Well, for Christmas, I received Reason To Believe: The Complete Mercury Studio Recordings. This collection has his first few solo albums. It has The Rod Stewart Album, Gasoline Alley, Every Picture Tells A Story, Never A Dull Moment, Smiler, and some singles that weren't on any albums. Definitely Rod's best solo period and some great music!!
i have that set. highly recommended
I don't own Smiler but I have the first four solo records by Stewart that you mentioned. Really an incredible body of work..............sterling rootsy Americana music, long before anyone had coined the term "Americana". Then you have what Rod was doing with The Faces as well in the early 70's...........that alcohol-fueled party-time rock 'n' roll. Rod was really hot back then. And I saw The Faces twice in that time frame. Too bad Rod decided to go Vegas............he was making some REAL great music in the early 70's.
I don't own Smiler but I have the first four solo records by Stewart that you mentioned. Really an incredible body of work..............sterling rootsy Americana music, long before anyone had coined the term "Americana". Then you have what Rod was doing with The Faces as well in the early 70's...........that alcohol-fueled party-time rock 'n' roll. Rod was really hot back then. And I saw The Faces twice in that time frame. Too bad Rod decided to go Vegas............he was making some REAL great music in the early 70's.
Don't forget his stuff with The Jeff Beck Band!
Everything he did up until the Mid-Seventies was fantastic. That period was followed by a few years of very poppy hits but still acceptable tours but from the Early Eighties onwards: yikes! What a waste of talent. Elevator music for bored housewifes.
....The Rod Stewart Album...
We know it as An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down!
Well, for Christmas, I received Reason To Believe: The Complete Mercury Studio Recordings. This collection has his first few solo albums. It has The Rod Stewart Album, Gasoline Alley, Every Picture Tells A Story, Never A Dull Moment, Smiler, and some singles that weren't on any albums. Definitely Rod's best solo period and some great music!!
I NEED that collection!
this set also has a few songs that were unreleased from the mercury era
Everything he did up until the Mid-Seventies was fantastic. That period was followed by a few years of very poppy hits but still acceptable tours but from the Early Eighties onwards: yikes! What a waste of talent. Elevator music for bored housewifes.
yeah atlantic crossing was still good as was a night on the town. each release after that got worse. i disagree that rod never released anything good again in his career. out of order and vagabond heart were a step back in the right direction and rod really hit it out of the park with a spanner in the works and when we were the new boys
The "Five Guys Walk Into A Bar" Faces collection is fantastic
Everything he did up until the Mid-Seventies was fantastic.
Agreed. His work with the Faces was sublime. Saw him at The Cow Palace in '73 w/Foghat as the opener, to this day one of my more memorable shows.
To quote Rod: "I'm not going to get married anymore. I'm just going to find a woman who hates me and give her a house."
Loved it when Rod returned to his roots with Ronnie Wood for their MTV Unplugged show -- they played a lot of his early stuff, like Cut Across Shorty & others
Elton John is the same way -- his early stuff is fantastic, then, like Rod he went sorta AM schlocky --
Love Rod the Mod's early stuff -- Mandolin Wind, impossible to get sick of -- he and Elton John both covered Country Comforts back then too (it's on Elton's Tumbleweed Connection)
Loved it when Rod returned to his roots with Ronnie Wood for their MTV Unplugged show -- they played a lot of his early stuff, like Cut Across Shorty & others
Elton John is the same way -- his early stuff is fantastic, then, like Rod he went sorta AM schlocky --
Love Rod the Mod's early stuff -- Mandolin Wind, impossible to get sick of -- he and Elton John both covered Country Comforts back then too (it's on Elton's Tumbleweed Connection)
Rod covered it; Elton wrote it
ya -- always thought Rod did Cut Across Shorty originally too, but no 😮 
like both versions, but that piano on Rod's version of Country Comforts -- very affecting
And yet Rod will not commit to a Faces reunion? he has become basically a Vegas lounge singer these days hawking crooner cover albums on QVC. I love his early Faces and solo stuff but still can't understand why he has become the old rock star version of Michael Buble.
And yet Rod will not commit to a Faces reunion? he has become basically a Vegas lounge singer these days hawking crooner cover albums on QVC. I love his early Faces and solo stuff but still can't understand why he has become the old rock star version of Michael Buble.
Because those albums sell very well.
total classic albums...
Elton John is the same way -- his early stuff is fantastic, then, like Rod he went sorta AM schlocky --
I totally agree with your comment about Elton John. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Mad Man Across the Water are classics.
I have a good friend who is a very astute music fan. Loves hard rock and metal. My friend is gay. We got on the subject of Elton John one day and I said I love his old stuff but he lost me when he was doing Disney movie soundtracks.
My friend says, "Yeah he Started to Suck When He Turned Gay". I think I laughed for an hour. 
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
