Cameo

Before there was Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band, there was a pre-fame band called The Last Heard. As Bob Seger ramped up to the release of his break-through first single, “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man”, his focus was, even then, great music for everyone. With The Last Heard, Bob Seger has a recorded set of singles for the Cameo label. Abkco Records has opted to release a collected set of these singles as Heavy Music: The Complete Cameo Recordings 1966-1967.

As Cameo rode both the critical and commercial success resulting from their debut, Cardiac Arrest, Chocolate City took the group straight from the road and right into the studio to record its follow-up. Because of this, the overall quality of Ugly Ego suffers mildly. It's uneven at points, but this easily could be attributed to erratic song sequencing, something that thankfully can be rectified in the digital age by the custom programming button. The band was developing its definitive sound at this point - the sound later heard on Secret Omen that would usher Cameo from being just another funk band to funk overlords. The uptempo "Insane" would later go on to be a fan favorite, and the slower moments found on "Give Love a Chance," "Friend to Me," and "Two of Us" prove that Cameo were more than just a good-time party band, but serious soulful balladeers when the time was appropriate.