JANICE'S BLUES ALLEY PRESENTS
ROD STEWART
 | Official Rod Stewart Page |
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| | Official Rod Stewart Page |
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Rod Stewart may have began his career as a respected singer, yet that respect eroded as he got older, as he became more concerned with stardom than music. While he has recorded some terrible albums and he would admit that freely Stewart was once rock & roll's best interpretive singer as well as an accomplished songwriter, creating a raw combination of folk, rock, blues, and country that sounded like no other folk-rock or country-rock. Instead of finding the folk in rock, he found how folk rocked like hell on its own. After Stewart became successful, he began to lose the rootsier elements of his music, yet he remained a superb singer, even as he abandoned his own artistic path in favor of following pop trends.
Stewart began his musical career after spending some time as an apprentice with the Brentford Football Club, touring Europe with folksinger Wizz Jones in the early '60s; during this time he was deported from Spain for vagrancy. When he returned to England in 1963, he joined the Birmingham-based R&B group Jimmy Powell & the Five Dimensions as a vocalist and harmonica player. The band toured the U.K. and recorded one single for Pye Records that featured Stewart on blues harp. After moving back to London, he joined Long John Baldry's band, the Hoochie Coochie Men. The group recorded a single in 1964, "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," that failed to chart, and soon afterward the group evolved into Steampacket. During the summer of 1965, the group supported the Rolling Stones and the Walker Brothers on a U.K. tour as well as recorded an album that remained unreleased until 1970. Early in 1966, Steampacket disbanded and Stewart became a member of the blues-rock combo Shotgun Express, which released one single that fall before splitting. Stewart then joined the Jeff Beck Group at the end of 1966. With the Jeff Beck Group, Stewart began his climb to stardom. He and the former Yardbird guitarist pioneered the heavy blues-rock team of a virtuoso guitarist and a dynamic, sexy lead vocalist that became the standard blueprint for heavy metal. Truth, the band's debut album, was released in the fall of 1968, becoming a hit in both America and Britain. The Jeff Beck Group toured both countries several times in 1968 and 1969, gaining a dedicated following. In the summer of 1969, they released their second album, Beck-Ola, which became another hit record in both the U.S. and U.K. However, the group fell apart in the fall. After rejecting an offer to join the American rock group Cactus, Stewart and Jeff Beck Group bassist Ron Wood joined the Small Faces, replacing the departed vocalist/guitarist Steve Marriott. With Wood switching over to guitar, the group shortened their name to the Faces and recorded their debut album, First Step. During this time, Stewart had also signed a solo contract, releasing his first album, An Old Raincoat Won't Let You Down (retitled The Rod Stewart Album for its American release), at the end of 1969; the record failed to chart in the U.K., yet it made it to number 139 on the U.S. charts. On the album, Stewart's folk roots meshed with his R&B and rock influences, creating a distinctive, stripped-down acoustic-based rock & roll that signalled he was a creative force in his own right. The Faces released First Step in the spring of 1970. The album was a departure both from the R&B/pop direction of the Small Faces and the heavy blues of the Jeff Beck Group; instead, the group became a boisterous, boozy, and sloppy Stones-inspired rock & roll band. The album fared better in the U.K. than it did in the U.S., yet the group built a devoted following on both continents with their reckless, messy live shows. Stewart released his second solo album, Gasoline Alley, in the fall of 1970, supporting it with an American tour. The following year proved to be pivotal in Stewart's career. At the beginning of 1971, the Faces released their second album, Long Player, which became a bigger hit than First Step, yet his third solo album, Every Picture Tells a Story, made Rod Stewart a household name, reaching number one in both America and Britain. "Reason to Believe" was the first single from the album, becoming a minor hit in both the countries, but when DJs began playing the B-side, "Maggie May," the single became a number one hit in both the U.K. and U.S. for five weeks in September. The Faces released their third album, A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...to a Blind Horse, a couple of months later. Thanks to the success of Every Picture Tells a Story, the album was a Top Ten hit in both countries; it also launched the single "Stay with Me," which became the band's only Top 40 hit in the U.S. The following year, the Faces began a lengthy spring tour. During the tour, tensions grew within the band as Stewart's solo career increased in popularity. That summer, Stewart released his fourth solo album, Never a Dull Moment, which nearly replicated the success of Every Picture Tells a Story, peaking at number two in the U.S. and number one in the U.K. In the spring of 1973, the Faces released their final album, Ooh La La. Stewart expressed his disdain for the record in the press, yet it hit number one in the U.K. and number 21 in the U.S. After releasing the "Pool Hall Richard" single in the beginning of 1974, the band went on tour; it would prove to be their last. Stewart released Smiler in the fall of 1975. Smiler followed the same formula as his previous four albums, and it also became