Rod Stewart
Reason To Believe
Mercury Records
4400634222
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Maybe the highest compliment you can pay a song is that it sounds good years after you first heard it. That it was more than just a song of the moment, or the summer, or something that reminded you of that time with that guy. The adjective classic would probably apply. Thirty years down the road Rod Stewart’s “You Wear It Well” not only still sounds good to me, it actually sounds better. And that’s not because I’ve upgraded my hi-fi equipment. The track, which was the first single from Never A Dull Moment, resonates deeper now that I’ve got a few, (ok more than a few), diminished returns and failed love affairs neatly tucked in my back pocket. Cut from the same wistful folk/rock cloth of Stewart’s monster hit “Maggie May”, (not surprising since Stewart and guitarist Martin Quittenton penned them both), “You Wear It Well” is about yearning for that one true love, but it’s also an unabashed ode to the complicated simplicity of female beauty. The hook rings in my head every time a man I love tells me I look good when I haven’t put a lick of effort into doing so, and what gives the song its heart is how much of his heart Stewart pours into it. Sure, the working class story line is pure fantasy; by 1972 Rod was not chasing after factory girls or women who needed to make collect calls. But despite the artistic artifice “You Wear It Well” is honest and vulnerable. Two adjectives that Rod Stewart wore pretty nicely, himself. Along with classic.
There are stars and there are singers. Fame made Rod Stewart the former but in his soul he was the latter. Yeah there were moments during the Reagan era when Stewart’s flamboyant Hollywood hubris threatened to overpower his considerable vocal skills. Yet even when the material was unremarkable, Rod Stewart had enough talent to remind you that he was also a hell of a singer. And as this collection of Rod’s first five solo albums on Mercury proves, one hell of a producer, arranger and songwriter as well. What you have here is Rod Stewart at his absolute peak. Blurring the lines between the blues, rock, folk, country and soul, Stewart created rugged yet gently romantic music that had the cockiness of arena rock but also a sentimentality that was hushed and intimate. On these five albums, (and assorted rarities and b-sides), Rod is troubadour, loveman, and lad, infusing both the songs he wrote and his dead on choice of covers with an effortless charm.
The son of a Scottish storekeeper, Rod was born in London but always identified himself as a Scot. As a teen Stewart toyed with becoming a pro soccer player but then took up singing. After a brief stint with a folk singer, Rod joined Jimmy Powell & the Five Dimensions; a Birmingham based R&B outfit. The band toured the UK and recorded a single that featured Stewart on harmonica. Upon moving back to London, Rod became a member of British blues legend Long John Baldry’s band The Hoochie Coochie Men, and recorded the single “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” in 1964. By ‘65 the band, now called Steampacket, had supported the Stones on an UK tour, and recorded an album that wasn’t released till 1970. In 1966 Steampacket broke up and Rod hooked up with the rock-blues band Shotgun Express, who dropped one single and then drifted apart. Stewart’s gritty vocals caught the ear of (ex-Yardbird) Jeff Beck and in ‘67 the guitar god tapped Rod to front The Jeff Beck Group. Working against Beck’s fiery fret work, Stewart a/k/a “Vocals extraordinaire” soon made his mark as a blues stoked rock and roll singer and recorded two landmark albums, Truth (68) and 1969’s Beck-Ola. That same year Stewart signed to Mercury as a solo artist and his debut, The Rod Stewart Album (titled An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down in the UK) was quickly released. Working with fellow Beck group members Mick Waller and Ron Wood, Small Faces’ keyboardist Ian McLagan and guitarist Quittenton, Stewart delivered an eclectic melange of familiar songs by established artists, more obscure covers and originals which embraced rowdy rock and understated folk with equal passion. That “formula” would prove to be the foundation of Stewart’s solo success.
