Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (CD - 2003)

Personnel: Bob Seger (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, harmonica); Martina McBride, Glenn Frey (vocals); Pete Carr (acoustic & electric guitars); Drew Abbott (guitar); Harvey Thompson (tenor saxophone); Ron Eades (baritone saxophone); Harrison Galloway (trumpet); Charles Rose (trombone); Barry Beckett (piano, electric piano, organ, synthesizer); Matt Rollings,

Billy Payne (piano); Craig Frost (organ); David Hood, Chris Campbell (bass); David Teegarden, Roger Hawkins (drums, percussion); Russ Kunkel (drums); Bobbye Hall (percussion); Laura Creamer, Joan Sliwin (background vocals).

Producers include: Bob Seger, Bill Szymczyk, Punch, Jimmy Iovine, Harold Faltermeyer.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.

In 2003, when "deluxe editions" and "definitive collections" were the name of the game in reissues, it was refreshing to see Bob Seger's defiantly retro Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 hit the shelves. The title and the approach hark back to the days when a hits compilation was followed a few years later by a supplement, covering roughly the same territory and adding a few new singles. Seger's first Greatest Hits had all the big hits, from "Night Moves" to "Old Time Rock & Roll," and while it was very effective at that level, many of his big hits were ballads, so by extension the hits collection downplayed his rock & roll, which is was kind of odd for a singer/songwriter known as a passionate rocker. And while there was no arguing with what was on Greatest Hits, it left off many songs that illustrated his depth as a songwriter -- and that's not even counting that it left his handful of non-LP singles and songs unaccounted for or the fact that it ignored his early Cameo/Parkway singles, the Bob Seger System, or his first seven albums. Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 solves a lot of these problems and is a stronger album than the first Greatest Hits because of it. While it's still frustrating that Seger ignores his early material (the Cameo/Parkway songs are owned by somebody else, but he certainly could dip into the first seven albums, at least for "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man"), it's also true that they're of a different aesthetic than the anthemic blue-collar rock that he first etched out on 1975's Beautiful Loser. That is the music that made him a star, and that's the music that fuels this collection, all the way through to the lesser-known latter-day sides "Manhattan" and "New Coat of Paint," as well as the brand-new cuts "Satisfied" and "Tomorrow," two hard-rocking songs that are some of his best music in years. These are good, but they are naturally overshadowed by the songs that form the heart of this collection: the terrific plea for compassion "Understanding," previously only available on the soundtrack to Teachers; grinding hard rockers "The Fire Down Below," "Her Strut," and "Sunspot Baby"; the delrious Chuck Berry homage "Katmandu," one of his funniest and toughest songs; the country-tinged ballads "Shame on the Moon" and "Fire Lake"; the aching elegy "Beautiful Loser"; the life-afirming "Rock and Roll Never Forgets," one of the best songs about aging within rock & roll. In this context, even the too-produced heavily synthesized "Shakedown" -- his contribution to 1987's Beverly Hills Cop II and his only number one hit, never available on a Seger album until now -- turns into a good time. Sure, there are a few songs that probably should have made the cut -- most notably "Feel Like a Number" and "Even Now" -- but as it stands, Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 is an excellent supplement to the first collection and a hell of a lot more fun to listen to as well. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Upon the release of GREATEST HITS VOL. 2, Michigan's answer to Bruce Springsteen had receded into the Boss' considerably large shadow, thanks to a self-imposed hiatus that found him recording only two studio albums in the 1990s. Despite the seemingly short attention span of the pop music world, this particular collection presents a fine argument that may reinforce Bob Seger's stature in the eyes of non-die-hard fans that only know him from regular rotation on classic rock radio.

This compilation dips into Seger's periodic soundtrack contributions ranging from TEACHERS' piano-driven "Understanding" and the soaring MOR Martina McBride duet "Chances Are" from HOPE FLOATS to "Shakedown," the rocker's only chart-topper from BEVERLY HILLS COP II. The collection also scratches the surface of Seger's influences, particularly when he goes back to 1981 and 1974, with covers of Rodney Crowell's countrified lament "Shame on the Moon" and Tom Waits' barfly anthem "New Coat of Paint," respectively. This Detroit native also tips a hat to his harder-rocking side by tossing classics like the salacious "The Fire Down Below," the howling "Her Strut," and "Tomorrow," a song written for this album that boasts a stomping tempo and Joan Osborne-like harmonies. minimize