Great Rock Albums of 1978: Bob Seger- Stranger In Town

Bob Seger was the man who rocked the seventies but you didn't notice it. Throughout the decade, he produced a lot of great albums with many great singles played on the radio and I am kicking myself for not putting at least one of his albums in my last chapter of Great Rock Albums of the 70s. Back then, even my little AM clock radio would be playing the songs he made great at that time. The problem is that while Seger was considered great back in the 70s, he seems to be one of the most forgotten people of rock from that decade. Strangest thing about this is that many of his songs still manage to make their way onto movie soundtracks proving that his music is still relevant today.

The 1978 album "Stranger in Town" exlemplifies why Bob Seger is a silent hero of the decade. First, he had four top 40 tracks from the album, all of which are clear in my memory as true rock anthems. "Hollywood Nights," "Still the Same," "We Got Tonight" and "Old Time Rock and Roll" are still enshrined in my memory and I have no doubt the memories of many others. All of these have that rock core with a catchy melody that gets your foot tapping away to them. Furthermore, with many of his songs, "Hollywood Nights" being a prime example, his lyrics tell a story or recall fond memories. There is definitely a feel good factor when you listen to this album and it is true with many Bob Seger albums.

Track Listing:

1. Hollywood Nights

2. Still the Same

3. Old Time Rock and Roll

4. It Shines

5. Feel Like a Number

6. Ain't Got No Money

7. We Got Tonight

8. Brave Strangers

9 The Famous Final Scene

The Silver Bullet Band

Bob Seger- vocals, guitar

Drew Abbot- guitar

Robyn Robbins- keyboards

Alto Reed- saxophone

Chris Campbell- bass

David Teegarden- drums, percussion

The Muscle Shoasl Rhythm Section

Barry Beckett - keyboard

Pete Carr - guitar

• Jimmy Johnson - guitar
• David Hood - bass
• Roger Hawkins - percussion, drums

                                                                                            Additional Musicians

• Glenn Frey - guitar solo on "Till It Shines"
• Don Felder - guitar solo on "Ain't Got No Money"
• Bill Payne - organ, synthesizer, piano, keyboards on "Hollywood Nights"
• Doug Riley - piano, keyboard on "Feel Like a Number" and "Brave Strangers"

 I bet that if you were to hear any of these songs on the radio today, you would comment,, "I remember that one, who was the guy who sung it?" This is beacuse that Bob Seger was one of the unsung heroes of the 70s. He probably had as many hits as Abba but did so without all the publicity and hype that Abba had. What I do know is that if Bob Seger hadn't been around to produce great albums such as these, music today would be a lot worse off.

Next Post: Journey- Infinity

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Great Rock Albums of 1978: Molly Hatchet

Before 1978, the term Southern Rock was attributed to bands such as The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Charlie Daniels Band. However, in 1978, a new force came out of the Jacksonville Florida area and it was called Molly Hatchet. Molly Hatchet, supposedly named after an axe murderess, brought a fresh southern boogie hard rock sound to music and it became a favourite among rockers and later metalheads.

For many years, I thought that their debut album was actually called "Bounty Hunter" after the first track on the album and most well known one. I now know that its actually self titled and I know further that it completely kicks ass. It's not just the music either. The album cover was a painting by Frank Franzetta and it was the first of at least four Molly Hatchet albums to use Franzetta paintings on the covers. I was so impressed with these paintings, that when I was teaching at a school seven or eight years ago, I tried to get the art teacher to teach my class about Franzetta's work.

Track Listing:

1. Bounty Hunter

2. Gator Country

3. Big Apple

4. The Creeper

5. The Price You Pay

6. Dreams I'll Never See

7. I'll Be Running

8. Cheatin' Woman

9. Trust Your Old Friend

Molly Hatchet

Danny Joe Brown- vocals

Dave Hlubeck- guitar

Duane Roland- guitar

Steve Holland- guitar

Banner Thomas- bass

Bruce Crump- drums

A metal buddy of mine once said that Molly Hatchet was one of those bands metalheads hid under their leather when they bought their albums. I never did, I didn't care who saw that I was buying a Molly Hatchet album. The first album from them would set the stage for better things to come as they would establish themselves as the new kings of southern rock.

