A goldmine

This nicely packaged 2002 collection gathers every track Rod Stewart recorded for Mercury Records between 1969 and 1974.

The 56 songs include remastered versions of all 46 songs from his first five solo albums, as well as ten outtakes (half of which previously appeared on the excellent double-disc "Handbags And Gladrags" retrospective). Ten non-LP songs isn't all that much if you already has all five studio albums ("The Rod Stewart Album", "Gasoline Alley", the fabulous "Every Picture Tells A Story", "Never A Dull Moment" and "Smiler"), but if you don't, this is an excellent way to acquire all of Rod Stewart's very best material in one fell swoop.

The non-LP songs include a good take on "Pinball Wizard", a heartfelt "Every Time We Say Goodbye", and Rod Stewart at his most "country", doing a really great "What Made Milwaukee Famous".

Stewart's first four studio albums went from great to sublime, after which "Smiler" was a bit of disappointment, but it too brings several fine songs to the party.
There are almost too many highlights to mention; originals like "Lost Paraguayos", "Gasoline Alley", "Every Picture Tells A Story", the beautiful "Mandolin Wind", and the classic "Maggie May", and some of the best cover songs ever, courtesy of the greatest interpretive singer of the last 40 years:
"Street Fighting Man", "Only A Hobo", "Country Comforts", an incredible "Cut Across Shorty", and the best ever rendition of "That's All Right".

To me, this tough, superbly melodious, and extremely well-arranged folk-rock ranks among the best music of the seventies.
The only drawback is that the flow of the original albums has been disturbed, but that is a minor complaint. Rarely has this much excellent music been gathered on one album.

and it is complete...

One of the things that I really like about this set is that it offers all five of Rod Stewart's Mercury albums - in their entirety. Granted, there are few tracks from Smiler that are not as strong as most of the rest, but then considering the amount of amazing material that he did put out in those early years, combined with the material from Faces, I'd say that four or five mediocre tracks should be allowed! Naturally, the remastering also really improves the overall dynamics. I remember having Every Picture Tells a Story, on record and the one thing I didn't like about it was the overall sound quality.



It's pointeless to even try to compare this music to any of Stewart's current fare. He has a huge loyal following, and is a gazillionaire because of it. We should count ourselves lucky that he put out as much good material as he did (in the early days) and be jubilant at the thought that it's all avaialable and remastered so we can still relive the glory days of great rock n' roll.

Essential Rod.. Get it!

The period 1969-1974 is for some the era when Rock peaked. An incredibly fertile period, featuring genres such as glam, singer/songwriter, Californian country rock, Southern rock, jam band, hard rock and progressive, it saw many artists come out from under the long shadow of the Beatles and the 60s and, inspired by the Fab Four, reach their primes. Artists like Elton John, Led Zep, Cat Stevens, The Grateful Dead, James Taylor, David Bowie, and not least the Rolling Stones hit amazing strides and levels of artistry, ambition, and creativity. This was the time when artists were still forced by the very nature of the biz to be prolific--albums were due preferably twice a year. The pressure was intense but for the best of the best, it spurred them to new heights.

Rod Stewart was no exception. Starting out in the mid-60s in various soul/rnb/blues outfits, Rod The Mod was a "face" about the scene, just under the star radar but already known as much for his raspy vocals as his stylish clothes and hair. When he hooked up in 1967 with guitar wizard Jeff Beck, he couldn't have known that the two hard-rocking bluesy albums they made together with Ron Wood on bass and Mick Waller on drums would be considered important milestones in the history of hard rock.

But Rod was more than just a blues, soul, or hard rock singer, more than just a sidekick to a gifted guitarist. He was also an artist with a capital A and it would be the 5 albums he made for Mercury between 1969-1974 that would reveal his true talents. This set brings together for the first time all the solo material he made for Mercury, including the 5 solo albums and various B-sides and other rare tracks. The result is a goldmine of amazing music showcasing a diverse talent who could not only interpret and arrange other's music ingeniously, but could also write timeless original music as well. Folk, blues, rnb/soul, Celtic, pub rock, harder rock- it's all here. Never has Rod's voice sounded so special, so rich, so in control. The seamlessness of the originals and non-originals in this set is a credit to the man who some say would never reach these peaks of creativity again, having eventually succumbed as many artists have to the temptations and distractions of fame, image, money, lovers, and parties, and the natural process of aging that effects us all.

Gathering together his drinking buddies and partners-in-crime from both the Jeff Beck group and the parallel universe of this period that was the Faces (Wood, Waller, Kenny Jones, Martin Quittenton, Ian McLagen and others), Rod created an original, earthy sound, singing close to the mic, producing or co-producing with Lou Reizner. The remastering is sensational, the intimacy palpable.

The first two excellent albums (The Rod Stewart Album and Gasoline Alley) show an artist already sure of the sound and arrangements he wants. The next two shot Rod into the realm of superstardom- Every Picture Tells A Story and Never A Dull Moment remain sensational records in all ways. Smiler offers good music but seems to suffer from various excesses and incertainties- an artist moving perhaps too fast, burning the candle at both ends, tiring of the dual life of solo and leader of the Faces, and running dry on inspiring new material. Trying to find a new direction. It struggles to satisfy, offering generic rockers, covers, and uncomfortable strings. But it still isn't a bad album! The B-sides and rarities are on a whole excellent and add to the set.

Rod would soon move to America, change band members, change record companies, become a Hollywood jetsetter, and mutate into a cash cow hit machine/concert attraction/sex symbol to the point of parody. Sure he would have some good songs after 1974- many of his hits remain guilty pleasures- but it was the Mercury period that marked Rod as an Artist Par Excellence, on level with the best in the album rock biz of the time.

Get this box, it is truly a collection to be cherished. And for an important compliment, showcasing his other persona of the period- the boozy lad- get the best of Faces too!