Customer Reviews

Nine Tonight [Vinyl]

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I agree with the other reviewers that this is a better greatest hits collection than the actual greatest hits CD. however, it hardly sounds like a live album. When seger achieved commercial success he fell into the same trap that the eagles have always been in - playing the songs *exactly* as they were recorded in the studio. "Old Time Rock & Roll" is the only song that sounds different with it's extended intro and lower key presumably so Bob could handle the vocals live. If you're looking for a place to start your seger collection and want to start with the hits then definitely buy this one first. However, if you're looking for some great live seger drop everything you're doing and pick up Live Bullet. Now *that* is a five-star album!

When compared to Bob Seger And The Silver Bullet Band's 1981 powerful live album "Nine Tonight", Peter Frampton's "Frampton Comes Alive"--often considered the greatest live album of rock and roll--appears standard and uninspired.
"Nine Tonight" is an incredible, emotionally charged live set from one of rock and roll's most captivating (yet under-appreciated) performers, Bob Seger. Few times in rock music--especially in the seventies and eighties--does there come along an artist with the ability to captivate a large stadium audience, while at the same time putting on a classic rock and roll show; at the time "Nine Tonight" was released, a stereotype surrounded rock musicians like Bob Seger...that the music, no matter how great it may sound in a studio recording, would always be overshadowed by rowdy crowds filling stadiums only for the parties.
But Bob Seger, with the thundering and flawless Silver Bullet Band, broke that sterotype with an almost magical ability to connect with an audience, to speak to thousands of people in a concert arena as if he were speaking solely with each individual person in the audience.
"Nine Tonight" captures that magic. With each time you listen to the album, you get a sense that Bob Seger is trying to send a message solely to you, yet you still feel the intense excitement of a live performance.
Any Silver Bullet fan knows that Seger and company are some of the best rock and roll performers to experience live. But for anyone with a taste for wonderful live music, I strongly recommend "Nine Tonight." You won't be disappointed.

In this sequel to LIVE BULLET,we hear songs from the studio albums following LIVE BULLET. They are NIGHT MOVES,STRANGER IN TOWN and AGAINST THE WIND. This set,NINE TONIGHT,is appropriately titled. I supposed this album was taken from various concerts that began at 9 PM. NINE TONIGHT is from the movie "Urban Cowboy". Bob Seger recalled in an interview that NINE TONIGHT was intended for the AGAINST THE WIND album. But the producer for the "Urban Cowboy" soundtrack album had the song ready for inclusion on the album(UC). This album was recorded at Cobo Hall in Detroit in June 1980 and Boston Garden in October 1980. The AGAINST THE WIND album was being promoted when this album was recorded. Seger has a new keyboard player,Craig Frost,succeeding original Silver Bullet keyboardist Robyn Robbins and David Teegarden,a new drummer. Teegarden replaced original Silver Bullet drummer Charlie Allen Martin,who quit the band due to an auto accident that parayzed him. Like LIVE BULLET,LET IT ROCK was the final track on the album. This version is more electrifying. The CD has an edited version because otherwise it would have been believed that would exceed the maximum playing time on a CD. Or,it would have become a 2 CD set. The LP gives LET IT ROCK's playing time as 8 minutes and 45 seconds. The CD version is only a little over 6 minutes.

This was Bob's second live album, and as is the case with most sequels, this one isn't quite as good as the first one. At the time of it's release, I was a DJ for a rock station, and remember the mornin' that "Tryin' To Live My Life Without You" came in as a single, (45 RPM record). Everyone in the station went nuts over it, and we all watched the mail daily for the album.

And we were kind of let down when it finally arrived. The opening/title cut rocked much better than the studio version, (which had been released on the infamous "Urban Soundboy Cowtrack" as we called it), and segued right into the single we'd already been playing.

After that, the album served as a sort of "Greatest Hits" at that time. For the most part though, I prefer the studio versions. The notable exception here is "Old Time Rock And Roll," which puts the much over-played studio version to shame. Featuring a :45 second rockin' guitar intro, as opposed to the short piano intro on the studio version, THIS is how the tune SHOULD sound!