Next post: Bob Seger- Stranger in Town

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Great Rock Albums of 1978: Gerry Rafferty- City to City

Originally, I wasn't going to visit this album. Instead, I was going to include the single "Baker Street" with a list of rock singles that graced the charts and I liked, but not visit the whole album. Needless to say, "Baker Street" was the main focus on the album and it's mentioned anytime someone mentions it or Gerry Rafferty himself. For me, the song was kind of a present for my 17th birthday as I remember hearing it on the radio just days after. Even then, I knew this song was something special. That is why it still holds a place in my metal heart and many ageing rockers like myself still love it. Besides, it was probably the first song to send that old AM clock radio of mine on its way to the scrap heap.

What people forget is the Gerry Rafferty had other songs from "City to City" on the album that did very well in the charts. Yes normally, I don't give two stuffs about the charts, but as I said before, these songs were islands of rock gladness when all around was disco. The singles "Right Down the Line" and "Home and Dry" also broke into the top forty charts, making it a hat trick for Rafferty. Furthermore, the tracks "The Ark" and "City to City" did well in Holland, Belguim and Germany. Therfore, you can safely conclude that this was a great rock album for 1978.

Track Listing:

1. The Ark

2. Baker Street

3. Right Down the Line

4. City to City

5. Stealin' Time

6. Mattie's Rag

7. Whatever's Written in Your Heart

8. Home and Dry

9. Island

10. Waiting For the Day  

Gerry Rafferty- vocals, accoustic guitar, piano

Gary Taylor- bass, backing vocals

Henry Spinetti- drums

Hugh Burns- guitar

Tommy Eyre- piano, keyboards, synthesiser

Graham Preskett- fiddles, strings, mandolin

Raphael Ravenscroft- saxophone on Baker Street

The passing of Gerry Rafferty in 2011 was another great blow to the rock world. I first learned of it from my local paper as he was living not very far from me in Gloucestershire, England when he passed on. While, like Freddie Mercury and Frank Zappa, he is no longer with us, he left us music and at least one song that will live on in the hearts of millions forever.

 Next Post: Molly Hatchet

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Great Rock Albums of 1978: Frank Zappa- Zappa in New York

Thirty three years since my graduation, I remain convinced that it was a mandatory requirment that in order to attend my high school, students had to listen to Frank Zappa. It seemed that practically everybody who attended my school listened to Zappa and I totally understand why, the man was a genius. How else could someone sell so many records when he had practically zero airplay.

This brings me around the this live offering from Frank Zappa. The concerts from which "Zappa in New York" was originally recorded in 1976 and part released in 1977. It was re issued and released in 1978, however, Warner Bros removed the track "Punky Whipps," which explains why it's missing from my cassette and re-edited the best track on the album "Titties and Beer." It was this track that attracted me to the album when an old school friend constantly went around the school singing: "I need a beer and it's titty squeezing time."

That song and the album itself typifies Zappa. When you look up the album on Wikopedia, it gives a load of genres, rock, hard rock, progressive rock, humourous music and jazz fusion. Not many artists other than Frank Zappa could infuse all these genres together and make it work so well. The added bonus with this album is that he does on stage in front of a live audience. Is that genius or what?

Track Listing:

1. Titties and Beer

2. I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth

3. Punky Whipps

4. Sofa

5. Manx Needs Women

6. Black Page Drum Solo/Black Page 1

7. Big Legged Emma

8. Black Page Part 2

9. Honey Don't You Want a Man Like Me

10. The Illinois Enema Bandit

11. The Purple Lagoon

Frank Zappa- conductor, vocals, lead guitar

Ray White- rhythm guitar, vocals

Eddie Jobson- keyboards, violin, vocals

Patrick O'Hearn- bass, vocals

Terry Bozio- drums, vocals

Ruth Underwood- synthesiser, percussion, overdubs

David Samuels- timpani

Randy Brecker- trumpet

Mike Brecker- tenor saxophone, flute

Lou Marini- alto saxophone, flute

Tom Malone- trombone, trumpet, picalo

John Bergamo- percussion overdubs

Ed Mann- percussion overdubs

Lou Anne Neill- osmatic harp overdub

Don Pardo- narration

Despite of no radio play, Frank Zappa appealed to many different people due to his various styles and more importantly, his use of humour in music. He was and is still a legend among many, especially if you attended Mainland High School in the late 70s.

Next post: Gerry Rafferty- City to City

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