Against the Wind (album)
Encyclopedia
Against the Wind is the 11th album
by American
rock
singer Bob Seger
and his third with The Silver Bullet Band. It was released in 1980 (see 1980 in music
). It is Seger's only Number 1 album to date, spending six weeks atop the Billboard 200
, and knocking Pink Floyd
's massive-selling The Wall
from the top spot. The album also earned two Grammy Awards.
The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section perform on tracks 4, 5, 7, 9 & 10
The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section
Additional Musicians
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"
Singles – Billboard (North America)
s
gave Against the Wind harsh criticism: "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." Marsh had followed Seger since before Night Moves
, when Seger finally gained national fame, and essentially said in this 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). Maybe rock & roll never forgets, but the best thing anybody who ever had any hope for Bob Seger can do is try not to remember Against the Wind and pray for something better next time. I wouldn't hold my breath."
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
singer Bob Seger
Bob Seger
Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
and his third with The Silver Bullet Band. It was released in 1980 (see 1980 in music
1980 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1980.-January–March:*January 1**Cliff Richard is appointed an MBE by Elizabeth II.**The Zorros audition drummer Greg Pedley....
). It is Seger's only Number 1 album to date, spending six weeks atop the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, and knocking Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
's massive-selling The Wall
The Wall
The Wall is the eleventh studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd. Released as a double album on 30 November 1979, it was subsequently performed live with elaborate theatrical effects, and adapted into a feature film, Pink Floyd—The Wall.As with the band's previous three...
from the top spot. The album also earned two Grammy Awards.
Track listing
The Silver Bullet Band perform on tracks 1-3, 6 & 8The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section perform on tracks 4, 5, 7, 9 & 10
Personnel
The Silver Bullet Band- Bob SegerBob SegerRobert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals, background vocals - Drew AbbottDrew AbbottDrew Abbott is an American guitarist, who is best known for playing in Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band, and appears on Bob Seger's Seven , Beautiful Loser , Live Bullet , Night Moves , Stranger in Town , Against the Wind , Nine Tonight , and The Distance .Prior to working with Seger, Abbott played in...
– guitar - Alto ReedAlto ReedAlto Reed , is an American long-time saxophonist with Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band. His most recognizable performances included the introduction to "Turn the Page", and the saxophone solo in "Old Time Rock and Roll"...
– horn, saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846... - Chris Campbell – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- David Teegarden – percussion, drums
The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section
- Barry BeckettBarry BeckettBarry Edward Beckett was a keyboardist who worked as a session musician with several notable artists on their studio albums...
– pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Randy McCormick – organ, keyboard
- Pete CarrPete CarrJesse Willard "Pete" Carr is an American guitarist. Carr has contributed to hit recordings by Joan Baez, Luther Ingram, Bob Seger, Joe Cocker, Boz Scaggs, Paul Simon, The Staple Singers, Rod Stewart, Barbra Streisand, Wilson Pickett, Hank Williams, Jr., and many more over the past four decades...
– guitar - Jimmy JohnsonJimmy Johnson (musician)Jimmy Johnson is an American a member of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section that was attached to FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama for a period in the 1960s and 1970s, and later was the a founder of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio located at first on 3614 Jackson Highway in Sheffield, Alabama and at...
– guitar, horn - David HoodDavid HoodDavid Hood , is a bassist from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. He also plays the trombone and is a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame....
– bass - Roger HawkinsRoger HawkinsRoger G Hawkins , is an American drummer best known for playing as part of the studio backing band known as The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section of Alabama...
– percussion, drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s
Additional Musicians
- Bill PayneBill PayneBill Payne is a founding member of American rock band Little Feat. He is considered by many other piano rock musicians, including Elton John, to be one of the finest American piano rock and blues music artists...
– organ, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, piano on "You'll Accomp'ny Me" - Dr. JohnDr. JohnMalcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...
