1982 studio album by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
| The Distance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band | ||||
| Released | December 13, 1982 | |||
| Genre | Heartland rock | |||
| Length | 41:05 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Jimmy Iovine | |||
| Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Distance | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
The Distance is the twelfth studio album by US-American rock singer Bob Seger, released in December 1982. It peaked at #5 on Billboard's album chart and sold close to two million copies in the United States.
Seger, influenced by the Woody Allen film Annie Hall, originally intended the album to be built around the theme of relationships but eventually that fell apart when Seger decided that sticking to the theme too strictly would make the album "maudlin". Several songs based on the original theme made it on the album: the hit single "Even Now", "Love’s the Last to Know", "House Behind a House" and the album closer "Little Victories".
The album's lead single, "Shame on the Moon", was one of Seger's biggest hits, holding at #2 for four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It also hit #1 Adult Contemporary and crossed over to #15 Country.
Capitol Records had stopped manufacturing albums in the 8-track tape cartridge format by the time this album was released. However, Seger asked the label to include that format for this album, knowing that many of his fans still used 8-track players.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Bob Seger, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Even Now" | 4:31 | |
| 2. | "Makin' Thunderbirds" | 2:58 | |
| 3. | "Boomtown Blues" | 3:38 | |
| 4. | "Shame on the Moon" | Rodney Crowell | 4:55 |
| 5. | "Love's the Last to Know" | 4:26 | |
| 6. | "Roll Me Away" | 4:39 | |
| 7. | "House Behind a House" | 4:00 | |
| 8. | "Comin' Home" | 6:06 | |
| 9. | "Little Victories" | 5:52 |
Personnel
- Bob Seger – vocals (all tracks), guitar (3, 8, 9), harmony vocals (4)
The Silver Bullet Band
- Chris Campbell – bass guitar (1–7, 9)
- Craig Frost – organ (1, 3–6, 9), piano (2)
- Alto Reed – saxophone (1–3, 7, 8)
- Barry Beckett – piano (8), organ (8)
- Pete Carr – guitar (8)
- Roger Hawkins – drums (8)
- David Hood – bass guitar (8)
- Randy McCormick – electric piano (8)
Additional musicians
- Drew Abbott – guitar (2, 4)
- Roy Bittan – piano (1, 6)
- Michael Boddicker – synthesizer (6)
- Don Felder – guitar (1, 3)
- Bobbye Hall – percussion (1–4, 6)
- Davey Johnstone – guitar (5)
- Danny Kortchmar – guitar (7)
- Russ Kunkel – drums (1–7, 9)
- Bill Payne – piano (4, 5), synthesizer (8)
- Waddy Wachtel – guitar (2, 4, 6, 7, 9)
Additional vocals
- Ginger Blake – background vocals (8)
- Laura Creamer – background vocals (4, 8)
- Linda Dillard – background vocals (8)
- Glenn Frey – harmony vocals (4)
- Shaun Murphy – background vocals (4, 7)
- Bonnie Raitt – harmony vocals (2)
- Joan Sliwin – background vocals (4)
Production
- Producer: Jimmy Iovine
- Engineer: Shelly Yakus
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | US Top LPs & Tape | 5 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | "House Behind a House" | US Top Rock Tracks | 29 |
| 1983 | "Boomtown Blues" | 11 | |
| "Even Now" | 2 | ||
| US Hot 100 | 12 | ||
| "Roll Me Away" | US Top Rock Tracks | 13 | |
| US Hot 100 | 27 | ||
| "Shame on the Moon" | US Adult Contemporary | 1 | |
| US Country Singles | 15 | ||
| US Hot 100 | 2 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada) | 2× Platinum | 200,000 |
| United States (RIAA) | Platinum | 1,000,000 |
|
Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band: The Distance > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
- ^ Pond, Steve (February 3, 1983). "Bob Seger: Nice Guy in the Nasty Lane". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- "Canadian album certifications – Bob Seger – The Distance". Music Canada. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
- "American album certifications – Bob Seger – The Distance". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 7, 2024.