In summation, if you have the studio versions of the hits, and the first "Live Bullet" album, you don't really need this one...EXCEPT that, no Seger collection is complete without this version of "OTR&R"...Worth buying for that song and the first 2 on the album alone.

Bob Seger first came onto the music scene in 1969 with the song "Ramblin Gamblin Man". After that suprise hit, he released numerous albums that were commercially flops, but he made a name and built up a strong follwing as a road warrior. Years on the road helped hone his craft and he became a great showman. These skills show up in the 1976 live album "Live" Bullet, which was his commercial breakthrough. After that he wracked up huge sales with the releases of Night Moves, Stranger In Town & the number one album Against The Wind. Much of Nine Tonight is made up of the best songs off those albums. While Nine Tonight isn't as strong as "Live", it still is a great snapshot of Seger's concert skills. The studio versions of "Fire Lake", "Hollywood Nights", "Rock & Roll Never Forgets", "Night Moves" & "Fire Down Below" are already great and they get a little extra kick here. The best song on the album is a cover of an old R&B number "Tryin' To Live My Life Without You" which is tailor-made for Seger's gravelly vocal style. While he has made some great studio albums, Seger is still at his best on the stage and Nine Tonight gives you the best of both Seger worlds.

Bob Seger's first live album, "Live Bullet," (1976) is generally acknowledged to be one of the best live rock albums ever recorded. It featured a long-struggling artist making one last pitch for the big time, which he succeeded in doing in part due to the electrifying performances on the record. Five years later, after three multi-platinum albums and a fistful of big time radio hits had made him a household name, Seger released "Nine Tonight," in a format very similar to "Live Bullet." Along the way, he lost the desperation that fired the first live album. "Nine Tonight" shows Seger and the Silver Bullet Band at their crowd pleasing best, but they are no longer hungry underdogs with something to prove.

The playlist this time out includes 13 songs (out of 16 total) released since the first live record. Turns out, that is part of the problem. "Live Bullet" resurrected Seger's woefully underappreciated back catalog of songs, while "Nine Tonight" for the most part simply rehashes his star period hits without adding much to the original versions. In addition, the song "Let it Rock" is unaccountably repeated from the first live album, though it is edited on CD so that the double album could be reduced to one disc.

Overall, a competently performed live album that nonetheless feels unnecessary and redundant.

I've seen Bob Seger in concert several times in the 1980s and I was always blown away by how close the band sounded to their studio albums. The first time I saw them (at the Toledo Speedway Jam in '83), I was sure they were lipsynching for the first couple of songs (they started with "Even Now" from his latest at the time, THE DISTANCE).
By the way, shouldn't there be a third live double-album of the period after NINE TONIGHT? (I saw him do a song called "Yesterday Rules" in '86 that's never been released).

Anyway, NINE TONIGHT is still one of my all-time favorite live albums (now CDs) of any artist from any time. I actually prefer the live version of "Fire Lake" better than the studio take. Great American Rock from one of the most underappreciated rockers (at least he's finally in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!).

Rock and Roll that's never been forgotten.

I am only 16 yars old and I love all of Seger music. One of my friends always made fun of me because I lisened to stuped music becaused he lisened to rap. So I played him "Nine Tonight" he loved it. The next weekend he went out to got this cd and now he is Seger fan.I whis I could do that to all of my friends. This is a must have in everyones collection. Truely one of the best cd's ever.

My best friend gave me this tape years ago - I just keep wearing out the tape and buying new ones. I also have it on CD but the tape version of Let It Rock is just so much better than the edited CD version. Driving to Hollywood Nights (live) is an experience! Best done on a highway with your cruise control on if you don't want to worry about state troopers - or an accident. And "Night Moves" - I've seen him do this live twice - there's nothing like it. We definitely need another live album by him - soon!!!!

Love it! Love it! Love it! I am a huge Bob Seger fan and anything he does is gold to me. I highly recommend!