By 1970 The Jeff Beck group was history and Stewart was now doing double duty with his solo career and a new partnership with the Small Faces a/k/a the Faces. The year was prolific for Stewart and saw the release of the Small Faces’ First Step and his sophomore album Gasoline Alley. Moody, reflective and raw, the self produced album showed that Stewart was not only a dyed in the wool rocker, but as witnessed by the compelling title track, a thoughtful singer-songwriter as well. Entering at #27 on the Billboard album chart, Gasoline Alley’s popularity would set the stage for the album that would be Stewart’s breakthrough, creatively and commercially. Every Picture Tells a Story (71) hit #1 in the UK and the States simultaneously. The first single “Reason To Believe” (another example of Rod’s unerring ability to cover a song and make it his own), was a minor hit, but when DJs began to play the b-side; a fiddle and acoustic guitar laced original about loving an older woman, Rod went from cult star to pop star. “Maggie May” stayed at #1 for five weeks and the song, like the rest of the album, showed how Stewart made folk rock, and did so with a sloppy abandon that was infectious. Every Picture Tells A Story would go gold as would the follow-up in 1972, Never A Dull Moment.
With the publics’ focus clearly on Stewart the solo star, Rod’s relationship with the Faces, his mates and musical partners, began to show signs of strain. 1974 would mark both the Faces last album and Smiler, Stewart’s swan song on Mercury.
By 1975 Stewart had made major shifts in his life. He relocated to Los Angeles to avoid the punitive British income tax, and started working with American producers, fashioning a slicker (though tremendously successful) sound. With his move to the States Rod effectively closed one chapter and began another.
This collection may well be a look back, but listening to these songs there is no sense of nostalgia because the emotions and energy are as urgent as ever. The songs and the vocals of Rod Stewart are now and always, soulful, raucous, heartfelt, human and classic. To the core.
– AMY LINDEN
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Disc One
– THE ROD STEWART ALBUM –
Mercury SR-61237, released September 1969
1 STREET FIGHTING MAN 5.06
(Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)
2 MAN OF CONSTANT SORROW 2.31
(Rod Stewart)
3 BLIND PRAYER 4.36
(Rod Stewart)
4 HANDBAGS AND GLADRAGS 4.24
(Mike D’Abo)
5 AN OLD RAINCOAT WON’T EVER LET YOU DOWN 3.04
(Rod Stewart)
6 I WOULDN’T EVER CHANGE A THING 4.43
(Rod Stewart)
7 CINDY’S LAMENT 4.25
(Rod Stewart)
8 DIRTY OLD TOWN 3.37
(Ewan MacColl)
Produced by Lou Reizner
Arranged by Rod Stewart
Recorded at Landsdowne & Olympic Studios, London.
Engineered by Alan O’Duffy
Rod Stewart - Vocals
Guitar - Martin Pugh & Ron Wood
Acoustic Guitars - Martin Quittenton
Organ & Piano - Ian McLagan
Bass - Ron Wood
Drums - Mick Waller
Keith Emerson played organ on I WOULDN’T EVER CHANGE A THING
Rod Stewart guitar on MAN OF CONSTANT SORROW
Mike D’Abo arranged and played piano on HANDBAGS & GLADRAGS
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– GASOLINE ALLEY –
Mercury SR-61264, released May 1970
9 GASOLINE ALLEY 4.02
(Rod Stewart / Ron Wood)
10 IT’S ALL OVER NOW 6.21
(Bobby & Shirley Womack)
11 ONLY A HOBO 4.16
(Bob Dylan)
12 MY WAY OF GIVING 3.57
(Steve Marriott / Ronnie Lane)
13 COUNTRY COMFORTS 4.43
(Elton John / Bernie Taupin)
14 CUT ACROSS SHORTY 6.30
(Marijohn Wilkin / Wayne P. Walker)
15 LADY DAY 4.12
(Rod Stewart)
16 JO’S LAMENT 3.25
(Rod Stewart)
17 YOU’RE MY GIRL (I DON’T WANT TO DISCUSS IT) 4.30
(Dick Cooper / Beth Beatty / Ernie Shelby)
18 IT’S ALL OVER NOW single version 3.35
(Bobby & Shirley Womack)
Issued as single, Vertigo 6086 002 (UK), September 1970
Produced by Rod Stewart & Lou Reizner
Recorded at Morgan Studios, London
Engineered by Mike Bobak
Rod Stewart - Vocals
Guitar - Ron Wood
Acoustic Guitars - Martin Quittenton, Ron Wood, Rod Stewart
Bottleneck Guitar - Ron Wood
Mandolin - Stanley Matthews
Piano, Organ - Ian McLagan & Pete Sears
Bass - Ron Wood, Ronnie Lane & Pete Sears
Drums - Mick Waller & Kenny Jones
Violin Bass - Dennis O’Flynn
Violin - Dick Powell
Vocals - Ronnie Lane & Harry
Whistle - William Gaff
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Disc Two
– EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY –
Mercury SRM-1-609, released May 1971
1 EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY 5.57
(Rod Stewart / Ron Wood)
2 SEEMS LIKE A LONG TIME 4.00
(Theodore Anderson)
3 THAT’S ALL RIGHT / AMAZING GRACE 5.59
(Arthur Crudup) / (Traditional; arranged by Rod Stewart / Sam Mitchell)
4 TOMORROW IS A LONG TIME 3.46
(Bob Dylan)
5 MAGGIE MAY 5.46
(Rod Stewart / Martin Quittenton)
6 MANDOLIN WIND 5.32
(Rod Stewart)
7 (I KNOW) I’M LOSING YOU 5.20
(Norman Whitfield / Eddie Holland / Cornelius Grant)
8 (FIND A) REASON TO BELIEVE 4.09
(Tim Hardin)
Produced by Rod Stewart
Recorded at Morgan Studios, London.
