Marsh later wrote that "Live Bullet is one of the best live albums ever made ... In spots, particularly during the medley of 'Travelin' Man'/'Beautiful Loser', Seger sounds like a man with one last shot at the top." An instant best-seller in Detroit, Live Bullet quickly began to get attention in other parts of the country. In June 1976 he was a featured performer at the Pontiac Silverdome outside Detroit in front of nearly 80,000 fans. Only three nights before in Chicago, Seger had played before 50 people in a bar.
Seger and the Silver Bullet Band achieved a commercial breakthrough with their 1976 album Night Moves which featured several hits including the highly evocative title song. Subsequently Seger had success with rockers such as "Hollywood Nights" and mellower mid-tempo ballads such as "We've Got Tonight", "Fire Lake" (recorded 1979, and featured Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit, and Glen Frey on backing vocals) and "Against the Wind". His most recognizable songs are almost certainly "Old Time Rock & Roll" (featured in the film Risky Business) and "Like a Rock" (most familiar to many younger Americans through its association with a long-running Chevrolet ad campaign).
Seger and the Silver Bullet Band released The Distance in 1982. Critically praised for representing a tougher sound than some of Seger's recent material, the album spawned hits with Rodney Crowell's "Shame on the Moon" (which also did moderately well as a country music song), "Even Now", and "Roll Me Away". But perhaps because Seger and his band were ill-equipped to exploit the new MTV era, Seger's album sales dropped noticeably, with The Distance only selling approximately 1 million copies. The following year country music superstar Kenny Rogers would team up with pop singer Sheena Easton to cover "We've Got Tonight". This version was a world wide hit and was so successful Rogers used it as the title cut to one of his own albums. In 1984 Seger wrote and recorded with his band the power rock ballad "Understanding" for the "Teachers" movie soundtrack. The song was a mild Top 40 hit in 1985.
Seger and the Silver Bullet Band were no longer as prolific and four years elapsed before their next studio album, 1986's Like a Rock emerged. The fast-paced "American Storm" garnered both pop and rock airplay, and "Like a Rock" became yet another successful Seger ballad. Later it would become familiar to many Americans through its association with a long-running Chevrolet ad campaign (something Seger explicitly chose to do to support struggling American automobile workers in Detroit). Seger's 1986-1987 American Storm Tour was his self-stated last major tour, playing 105 shows over 9 months and selling almost 1.5 million tickets. Like a Rock sold over a million copies and went platinum.
Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band's next record was 1991's The Fire Inside, at a time when glam metal, grunge and alternative rock were all taking the forefront. Seger's new music found little visibility on radio or elsewhere. The same was true of 1995's It's a Mystery, however the album was certified Gold (500,000 copies sold). In between, however, his Greatest Hits compilation was a major success, achieving sales of over 8 million units through late 2006. Seger did go back on the road again for a 1996 tour, which was successful and sold the fourth-largest number of tickets of any North American tour that year.
Seger and his band has recently released his first new album in 11 years, titled Face the Promise (credited to Bob Seger) (with guest appearances from Patty Loveless and Detroiter Kid Rock). In its first 45 days, the album sold more than 400,000 copies, according to Soundscan. The album has sold over 1 million copies to date and stayed on the Billboard chart for months. His supporting tour has also been eagerly anticipated, with many shows selling out within minutes. Showing that Seger's legendary appeal in Michigan had not diminished, all 15,000 tickets available for his first show at Grand Rapids' Van Andel Arena sold out in under five minutes; three additional shows were subsequently added, each of which also sold out.
The Encyclopedia of Rock And Roll stated that "His throaty, authoritative delivery is a pleasure to listen to, and the Silver Bullet Band is superb."
Events in late March of 2007 suggested that Seger may move on from Capitol Records because those who had worked with him to this point are now gone from the label. The same press release also confirmed Seger's intention to release a live CD/DVD package chronicling his Face the Promise tour at some point in the fall.
