'Been looking for this one for two decades

For some odd reason, I missed purchasing this album upon its initial release in '84. I am more of an occasional Stewart fan and when one of his songs grabs my attention, it really grabs my attention.



Such was the case with "Infatuation." Yes, it was overproduced and Stewart's voice was drowned out in segments by some of the instrumentation. But, man, it makes me get up and move!!! The same thing happens when I hear "Some Guys Have All the Luck," "Bad for You," and the title cut. The rest of the disc is pure 80's and that, for me, is worth the purchase.



While Rod is garnering commercial success with his trio of standards (of which I have the first one), I still think Stewart the Rocker is, by far, his best incarnation.



And "Camouflage" satisfies my musical appetite most grandly.

A good 80s album for Stewart's more pop/rock fans

This is a transitional Rod Stewart album, as he was starting to move away from edgy bluesy pop/rock and towards the more Adult Contemporary pop singer he's known as today. In fact, I'd call this the last album where he could be considered cool, as there were traces of his soft image creeping in already, but it's mostly an 80s pop album.

The biggest hit was the happier, upbeat dancefloor rocker "Some Guys Have All the Luck" which also had a good sax solo. It's certainly reminiscent of the time, with that keyboard sound, but it's aged well. This is probably my all time favorite song of his. "Infatuation" is a slightly edgy mid tempo rock song that builds up with a guitar solo in the middle. It's also memorable for its video, which, if I remember right, had a merry go round. The cover of Free's (A 70s band with Paul Rodgers of Bad Company) "All Right Now" is more synthlike and although it doesn't rock as hard as the original, it's a good addition.

The other songs aren't bad either, mostly synthesized pop/rock like the fast paced title track. The mid tempo somewhat edgy rocker "Bad for You" and the poppy, pleasant melodic "Heart Is On the Line" could've been hits too. There's 2 ballads which are good as well. "Can We Still Be Friends" is a catchy, more typical 80s love song, and the softer, quieter piano based synthy "Trouble" ends the album mellowly, but it's still a memorable, singable tune.

I'm not really a big fan of Rod's. I like some of his harder, early songs like "Hot Legs" and the disco themed "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy." I also like a few of his later soft rock hits like "So Far Away" but I'm still what you'd call a casual fan of his, meaning most of his radio hits are pretty much all I'd want from him, but this album is a good exception. I'm a pretty big 80s music fan, and anyone else who is (whether or not they'll proudly admit it) would probably like this album, as well as "Tonight I'm Yours" and maybe "Vagabond Heart" even if you're not much of a Rod Stewart fan.

Two Moments Surrounded By Mediocrity

Camouflage is not one of Rod Stewart's better recordings. He strays far away from his rock n roll roots and mines the disco beats and synthesizers to the hill. The result is an annoying recording with much more bad than good.



However, there are two strong singles on this CD. Some Guys Have All The Luck has some catchy hooks as well as some interesting lyrics and synthesizer/saxaphone touches. It is easily the highlight of this recording. The lead off track Infatuation, is pretty charming as well. I like the way the guitars fit in with the rest of the song.



However, the remaining six songs just do not do anything special for me. Allright Now is too laden with synthesizers and tricky beats. Rod should have done this as a straight out rocker. As a matter of fact the problem with this recording is Rod got too complex with the tricky synthesized beats. Nearly every tune relies on too much special effects. In other words, too much cheesey style and not enough substance. Trouble is a decent ballad but it maybe wins the award as best tune of the remaining six tracks.



Truthfully Amazon readers you are best served going with a more rock n roll best Rod Stewart recording than Camouflogue.