5/7/07: Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
                                        It’s A Mystery (1995)

Yesterday was Bob Seger’s 62nd birthday. That’ll make a lot of people feel older than they should. Many have forgotten that Seger was already in his thirties (and an official one-hit wonder) when he broke through with Night Moves in 1976. That’s partly why Seger has one of the most neglected back catalogues in the history of rock.

Anyway, Seger now joins Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop as part of the Detroit RightWingTrash Triumvirate. It’s A Mystery isn’t a big conservative masterpiece, but it’s certainly neglected. The politics—and lack thereof—couldn’t have helped.

The album's recurring theme (complete lyrics here) is a disdain for smooth talk and the importance of personal responsibility. You can imagine why that didn’t go over with Big Media in 1995. “Rite of Passage” starts out as a generally angry song that skips easy targets. Then we get the first of several firearm metaphors with “Lock and Load.” Seger commits the big sin of considering the term to be a positive attitude toward finding a place in society.

“Manhattan” is an unsympathetic look at a junkie’s fitting fate, and is nicely paired a few tracks later with a cover of Tom Waits’ “16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought Six.” The album’s true nature is best summed up with “Revisionism Street,” where Seger—never a real target of gossip himself—attacks the publishing industry for its eagerness to destroy heroes in an age that might still deserve them.

There’s also a nice album closer with “Hands In The Air.” You won’t find many rock stars daring to call out death-wish addicts and corrupters of youth who are selling lies and impossible dreams. A lot of Seger fans think that It’s A Mystery has great songs suffering from synthy production. It’s easier to accept that Seger’s backing band had already ceased to exist. The label also did a lousy job of promoting the album. You could feel their pain in being involved with something that couldn’t possibly interest college radio.

Make it your own: It’s A Mystery was Seger’s worst-selling album in almost 20 years. At least that means you can get it cheap. He’s still unfairly neglected, too. Last year’s Face The Promise had a protest song about the war in Iraq—with strings, even—and nobody paid much attention.

 

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