– keyboard on "Horizontal Bop" - Paul HarrisPaul Harris (musician)Paul Harris is a keyboards player and session musician.Harris appears on several albums of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s by leading artists such as Stephen Stills, B. B. King, Judy Collins, Al Kooper, ABBA, Eric Andersen, Rick Derringer, Nick Drake, John Sebastian, Joe Walsh, Seals & Crofts and Dan...
– organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
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 – percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
on "You'll Accomp'ny Me"
Backing harmony vocals on "Fire Lake"
- Glenn FreyGlenn FreyGlenn Lewis Frey is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as a founding member of the Eagles. Frey formed the Eagles after he met drummer Don Henley in 1970 and the two eventually joined Linda Ronstadt's backup band for her summer tour. The Eagles formed in 1971 and...
- Don HenleyDon HenleyDonald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for the Eagles from 1971–1980, when the band broke up...
- Timothy B. SchmitTimothy B. SchmitTimothy Bruce Schmit is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his work as bass guitar player and singer for Poco and the Eagles. Schmit has also worked for decades as a session musician and solo artist.-Early career:Raised in Sacramento, Schmit began playing in the folk music group...
Backing harmony vocals on "Against the Wind"
- Glenn FreyGlenn FreyGlenn Lewis Frey is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as a founding member of the Eagles. Frey formed the Eagles after he met drummer Don Henley in 1970 and the two eventually joined Linda Ronstadt's backup band for her summer tour. The Eagles formed in 1971 and...
- Bob SegerBob SegerRobert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
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 SectionMuscle Shoals Rhythm SectionThe Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, also known as The Swampers, are a group of American soul, R&B, and country studio musicians based in the town of Muscle Shoals, Alabama...
, 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 WarrenJim Warren (artist)Jim Warren is a U.S. artist known for audio album and book cover artwork.He has worked in surrealistic fantasy since about 1969. A self-taught artist, Jim uses traditional oil paint and brushes on stretched canvas.-Early life:...
Charts
Album – Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Pop Albums | 1 |
Singles – Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "Against The Wind" | Pop Singles | 5 |
| 1980 | "Fire Lake" | Pop Singles | 6 |
| 1980 | "You'll Accomp'ny Me" | Pop Singles | 14 |
| 1980 | "The Horizontal Bop" | Pop Singles | 42 |
Awards
Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s
| Year | Winner | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 Grammy Awards of 1981 The 23rd Grammy Awards were held February 25, 1981, and were broadcast live on American television. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1980.- Award winners :*Record of the Year... |
Against the Wind | Best Recording Package Grammy Award for Best Recording Package The Grammy Award for Best Recording Package is one of a series of Grammy Awards presented for the visual look of an album. It is presented to the art director of the winning album, not to the performer, except if the performer is also the art director.... |
| Against the Wind | Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal The Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1980 and 2011.The award was discontinued after the 2011 award season in a major overhaul of Grammy categories... |
|
Criticism
Despite its massive success, critic Dave MarshDave Marsh
Dave Marsh is an American music critic, author, editor and radio talk show host. He was a formative editor of Creem magazine, has written for various publications such as Newsday, The Village Voice, and Rolling Stone, and has published numerous books about music and musicians, mostly focused on...
gave Against the Wind harsh criticism: "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." Marsh had followed Seger since before Night Moves
Night Moves (album)
Night Moves is the ninth studio album by American rock singer Bob Seger, and his first with the Silver Bullet Band. It was released in October 1976...
, when Seger finally gained national fame, and essentially said in this 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). Maybe rock & roll never forgets, but the best thing anybody who ever had any hope for Bob Seger can do is try not to remember Against the Wind and pray for something better next time. I wouldn't hold my breath."
See also
- Muscle Shoals, AlabamaMuscle Shoals, AlabamaMuscle Shoals is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated the population of the city to be 12,846. The city is included in The Shoals MSA. It is famous for its contributions to American popular music.-Geography:Muscle Shoals is located...
- Muscle Shoals Rhythm SectionMuscle Shoals Rhythm SectionThe Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, also known as The Swampers, are a group of American soul, R&B, and country studio musicians based in the town of Muscle Shoals, Alabama...
- Muscle Shoals Sound Studios