Page 27 - the NOISE January 2014

the surprise #1 “96 Tears.” They agree to na- tionally distribute Seger’s subsequent Hide- out releases.
Next up in September 1966 is “Persecution Smith,” a blatant electric Dylan lift (everyone was doing ‘em) complete with Seger’s sting- ing Bloomfield-esque guitar licks. Bob’s lyrics and vocal are humorous, but it’s a step away from the gritty R&B sound of “East Side Story.” One gets the feeling Seger and Punch are using the “throw it against the wall and see what sticks” method of writing a hit single.
Just in time for Christmas 1966 came “Sock It To Me Santa,” a high octane holiday rave-up. “Christmas just won’t be a drag/cuz Santa’s got a brand new bag!” yells Seger in
his best Otis Redding got-ta got-ta voice. De- spite the silly lyrics, the song is a killer. Bob and band do it up Mitch Ryder style, and it’s his most exciting record yet.
By this point, the Last Heard was a steady touring ensemble featuring bassist Dan Hon- aker and drummer Pep Perrine, whose blond haired surfer looks hid an amazing talent be- hind the traps. Bob Seger and The Last Heard were soon wowing folks in clubs all over the midwest and Canada. Both men would stay with Seger through 1970.
“Vagrant Winter” was the next single in April 1967. It’s an oddity in Seger’s canon, a weird minor key lament, but Bob proves he can sing, not just shout. The backwards guitar solo is a nod to psychedelia. Slow “Va- grant Winter” down, remove Perrine’s precise drumming, add some harmonies, and you’ve got a Byrds album track. The b-side came from Mars as well: “Very Few” is slow and qui- et, hymnlike. Again, Seger sings it like a pro.
1967’s Summer Of Love brought the dawn of hippiedom: Sgt. Pepper’s, The Dead, The Airplane, “If you’re goiiing to San Fran-ciscooo
...” Well, not many folks in Detroit were wear- ing flowers in their hair, especially Bob Seger. His contribution to that epochal time veered into the grime of city life, with no less posi- tive a message:
(Awww, come on with me people,
you’re gonna have a good time!)
Don’tcha ever listen to the radio
When that big bad beat comes on?
I know you gotta dig it, I know you can’t stop Cause the bottom comes on so strong
Talkin’ bout
Heavy Music (deeper!)
Heavy Music (deeper!)
Dancin’ to the Heavy Music
Don’tcha ever feel like going insane When the drums begin to pound? Ain’t there ever been a time in your life You couldn’t believe what the
band was puttin’ down?
“Heavy Music” was a celebration, an awe- some rock & roll song about the awesome- ness of rock & roll. It was infectious, driving and funky with handclaps and percussion, reminiscent of Jimmy Miller”s productions for the Spencer Davis Group. Indeed, dur- ing the song’s final chorus where Seger gets to indulge in a little Pickett-style “come on now”s and “dee-pah”s, he joyously shouts
“Stevie Winwood got nothin’ on me!” and he’s right.
It had “instant classic” written all over it. “Heavy Music” was the real deal, and it changed everything for Bob Seger. It was a #1 smash all that lovin’ summer in Detroit, top ten in Chicago and Cleveland and most of Canada. It was killing them DEAD at the live shows. The record started getting na- tional attention. Billboard magazine had chosenitasa“breakout”single,anditlooked like hometown hero Bob Seger was headed for the big time.
Then Cameo/Parkway went belly-up. Neil Bogart had jumped ship to Buddah Records, where he would become the king of bubble- gum pop, and without his guidance the label folded. Seger relates how, after days of un- returned telephone calls, he and Punch flew to New York, marched into Cameo/Parkway’s offices, and found them deserted. Not a desk or phone or person in sight, except a janitor who told them “Everyone’s gone.”
With no money and no way to press the discs up themselves in the quantities need- ed for a coast-to-coast hit, Seger and Punch sadly watched “Heavy Music” wither and die on the national charts. Luckily for them a lu- crative offer came from Capitol Records, and Bob and company went back to work (Mo- town had put in a bid for Seger as well, but he turned them down).
In the hands of ordinary talents, “Heavy Music” would have been impossible to top, but Bob Seger proved his talent was extraor-
mullet intact, circa 1975, with the Silver Bullet Band
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