Bob Seger & The Last Heard* – Heavy Music

When I bought my copy several years ago, I couldn't find one locally.. and I live in the metro Detroit area!! I got mine out of a store in New York, and had it mailed to me! This was recorded at United Sound in Detroit... The same studio Motown used before setting up their own as the famed Studio One. "Heavy Music" was in the top 10 of CKLW's play list back then, and even made it on to a CKLW gold compilation LP in the late '60s.

This looks to be a Monarch issue in styrene.. would have been released in 1967.

This is an early rock masterpiece by Detroit's Bob Seger. It's every bit as good as his classic 'East Side Story'. Maybe even better, because this is a mixture of soul and rock and roll that truly could have only been created in a town like Detroit. I'm not sure how 'big' this song went nationallly. I know it was THE major noise in Motown.

I see a 'good plus' copy on sale for eight dollars. That is a fair price for a record that has seen much better days. I recently purchased this copy on ebay, and it is in immaculate condition. My price? $11.51. I bring this up only to point out that I do NOT see much investment potential in vinyl. Studying ebay and Goldmine for over twenty years, values of rare records (and I mean 'rare') has deflated ridiculously over the last seven years. Certain items retain their 'rare' value. But not even mint Beatle rarities are immune to the anemic economy over the past eight years.

My advice? If you LIKE a record, try to get it for a FAIR price. Buy it knowing you would be averse to selling it. I do believe the vinyl craze has peaked...some years ago. I have already suggested that Goldmine, Jerry Osborne....all of these publishers of the relative 'worth' of vinyl records do some serious rethinking about their prices for near mint items. As I said, even Beatles' rarities in wonderful shape are going for a third of stated prices that remained constant for over twenty years.

Personally, I consider this 45 an important piece of Detroit rock and roll history. Perhaps nobody is interested in actual old rock and roll records anymore, even classic ones. What's more, I would have NO idea how to price this 45, but to me it is a fairly rare record, especially in pristine shape. Goldmine invariably leaves a lot of promo singles out of its listings, but I prize this record as much as my mint promo copies of Steppenwolf's 'Born to Be Wild' and the Jefferson Airplane's 'Somebody to Love'. (These last two items I picked up on ebay for a relatively low price.) Do I want to sell it? Hell no!

Simply put - one of the greatest 45s ever made. Like Martha Reeves crossed with the MC5.
Great lyrics - "Don't you feel like going insane when the drums begin to pound?", a sublime pumping bassline that never lets up and a verse/ chorus structure that just keeps on building to orgasmic heights. This would have been a big national hit for Seger in '67 but Cameo Parkway went bust and distribution for the single ceased. How this record isn't more well known is one of life's enduring mysteries. Play this one for your mates (pt 2 is marginally better than pt 1 - not a continuation but a whole different take) .... just to tell 'em its by Bob Seger afterwards and see the look on their faces heh heh. HEAVY MUSIC!!!!

For Detroiters, this was a monster hit for the young Bob Seger. A mix of soul, rock, funk, it's some sort of tribal masterpiece. Seger's vocals are strong -- this is as powerful as Martha Reeves' "Dancing in the Streets" and the Reflections' "Just Like Romeo and Juliet".

Seger changed the name of his band, because apparently it sounded like "Bob Seger and the Last Turd". Fun fact to know and tell your friends.