Rod Stewart: Sing It Again Rod - 1973
This was the first Rod Stewart compilation I bought, back in the summer of 1973. I loved it and I still do. It's full of quality cuts from his best solo era. It was notable for its fold-out, multilayered sleeve, cut in the shape of a whisky glass.
Reason To Believe, particularly, is just simply a great song and its popularity remains high, despite its overshadowing by Maggie May on the eventually flipped-over single release (see below in the Maggie paragraph). "If I listened long enough to you...". Makes one's eyes all misty, doesn't it?
Now, this one was so close to being number one. It was that close. The massive hit single You Wear It Well is almost the match of Maggie May. It gets as much radio play, even now, and is up there in Rod's top five. It is another "character" song about a woman, in the Maggie May mould. Its intriguing lyrics certainly are worn well in the song. "I've been meaning to phone yah, but from Minnesot-agh...". This has Stewart showing off his vocal affectations to the max. Co-writer Martin Quittenton played classical guitar on this and there is that typical Rod Stewart circa 1971-74 fiddle backing too. An absolute classic of this era. Like Maggie May, it is a song I never tire of. Two greater number one singles in a row it would be difficult to match, by any artist. Well done Rod - you wore it well.
Mandolin Wind, with its steel guitar intro, is, like the cover of Tim Hardin's Reason To Believe, just simply beautiful. Soulful, evocative Stewart folky rock of the highest order. The song seems to be telling a tale of tough pioneer life in the old West, sort of Band-style. It is full of evocative lines such as - "Through the coldest winter in almost fourteen years...". Rod could pen a line or two, it is often forgotten.
Elton John and Bernie Taupin's Country Comfort, from the same year's Tumbleweed Connection album (1970), is delivered fetchingly, although it actually doesn't divert too much from the down-home charm of the original. Lyrically, it has that old West subject matter that Rod would later use on Mandolin Wind. By the way, artists used to cover each other's songs with regularity in those days without any worries of detracting from each other's sales.
The now world-famous, memorable single Maggie May was initially the 'b' side to the lovely, and equally seductive Reason To Believe. However, the former's popularity was gained through radio play and its "story" style lyrics that everyone sang along to ensured a "flip" of release and it became the 'a' side and a massive number one hit and an undoubted claim to be Rod Stewart's best ever song. Even now, I can never fail to enjoy listening to it. Lovely bass underpinning it too. Oh, and did I forget that mandolin part at the end? How could I? Remember - five mandolin runs before the drums kick back in. It makes it to number one in my book a) because it's a great song and always will be and b) it has wonderful nostalgic memories for me.
Well, everyone is surely familiar with the beautiful Mike D'Abo song Handbags and Gladrags by now. The piano coda is lovely and Stewart's vocal just sublime. Possibly his finest moment. Yes, it's that good. A big rumbling bass on it too. Chris Farlowe covered it well too, as did The Stereophonics in later years, but it is one of those songs that Rod made his own.
Rod's cover of The Rolling Stones' 1968 classic, Street Fighting Man, is turned into an acoustic-driven but raucous slice of madcap folk-blues, compete with rumbling bass solo at the end. I love it, despite its ramshackle, uncohesive and shambolic feel. There is just something so down-home bluesy about it. It sets the tone for the sound of much of Stewart's early material.
Rod also covers Twistin' The Night Away, a song from another of his heroes, Sam Cooke and it is a true delight - fast, rocking, full of soulful vigour and marvellously catchy. Oh, and there is that great drum rat-a-tat bit near the end. Heaven.
Lost Paraguayos was one of those mandolin-drive folky rock workouts like Reason To Believe and Mandolin Wind. Again, excellent, thumping drum backing from Kenney Jones and top notch work from the whole band. It contains some dodgy lyrics about sex with an underage girl and ending up in a Mexican jail as a result. Good old Rod, eh? Just this side of the law, it seems.
Stewart's peerless rendering of The Temptations' (I Know) I'm Losing You is one of few really credible covers of Motown material. Check out Kenney Jones' drum work at the end, and that guitar. Again, The Faces at their very best. Just a fantastic blues rock track.
Pinball Wizard was Rod's cover of The Who's song from their Tommy album. It is heavily orchestrated and doesn't really work for me, being the inferior of The Who's original and Elton John' 1974 cover of it.
Gasoline Alley was a Rod Stewart/Ronnie Wood composition, full of nostalgic lyrics for a youth only a few years behind them, and it has a killer refrain sung over some crystal clear acoustic riffs. It has a sound typical of Rod's output at this time, semi-folk, semi-rock.