Engineered by Mike Bobak
Rod Stewart - Acoustic guitar and vocals
Guitar - Ron Wood
Slide Guitar - Sam Mitchell
Acoustic Guitars - Martin Quittenton
Pedal Steel Guitar - Ron Wood
Mandolin - Ray Jackson
Organ - Ian McLagan
Piano - Pete Sears
Bass - Ron Wood, Danny Thompson & Andy Pyle
Drums - Mick Waller
Violin - Dick Powell
Madeleine Bell & Long John Baldry sang vocal abrasives on SEEMS LIKE A LONG TIME Maggie Bell sang vocal abrasives on EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY
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– NEVER A DULL MOMENT –
Mercury SRM-10646, released July 1972
9 TRUE BLUE 3.32
(Rod Stewart / Ron Wood)
10 LOST PARAGUAYOS 3.57
(Rod Stewart / Ron Wood)
11 MAMA YOU BEEN ON MY MIND 4.30
(Bob Dylan)
12 ITALIAN GIRLS 4.55
(Rod Stewart / Ron Wood)
13 ANGEL 4.04
(Jimi Hendrix)
14 INTERLUDINGS 0.41
(A. Wood)
15 YOU WEAR IT WELL 4.22
(Rod Stewart / Martin Quittenton)
16 I’D RATHER GO BLIND 3.53
(Billy Foster / Ellington Jordan)
17 TWISTIN’ THE NIGHT AWAY 3.16
(Sam Cooke)
18 WHAT’S MADE MILWAUKEE FAMOUS (HAS MADE A LOSER OUT OF ME) 2.51
(Glenn Sutton)
Issued as the b-side of ANGEL, Mercury 6052 198 (UK), November 1972
Produced by Rod Stewart
Recorded at Morgan Studios & Olympic Studios, London.
Engineer and consultant Mike Bobak
Glyn Johns engineered TRUE BLUE
TWISTIN’ THE NIGHT AWAY arranged by Jimmy Horowitz
Rod Stewart - Vocals
Electric Guitars - Ron Wood
Acoustic Guitars - Martin Quittenton & Ron Wood
Steel Guitar - Gordon Huntley
Organ - Ian McLagan
Piano - Ian McLagan & Pete Sears
Bass - Ronnie Lane, Pete Sears & Ron Wood
Upright Bass - Spike Heatley
Drums - Mick Waller & Kenny Jones
Congas - Neemoi ‘Speedy’ Aquaye
Violin - Dick Powell
Chest Piano - Brian
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Disc Three
1 PINBALL WIZARD (From the Rock Opera “TOMMY [1914-1984]”) 3.09
(Pete Townshend)
From SING IT AGAIN ROD, Mercury SRM-1-680, released June 1973
Produced by Lou Reizner
Rod Stewart - Vocals
London Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Choir Conducted and Directed by David Measham
Arrangements by Will Malone with additional arrangements by James Sullivan Recorded at Olympic Studios, London.
