{{short description|Album by Bob Seger}} {{Other uses|It's a Mystery (disambiguation)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}} {{Infobox album | name = It's a Mystery | type = Album | artist = Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band | cover = Bob Seger - It's a Mystery.jpg | alt = | released = October 24, 1995 | recorded = | venue = | studio = New River Studios (Fort Lauderdale, FL) <br> South Beach Studios (Miami Beach, FL) <br> Woodland Digital (Nashville, TN) <br> Conway Studios (Los Angeles, CA) | genre = Rock | length = 49:49 | label = Capitol | producer = Bob Seger | prev_title = Greatest Hits | prev_year = 1994 | next_title = Greatest Hits 2 | next_year = 2003 }}
{{Album ratings | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{AllMusic |class=album |id=r226733 |tab=review |label=Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band: ''It's a Mystery'' > Review |first=William |last=Ruhlmann |access-date=July 4, 2011 }}</ref> }}
'''''It's a Mystery''''' is the fifteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Seger, released in 1995 (see 1995 in music). As with his prior album, it is credited to the Silver Bullet Band, though many of the tracks feature a wide array of session musicians and the members of the Silver Bullet Band itself only make limited contributions to the album.
Despite hit singles and fan favorites such as "Lock and Load," "Manhattan," and "Hands in the Air," the album charted at No. 27 on the ''Billboard'' charts. This was Seger's lowest chart position since 1976's ''Live Bullet'' which charted at No. 34 on the ''Billboard'' 200.
''It's a Mystery'' was Seger's last album before taking a hiatus from the music industry to be with his family. He would return in 2006 with the album ''Face the Promise''.
==Track listing== {{tracklist | all_writing = Bob Seger, except where noted | | title1 = Rite of Passage | length1 = 3:51 | title2 = Lock and Load | writer2 = Craig Frost, Tim Mitchell, Seger | length2 = 4:55 | title3 = By the River | length3 = 3:26 | title4 = Manhattan | length4 = 5:22 | title5 = I Wonder | length5 = 4:06 | title6 = It's a Mystery | length6 = 4:18 | title7 = Revisionism Street | writer7 = Frost, Mitchell, Seger | length7 = 3:48 | title8 = Golden Boy | length8 = 2:25 | title9 = I Can't Save You Angeline | length9 = 3:56 | title10 = 16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought Six | writer10 = Tom Waits | length10 = 4:20 | title11 = West of the Moon | length11 = 4:37 | title12 = Hands in the Air | writer12 = Frost, Mitchell, Seger | length12 = 4:45 }}
==Personnel== As listed in the liner notes.<ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=It's a Mystery |others=Bob Seger |year=1995 |type=CD |publisher=Capitol Records |id=CDP 0777 7 99774 2 0}}</ref> *Bob Seger – synthesizer (1, 8), acoustic guitar (3, 8), guitar (1), piano (9, 11), bass (1), vocals (all tracks), drum machine (1, 8) *Kenny Aronoff – drums (6) *Eddie Bayers – drums (2) *Roy Bittan – piano (3–5) *George Bohanon – trombone (10) *Rosemary Butler – background vocals (1–3, 5, 9) *Chris Campbell – bass (2, 6, 7, 12) *Sam Clayton – maracas (7) *Scott Crago – bass drum (6) *Laura Creamer – background vocals (1–3, 5, 6, 9) *Craig Frost – synthesizer (6), keyboards (2, 12), electric piano (7), drum machine (7, 12) *Donny Gerrard – background vocals (1, 3, 5, 6, 9) *Bob Glaub – bass (3–5, 9, 11) *Richie Hayward – drums (10) *Russ Kunkel – drums (9, 11) *Gary Mallaber – brushed snare drum (10) *Tim Mitchell – guitar (2, 6, 7, 9, 12) *Shaun Murphy – background vocals (1, 2, 6, 9) *Buell Neidlinger – bass (10) *Bill Payne – synthesizer (7) *Alto Reed – saxophone (1–3, 7) *Rudy Richman – percussion (10) *Tom Roady – maracas (7, 12) *Harry Stinson – drums (3–5) *Fred Tackett – guitar (10) *Michael Thompson – guitar (3–5, 11) *Jeffrey C.J. Vanston – synthesizer (5, 11), keyboards (3, 4) *Rick Vito – slide guitar (10) *Julia Waters – background vocals (3, 5) *Luther Waters – background vocals (2) *Oren Waters – background vocals (6)
==Production== *Producer: Bob Seger *Engineer: David N. Cole *Mixing: David N. Cole *Drum programming: Bob Seger
==Charts== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}
===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- ! scope="col"| Chart (1995–1996) ! scope="col"| Peak<br />position |- {{album chart|Canada|53|chartid=2812|rowheader=true|accessdate=December 23, 2024}} |- {{album chart|Scotland|79|date=19960218|rowheader=true|access-date=November 6, 2021}} |- {{album chart|UK2|76|date=19960218|rowheader=true|access-date=November 6, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Billboard200|27|artist=Bob Seger|rowheader=true|access-date=November 6, 2021}} |} {{col-2}}
===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- ! scope="col"| Chart (1996) ! scope="col"| Position |- ! scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1996/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 6, 2021|archive-date=January 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123035756/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1996/the-billboard-200|url-status=live}}</ref> | 184 |} {{col-end}}
===Singles=== {| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width="550px" !align="left"|Year !align="left"|Single !align="left"|Chart !align="left"|Position |- |align="left"|1995 |align="left"|"Lock and Load" |align="left"|Mainstream Rock Tracks |align="left"|22 |- |align="left"|1996 |align="left"|"Hands in the Air" |align="left"|Mainstream Rock Tracks |align="left"|29 |- |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Bob Seger}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Bob Seger albums Category:1995 albums Category:Capitol Records albums