Rod+stewart

During this time, Stewart became an excellent songwriter in his own right, penning (or co-penning) a number of tunes here, including the transcendent "Maggie May" and the surging "Every Picture Tells a Story." More extensive than 1976's THE BEST OF ROD STEWART and slightly outshining '92's THE MERCURY ANTHOLOGY, GOLD is ideal for anyone seeking a thorough sampler of Stewart's early solo work…

Early on in his career Rod Stewart established himself as one of rock's great interpretive vocalists, which made the flatness of his Great American Songbook series a bit puzzling. If any classic rock veteran of the '60s should have been able to offer new spins on old standards, it should have been Rod the Mod, who was turning Elvis' "All Shook Up" inside out on Jeff Beck's Truth and turned the Rolling Stones' defiant "Street Fighting Man" into a folk-rock lament, all before "Maggie May" turned Rod into a star…

On his debut album (titled An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down in Britain, and The Rod Stewart Album in America, presumably because its original title was "too English" or cryptic for U.S. audiences), Rod Stewart essays a startlingly original blend of folk, blues, and rock & roll. The opening cover of the Stones' "Street Fighting Man" encapsulates his approach. Turning the driving acoustic guitars of the original inside out, the song works a laid-back, acoustic groove, bringing a whole new meaning to the song before escalating into a full-on rock & roll attack – without any distorted guitars, just bashing acoustics and thundering drums…

By the time MTV got around to taping an Unplugged special with Rod Stewart, the singing soccer fanatic had spent most of the '80s and early '90s churning out albums full of glossy pop songs. UNPLUGGED…AND SEATED found Stewart going back to his earlier material where soul, folk and rock blended together into something special. Stewart made these chestnuts more authentic by reuniting with old mate Ronnie Wood. Backed by a string section, vocalists, and a couple of pianos, Stewart dug deep into his catalog for folk-flavored favorites such as "Handbags And Gladrags," "Mandolin Wind" and "Cut Across Shorty."…

Once he became a superstar, Rod Stewart essentially gave up on songwriting because, let's face it, it's easier to play endless football and cavort with models. Every once in a while his muse returned, so he tried a little bit harder, such as in 1988 when he spun Bob Dylan's "Forever Young" into a song of his own, which wound up as the last hit single of his that he ever wrote…

Even the man himself has admitted to making some uneven albums. In the end the result is a very divided opinion on Rod Stewart's talents. But much the same as that occurred with the Rolling Stones a few years later on their Dirty Work could easily apply to this. The influx of electronic/synthesizers into music,especially with rock almost guarantee's a lot of negativity from writers,critics and cultural analysts even today. Worse part is,most of them aren't willing to examine the flaws in their own flaws the way Rod himself apparently has…