Chief engineer - Keith Grant
Assisted by Bob Potter, Anton Matthews and Mike Bobak
2 OH! NO NOT MY BABY 3.38
(Carole King / Gerry Goffin)
Issued as single Mercury 73426 (US) / Mercury 6052 371, September 1973
Produced by Rod Stewart
Vocals - Rod Stewart
Guitars, bass - Ron Wood
Piano - Ian McLagan
Drums - Kenny Jones
3 JODIE 3.09
(Ron Wood / Rod Stewart / Ian McLagan)
Issued as the b-side of single Mercury 73426 (US) / Mercury 6052 371
Produced by Rod Stewart and Ron Wood
Vocals - Rod Stewart
Guitars, bass - Ron Wood
Organ - Ian McLagan
Drums - Kenny Jones
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– SMILER –
Mercury SRM-1-1017, released September 1973
4 SWEET LITTLE ROCK ‘N ROLLER 3.44
(Chuck Berry)
5 LOCHINVAR 0.25
(Pete Sears)
6 FAREWELL 4.34
(Rod Stewart / Martin Quittenton)
7 SAILOR 3.35
(Rod Stewart / Ron Wood)
8 BRING IT ON HOME TO ME / YOU SEND ME 3.59
(Sam Cooke)
9 LET ME BE YOUR CAR 4.58
(Elton John / Bernie Taupin)
10 (YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE) A NATURAL MAN 3.54
(Gerry Goffin / Carole King / Jerry Wexler)
11 DIXIE TOOT 3.27
(Rod Stewart / Ron Wood)
12 HARD ROAD 4.27
(Harry Vanda / George Young)
13 I’VE GROWN ACCUSTOMED TO HER FACE (INSTRUMENTAL) 1.32
(Alan Lerner / Frederick Lowe)
14 GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY 3.52
(Bob Dylan)
Produced by Rod Stewart
Recorded at Morgan Studios, London.
Engineered by Mike Bobak
Rod Stewart - Vocals
Guitar - Ron Wood
Acoustic Guitars - Martin Quittenton
Organ - Ian McLagan
Piano - Ian McLagan, Pete Sears
Bass - Ron Wood
Upright Bass - Spike Heatley
Drums - Kenny Jones, Mick Waller
Percussion - Ray Cooper
Violin - Dick Powell & Rick Grech
Mandolin - Ray Jackson
Vocals - Irene & Doreen Chanter, Ruby Turner
Brass - The Memphis Horns
Steel Drums - Tropic Isle Steel Band
Elton John played piano and sang on LET ME BE YOUR CAR
Andy Newmark played drums and Willie Weeks played bass on LET ME BE YOUR CAR
Chris Barber’s Jazz Band played on DIXIE TOOT
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15 MINE FOR ME 4.01
(Paul & Linda McCartney)
From the HANDBAGS & GLADRAGS collection
Compilation, Mercury (UK) 528 823-2, released in 1995
Compiled by Mike Gill and John Gray
Remixes by Mike Gill and Roger Wake
16 MISSED YOU 3.59
(Rod Stewart)
Previously unreleased in the US
Recorded circa 1973/1974
17 YOU PUT SOMETHING BETTER INSIDE ME 3.49
(Gerry Rafferty / Joe Egan)
Previously unreleased in the US
Recorded during the SMILER sessions
18 CRYING LAUGHING LOVING LYING 2.52
(Labi Siffre)
Previously unreleased in the US
Recorded during the SMILER sessions
19 EVERY TIME WE SAY GOODBYE 3.34
(Cole Porter)
Previously unreleased in the US
Recorded summer of 1973
20 SO TIRED 3.41
(Rod Stewart)
Previously unreleased in the US
Recorded circa 1973/1974
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Compilation Produced by Bill Levenson
Mastered by Suha Gur at Universal Mastering Studios East
Art Direction: Vartan
Design: Rebecca Meek, thecreativeshop
Photo Coordination: Ryan Null
Photography: Digipak & booklet covers: © David Gahr;
Other photography by Tom Wright, except,
CD1 label & tray: Laurens Van Houten/Star File;
CD3 label & tray, inside panel right of tray: Aaron Sixx
Production Coordination: Monique McGuffin
Mercury Records
© 2002 The Island Def Jam Music Group 4400634222