|
59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A stunning album., 3 Feb 2002
By A Customer
If I were to compile my Top 100 all-time favourite albums, then this Bob Seger effort would definitely appear in the upper echelons of that chart. Sadly, Bob Seger never received the recognition he deserved for this, or any other album he released in the UK, so chances are most people don't know much about the man who was running head-to-head (Stateside) in the popularity stakes with Bruce Springsteen in his pre-"Born In The USA" days.If people compared Seger to Springsteen, "Stranger In Town" likened Seger to the Eagles. The music on this CD was maybe not as 'country rock' as the latter was better known for, but it's certainly similar in style and in mood - qualities that saw Seger guest appear with the Eagles on tour in the 70s. In other words, "Stranger In Town" typifies the musical genre known as 'middle of the road'. Quite remarkably for a studio album - and I don't normally say this except for a 'greatest hits' collection - there aren't any substandard tracks on this CD. It's a rather short album, but the nine songs featured have stood well against the test of time - and are all bona-fide 'classics' on your favourite 'easy listening' radio station. 'Hollywood Nights' kicks off the CD - a track taken from the same musical mould that produced The Eagles' 'Life In The Fast Lane' - a tale of living the high life in 70s California. Other upbeat radio-friendly rock tracks follow with (the classic) 'Old Time Rock And Roll', 'Feels Like A Number' (another Eagles-like song) and 'Ain't Got No Money'. But it's the ballads that really make this album. 'Still The Same', 'Till It Shines' and 'Brave Strangers' were all destined to elevate Bob Seger into the mainstream. However, there's two tracks that should've elevated Seger into superstardom. 'We've Got Tonight' - probably the best known song on the CD - is, quite simply, one of the most beautiful ballads I've ever had the pleasure to listen to. With all it's heart-wrenching emotion, sung and performed to such perfection, it seems almost blasphemous to listen to any of the countless - and let me say, inferior cover versions that have been recorded over the years. My own personal favourite track on "Stranger In Town" is the one used to end the album. 'The Famous Final Scene' - a song about the end of a relationship - ranks alongside Meat Loaf's 'For Crying Out Loud' as one of the most thought-provoking ballads that will tug at the heart-strings of even the most cold-hearted person on the planet. And the last few seconds of the song are guaranteed to send a shiver down your spine! The Eagles had their "Hotel California", Springsteen had his "Born To Run". For Bob Seger, his definitive studio album was "Stranger In Town". Forget about his 'Greatest Hits' CD - a collection that didn't do the man justice - if you want to hear the real talent behind this criminally ignored artist, then this is the album you need to buy. I promise you won't regret it. Jon.
|