"Face the Promise" Tour 2006-2007 Lineup:
# Chris Campbell, Bass Guitar, since 1969
# Alto Reed, Saxaphones, since 1972
# Craig Frost, Keyboards, Piano, 25 years
# Mark Chatfield, Lead Guitar (Rythm Guitar 1983, 1996 Tours)
# Shaun Murphy, Backing vocals, since 1973
# Laura Creamer, Backing vocals, since 1968
# Don Brewer, Drums, (also 1983 Tour)
# Jim "Moose" Brown, Guitar and Keyboard
# Barbara Payton, backing vocals
The Mountain
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is where I want to be
It's a far piece over The Mountain
But I hope you'll go with me
I grew up as a dreamer
I found that dreams aren't free
Now I want you here with me
I've lived so long near the mountain
It's almost part of me
I want to have it behind me
It blocks out all I can see
It looms up dark and ancient
Its shadow over me
I want it behind me
All that time, all that precious time
It's gone from you and me
We're givin' up this scene
We're givin' up this scene
Now some will say that we're destined
Some will call it fate
Me I call it obsession
It's just like love and hate
We're prisoners of our passion
We all seem to find too late
I hope it's not too late
We're givin' up this scene
Ah babe we're givin' up this scene
We're gettin' out
We're givin' up this scene
You and me baby
Yeah we're givin' up this scene
You and me baby
Yeah we're givin' up this scene
"The Mountain" by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band is a song about the desire for change, growth, and self-improvement. The mountain serves as a metaphor for the obstacles and challenges that prevent people from achieving their goals. The song's narrator longs to leave his current life and surroundings, hoping to reach the "other side of the mountain." He wants his partner to accompany him on this journey, leaving their current scene behind.
The song begins with the singer expressing his desire to leave his current situation and make a fresh start. He reflects on his life as a dreamer and the costs that come with pursuing one's dreams. He wants his partner by his side as he embarks on this new venture.
The mountain is then introduced as a symbol of the singer's challenges and limitations. The mountain has become a part of him, blocking out his vision and keeping him from seeing beyond his current circumstances. He wants to leave it behind and move forward.
The chorus speaks to the fact that many people feel trapped by their circumstances and are unable to pursue their dreams. The singer hopes it's not too late for them to make a change, to leave their current scene behind and start anew.
Overall, the song's message is one of hope and the belief that it's never too late to make a change and pursue one's dreams, no matter how daunting the obstacles may seem.
Line by Line Meaning
The other side of The Mountain
Bob Seger wants to leave his current life situation and go to the other side of the mountain.
Is where I want to be
Bob Seger desires to be on the other side of the mountain.
It's a far piece over The Mountain
Traveling to the other side of the mountain is a long journey.
But I hope you'll go with me
Bob Seger hopes that his loved one will accompany him on this journey.
I grew up as a dreamer
Bob Seger has always been a dreamer.
I found that dreams aren't free
Bob Seger has learned that pursuing dreams often comes at a cost.
Now I want you here with me
Bob Seger desires to share his journey with his loved one.
I've lived so long near the mountain
Bob Seger has lived near the mountain for a long time.
It's almost part of me
The mountain has become a significant part of Bob Seger's life.
I want to have it behind me
Bob Seger wants to leave the mountain behind and move on with his life.
It blocks out all I can see
The mountain is hindering Bob Seger's vision and perspective on life.
It looms up dark and ancient
The mountain appears intimidating and ancient to Bob Seger.
Its shadow over me
The mountain's shadow seems to constantly hover over Bob Seger.
All that time, all that precious time
Bob Seger reflects on the time that has passed by.
It's gone from you and me
Bob Seger has lost time with his loved one.
We're givin' up this scene
Bob Seger and his loved one are leaving their current situation behind.
Now some will say that we're destined
Some people believe that Bob Seger and his loved one are meant to leave their current situation.
Some will call it fate
Others believe that Bob Seger and his loved one's journey is predetermined by fate.
Me I call it obsession
Bob Seger believes his desire to leave is an obsession.
It's just like love and hate
Bob Seger compares his obsession to the strong emotions of love and hate.
We're prisoners of our passion
Bob Seger and his loved one feel trapped by their intense desire to leave.
We all seem to find too late
Bob Seger regrets that they only realize their desire to leave too late.
I hope it's not too late
Bob Seger hopes that it's not too late to start a new journey.
We're gettin' out
Bob Seger and his loved one are leaving their current situation.
You and me baby
Bob Seger is addressing his loved one, who is accompanying him.
Yeah we're givin' up this scene
Bob Seger and his loved one leaving their current situation behind.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BOB SEGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind