Night Moves is the ninth studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bob Seger, released on October 22, 1976, by Capitol Records. It is his first studio album to credit his backing band, the Silver Bullet Band, although they only perform on five of the nine songs on the album; the other four feature backing by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.[2]

Night Moves
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 22, 1976[1]
Recorded
Various[2]
Studio
  • Muscle Shoals (Sheffield, Alabama)
  • Pampa (Warren, Michigan)
  • Nimbus Nine (Toronto)
Genre
Length36:50[1]
LabelCapitol
Producer
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band chronology
Live Bullet
(1976)
Night Moves
(1976)
Stranger in Town
(1978)
Singles from Night Moves
  1. "Night Moves"
    Released: November 1976
  2. "Mainstreet"
    Released: April 1977
  3. "Rock and Roll Never Forgets"
    Released: June 1977

The album was well received by critics and brought Bob Seger nationwide success. Three singles were released from the album; two of them made the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album became Seger's second to become certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and was his first to be certified platinum by the same association.[5] It later achieved a certification of 6x platinum from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic      [1]
Christgau's Record GuideA−[4]
Rolling Stone      [6]

Village Voice critic Robert Christgau wrote that the riffs on Night Moves are classic rock and roll riffs, like those performed by Chuck Berry or the Rolling Stones, and that the album is about rock and roll for those who are no longer in their teens, like the song "Rock and Roll Never Forgets".[4] The Rolling Stone review of the album by Kit Rachlis stated that the album is one of the best to come out of 1976–77, that Seger sounds like Rod Stewart and writes lyrics like Bruce Springsteen, and that the album is classic rock and roll. The only problem that Rachlis had with the album was the production not being strong enough.[6] A later review of the album by Stephen Thomas Erlewine for AllMusic says that the album was very similar to Beautiful Loser (1975), but Night Moves is harder than Beautiful Loser. Erlewine also feels that the album has a wide range of styles and has not lost any of its influence years later.[1]

Cash Box said that "'Ship of Fools' might turn into a classic rocker."[7]

Classic Rock History critic Janey Roberts ranked 4 songs from Night Moves among Seger's 20 greatest – the three singles plus "Come to Poppa".[8]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Bob Seger, except where noted

Side One
No.TitleLength
1."Rock and Roll Never Forgets"3:52
2."Night Moves"5:25
3."The Fire Down Below"4:28
4."Sunburst"5:13
Side Two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sunspot Baby" 4:38
2."Mainstreet" 3:43
3."Come to Poppa"Earl Randle, Willie Mitchell3:11
4."Ship of Fools" 3:24
5."Mary Lou"Young Jessie, Sam Ling2:56

Personnel

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Track numbering below refers to CD and digital releases of the album.

Musicians

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[14] 3× Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[15] 6× Platinum 6,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2010). "Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band - Night Moves (1976) album review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Night Moves (CD Liner). Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band. U.S.A.: Capitol. 1999. p. 2. 72435-24034-2-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ Molanphy, Chris (July 16, 2021). "Tramps Like Us Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 12, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  5. ^ "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database" (PHP). Recording Industry Association of America.
  6. ^ a b Rachlis, Kit (January 13, 1977). "Bob Seger - Night Moves". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 7, 2008.
  7. ^ "CashBox Album Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. October 30, 1976. p. 35. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  8. ^ Roberts, Janey (17 June 2022). "Top 20 Bob Seger songs". Classic Rock History. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  9. ^ "Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band - Night Moves (1976) album credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  10. ^ a b c Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band - Night Moves (1976) album releases & credits at Discogs.com
  11. ^ "RPM Top Albums". RPM. 27 (1). Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada. April 2, 1977. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 20, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  12. ^ "Bob Seger Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  13. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1977". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  14. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Bob Seger – Night Moves". Music Canada.
  15. ^ "American album certifications – Bob Seger – Night Moves". Recording Industry Association of America.
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