Bob Seger Against The Wind CD

Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band: Bob Seger (vocals, guitar); Drew Abbott (guitar); Alto Reed (saxophone); Chris Campbell (bass); David Teegarden (drums, percussion).
Additional personnel: Pete Carr, Jimmy Johnson (guitar); Barry Beckett, Dr. John (piano); Paul Harris (piano, organ); Randy McCormick (organ); Bill Payne (keyboards); Doug Riley (synthesizer); David Hood (bass); Roger Hawkins (drums, percussion); Sam Clayton (percussion); Timothy B. Schmit, Laura Creamer, Linda Dillard, Ginger Blake, Don Henley, Glenn Frey (background vocals).
Producers: Bob Seger, Punch, The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Bill Szymczyk.
Engineers: John Arrias, Steve Melton, Bill Szymczyk.
Recorded at Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida; Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, Sheffield, Alabama; and Bayshore Studios, Coconut Grove, Florida.
Though there are still some traces of the confessionals that underpinned Beautiful Loser through Stranger in Town, Against the Wind finds Bob Seger turning toward craft. Perhaps he had to, since Against the Wind arrived after three blockbuster albums and never-ending tours. Even so, this record winds up not feeling as immediate or soulful as its predecessors, especially since it begins with a tossed-off rocker called "The Horizontal Bop," possibly his most careless tune since "Noah." It's fun, but once it's done, the record really starts to kick into high gear with "You'll Accomp'ny Me," a ballad the equal of anything on its two predecessors. Throughout Against the Wind, Seger winds up performing better on the ballads than the rockers, which, while good, tend to sound a little formulaic. Still, Seger's formula is good and if "Her Strut" and "Betty Lou's Gettin' out Tonight" would have been second stringers on Stranger in Town, they offer a nice balance here, and the rest of the record alternates between similarly well-constructed rockers and introspective ballads like "Against the Wind" and "Fire Lake." Compared to its predecessors, this does feel a little weak, but compared with its peers, it's a strong, varied heartland rock album that finds Seger at a near peak. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
After several straight-ahead rock releases helped establish Bob Seger as one of America's top rockers in the late '70s, he opened up the next decade on a quieter note, 1980's AGAINST THE WIND. Another big hit, WIND finds Seger at his most reflective, with ballads and country-influenced compositions making up most of the album.
The best examples of Seger's new '80s direction can be sampled in the album's best cut, the heartfelt title track. Other highlights included the ballads "Shinin' Brightly" and "No Man's Land," making AGAINST THE WIND another highly recommended Bob Seger release.CMJ (1/5/04, p.6) - Ranked #10 in CMJ's "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1980".