good boy gone bad

Believe it or not, at one time Rod Stewart was one of us. A quick glance at the songwriting credits for this, Stewart's second 'solo' effort, reveal where Rod's head was at: covers of Bobby & Shirley Womack's 'It's All Over Now' (more famously, and somewhat more enjoyably covered by The Rolling Stones), Bob Dylan's 'Only a Hobo', Elton John and Bernie Taupin's 'Country Comforts', and Steve Marriott & Ronnie Lane's 'My Way of Giving'. I've tried to keep my record collection pure of disco, and with composers such as these I don't believe anyone can accuse me of harboring anything as defiling as 'Hot Legs' or 'Do Ya' Think I'm Sexy?'. Unfortunately for me, each time I hear Rod's voice, a bit of the 'Hot Legs' overplay corrupts my capacity to concentrate on his earlier (and better) sensibilities. Rod's raspy vocal cords made him one of rock's premier vocalists before career decisions became of more immediate concern than the art. His defection to 'the other side' was perhaps the most disconcerting loss of the era.



Nevertheless, from his debut 'Rod Stewart Album' through his epic 'Every Picture Tells a Story' and it's sequel, 'Never a Dull Moment', Stewart left behind a fine legacy. 'Gasoline Alley' is Rod's second 'solo' effort, and while it failed to spawn even one single, it is a consistantly fine production. In fact, since it generated absolutely no Top 40 attention, the songs on this disc have managed to escaped the dred overplay that has afflicted some Stewart numbers, most notably 'Maggie May', and even 'You Wear It Well'.



At first glance the disc appears weighted toward more subdued numbers, such as the lilting 'Only a Hobo' and the gentle strains of 'Country Comforts', and in sheer numbers the disc is fairly reserved, especially toward the end when two Stewart compositions, 'Lady Day' and 'Jo's Lament' emerge. But the three longest songs on the disc are all rockers, and they are wisely distributed on tracks two, six and nine. 'It's All Over Now', 'Cut Across Shorty', and 'You're My Girl' consume nearly eighteen minutes of the disc's 41 minute running time, and 'My Way of Giving' is no slouch either. It predictably possesses an upbeat pop sound (reminiscent of Rod's previous gig with The Small Faces) since it was written by Marriott and bassist Ronnie Lane.



Here and there we are enticed by tell-tale sounds that allude to the emerging Stewart epic, 'Every Picture Tells a Story'. The fine back-home opener, 'Gasoline Alley', possesses a mandolin that harkens to 'Mandolin Wind', and 'Cut Across Shorty' and 'You're My Girl' feature sharp guitar riffs that would fuel similar Stewart classics such as his cover of the Temptation's 'I'm Losing You'.



The only disappointing aspect of this particular disc is that the rework didn't add any bonus tracks or informational material to the package... you get only what you got in 1970 with the original vinyl release. Weren't there any other tracks sitting in the vault from this session that ended up on the editing floor, or interesting anecdotes from the contributing artist's that could spice this up a bit? Many people buying this CD today also purchased the recordings on vinyl and cassette. We deserve a few more crumbs from the table.

Rod Stewart's Second Album Is Great

GASOLINE ALLEY is Rod Stewart's second great album in a row. From the opening title track, which pays homage to his roots, to the Small Faces' "My Way Of Giving", to Bobby Womack's "It's All Over Now" and Bob Dylan's "Only A Hobo", this album shows Stewart as a working-class rocker, equally at home with the blues/R&B/soul styles of Memphis, Chicago, Texas, St. Louis, Muscle Shoals, and Detroit, and with American and British Isles folk music. All of his first four albums are worth getting at once, along with THE MERCURY ANTHOLOGY, ATLANTIC CROSSING, A NIGHT ON THE TOWN, FOOTLOOSE & FANCY FREE, TONIGHT I'M YOURS, VAGABOND HEART, UNPLUGGED...AND SEATED, SPANNER IN THE WORKS, and WHEN WE WERE THE NEW BOYS- preferably all at once.

This is THE definitive Rod Stewart album!

This is THE definitive Rod Stewart album! There's nothing more to say!