I Knew You When

by Bob Seger

Overview

Mortality is on Bob Seger's mind on I Knew You When, an album dedicated to his departed friend Glenn Frey. I Knew You When contains two tributes to Frey -- the sepia-toned title track and "Glenn Song," the latter available only on the album's Deluxe Edition -- but the onetime Eagle isn't the only dead rock star to haunt the album. Seger covers Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen, both selections -- "Busload of Faith" and "Democracy" -- nodding to the American mess of 2017, another element that adds a sense of immediacy to the record. Despite these undercurrents of sentiment and politics, I Knew You When can't quite be called a meditative, melancholy record, not with roughly half the record devoted to fist-pumping arena-fillers that feel piped in from several different eras. "Runaway Train" is confined by a robotic pulse that channels "Shakedown," "The Highway" is dressed with '80s synths, and "The Sea Inside" is a clumsy nod to Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir," sounds that not only fight with Seger's protests and tributes but fight with each other. These old-fashioned album rockers are so loud and awkward, they overshadow the excellent singer/songwriter album that lurks at the core of I Knew You When. Such imbalance makes I Knew You When a bit incoherent, yet in its quietest and angriest moments, it offers some of the best music Seger has made in the 21st century. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/17/2017
Label:	Capitol
UPC:	0602567055099

Tracks

1. Gracile
2. Busload of Faith
3. The Highway
4. I Knew You When
5. I¿¿¿ll Remember You
6. The Sea Inside
7. Marie
8. Runaway Train
9. Something More
10. Democracy

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Bob Seger   Primary Artist,Piano,Vocals,Soloist,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Shaun Murphy   Vocals (Background)
Biff Watson   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Billy Payne   Piano,Vocals (Background)
Jim "Moose" Brown   Synthesizer
John Jarvis   Synthesizer
Craig Frost   Clavinet,Keyboards,Synthesizer,Synthesizer Bass
Laura Creamer   Vocals (Background)
Bekka Bramlett   Vocals (Background)
Michael Rojas   Piano
Tom Bukovac   Soloist,Guitar (Electric)
Greg Morrow   Drums,Shaker
Chad Cromwell   Bass,Drums
Steve Nathan   Organ,Piano,Synthesizer,Synthesizer Strings
J.T. Corenflos   Soloist,Guitar (Electric)
John Catchings   Cello
Deanie Richardson   Fiddle
Rosemary Butler   Vocals (Background)
Richie Hayward   Drums,Percussion
Jimmie Lee Sloas   Bass
Reese Wynans   Piano
Tim Mitchell   Soloist,Guitar (Electric)
Glenn Worf   Bass
Keith Kaminski   Saxophone
Kenny Greenberg   Soloist,Guitar (Electric)
Alto Reed   Soloist,Saxophone,Sax (Baritone)
Donny Gerrard   Vocals (Background)
Eric Darken   Percussion
Rob McNelley   Soloist,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Rick Vito   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Michael Henderson   Guitar (Electric)
Gerard Smerek   Percussion
Seth Morton   Vocal Harmony,Vocals (Background)
Chris Campbell   Bass
John Rutherford   Trombone
Mark Chatfield   Guitar (Electric)
Mark Byerly   Trumpet
Herschel Boone   Vocals (Background)
Barbara Payton   Vocals (Background)
Carole Neuen-Rabinowitz   Cello
Bob Jensen   Trumpet
Jim Kaatz   Guitar (Rhythm)
Leroy Parnell   Slide Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Terena Boone   Vocals (Background)
David Cole   Guitar (Acoustic)

Technical Credits

Leonard Cohen   Composer
Bob Seger   Design,Artwork,Composer,Producer
Chuck Ainlay   Mixing,Engineer
Craig Frost   Composer
Ed Cherney   Engineer
Lou Reed   Composer
Tim Mitchell   Composer
Robert Vosgein   Mastering
Leslie Richter   Assistant Engineer
Drew Bollman   Assistant Engineer
Luke Wooten   Engineer
Gerard Smerek   Mixing,Engineer
Seth Morton   Assistant Engineer
Greg Fogie   Assistant Engineer
Mark Chatfield   Composer
Kyle Manner   Assistant Engineer
Chad Brown   Assistant Engineer
Marc Frigo   Assistant Engineer
Nicole Frantz   Art Direction
Bryan Graban   Assistant Engineer
Scott Gatteno   Engineer
Tom Weschler   Design,Artwork
Brandon Schexnayder   Assistant Engineer
Christopher Lee Lyons   Design
Bill Blackwell   Insert Photography
Sean R. Badum   Assistant Engineer
Josh Ditty   Assistant Engineer
Richard Dood   Mastering
Tyler Hoffman   Assistant Engineer
David Cole   Mixing,Engineer