The third in a series of collections of danceable jazz from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s that wasn't afraid to throw in rock, soul, pop, and blues elements (the prior volumes being Mod Jazz and Mo' Mod Jazz). What makes this stand out from other compilations of the sort, not to mention most jazz compilations of any sort, is its sheer irreverence and willingness to mix in tracks that might be considered inappropriate, or downright blasphemous, by purists.
How good was Rod Stewart really? The truth is….very good indeed. In his earlier days, he had a grittier and less polished style that suited so many different types of musical genres. He was equally comfortable singing country rock, ballads or out and out rockers…
This first real "album" release by Stewart/Gaskin reached a level of sophistication rarely heard on pop/rock albums. Every track sounds like a labor of love, with no fillers…
Following the success of Unplugged…and Seated, Rod Stewart had shrewdly repositioned himself as a mature, middle-aged man who still had a slight streak of his wilder days in him. Unsurprisingly, the music both recalled his past glories in instrumentation, yet the attack was different – the acoustics rocked, but it wasn't bracing; it was like a back-porch jam session…
Kicking off with the swagger and machismo of one of the quintessential 70's anthems, "Hot Legs", FOOT LOOSE AND FANCY FREE is a blistering joyride, a swaggering period piece that,like all of Rod's best work, immerses itself in the prevalent style of the time– by 1977, funk-tinged rock was all therage, and FOOT LOOSE is a carnival of wah-wah guitars ("You're Insane"), epic arrangements ("You Just Keep Me Hanging On"), and unabashed earnestness (the nostalgic and confessional "I Was Only Joking".) …