a hit, yet it showed signs that the formula was wearing thin. In March of 1975, he began a love affair with Swedish actress Britt Ekland; the romance, along with a bitter fight with U.K. tax collectors, prompted him to apply for U.S. citizenship. Atlantic Crossing, released in the summer of 1975, made the singer's relocation explicit. Recorded with producer Tom Dowd and the Muscle Shoals rhythm section, the album removed much of the singer's folk roots and accentuated his pop appeal. At the end of the year, Stewart left the Faces and the band finally called it quits. Recorded in Los Angeles with a group of studio musicians, 1976's A Night on the Town continued Stewart's move to slicker pop territory and proved quite successful, becoming his first platinum album; it featured the hit single "Tonight's the Night," which was number one in the U.S. for eight weeks. Foot Loose & Fancy Free, released the following year, followed the same artistic pattern as A Night on the Town while surpassing its commercial performance, selling over three million copies. Stewart incorporated some disco to his musical formula for 1978's Blondes Have More Fun. Supported by the number one single "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?," the record became Stewart's first number one album since Every Picture Tells a Story, selling over four million records. By this time, Stewart was notorious for his jet-set lifestyle, particularly the series of actresses and models he dated. With 1981's Tonight I'm Yours, Stewart began adding elements of new wave and synth pop to his formula, resulting in another platinum album. Soon afterward, his career hit a slump. His next four albums sounded forced and he only scored three Top Ten hits between 1982 and 1988; out of those four albums, only 1983's Camouflage went gold. Stewart rebounded with 1988's Out of Order, recorded with Duran Duran's Andy Taylor and Chic's Bernard Edwards. His version of Tom Waits' "Downtown Train," taken from the 1989 four-disc box set Storyteller, became his biggest hit since "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" Vagabond Heart (1991) reflected a more mature and reflective Rod Stewart and continued his comeback streak. Stewart reunited with Ron Wood to record an MTV Unplugged concert in 1993; the accompanying album, Unplugged...and Seated, launched the Top Ten hit single "Have I Told You Lately." Unplugged also returned Stewart to a more acoustic-based sound. On his 1995 album A Spanner in the Works, the singer explored a more polished version of this sound, scoring another hit with Tom Petty's "Leave Virginia Alone." The following year, he released If We Fall in Love Tonight, which was comprised of both previously released and new material. When We Were the New Boys, a return to his roots in trad rock, followed in 1998. In 2001, Stewart embarked on a new path with Human, an album that attempted to cross over to contemporary and urban audiences, but it failed with the critical and commercial public alike. His next project may have sounded equally unlikely, but it was much more successful. It Had to Be You, the first in his series crooning the Great American Songbook, became an adult contemporary favorite and lodged near the top of the album charts after its release in 2002. As Time Goes By followed it into the charts in 2003 and missed the top spot by only one notch. In late 2004, his third volume in the series (Stardust) hit number one. Thanks for the Memory became the fourth entry in the series in 2005. By the year's end, all four volumes were collected in The Great American Songbook Box Set. In 2006, he continued his series of cover albums, but this time he focused on the rock & roll era. Still the Same: Great Rock Classics of Our Time appeared toward the end of the year, with a version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" as its lead single. Stewart next tackled soul and Motown classics with 2009's Soulbook but returned to standards for 2010's fifth installment of his Great American Songbook series, Fly Me to the Moon. Stewart continued to flirt with the idea of a Faces reunion throughout this period, but even when the group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the spring of 2012, he stayed on the sidelines. Instead, Stewart prepped his first album for Verve: the seasonal set Merry Christmas, Baby, which appeared in October of 2012, the same month he published his memoir Rod: The Autobiography. Authoring his memoir inspired Stewart to return to songwriting, a discipline he had left behind in the '90s. His next album, Time -- his first for Capitol Records -- almost entirely comprised songs he had co-written, and they all had a distinctly autobiographical bent. Time was released in May of 2013. Following its success, Stewart returned to the studio to record another collection of original material. Another Country appeared in October 2015, and featured the single "Love Is." In 2017, he collaborated on a remix of his song "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" with Joe Jonas' DNCE. Stewart's next full-length album, Blood Red Roses, appeared in September 2018 ----- Stephen Thomas Erlewine of the All Music Guide |
| Maggie May |
| Hot Legs |
| Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? |
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1. Street Fighting Man 2. Man of Constant Sorrow 3. Blind Prayer 4. Handbags & Gladrags |
5. An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down 6. I Wouldn't Ever Change a Thing 7. Cindy's Lament 8. Dirty Old Town |
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1. Gasoline Alley 2. It's All Over Now 3. Only a Hobo 4. My Way of Giving 5. Country Comfort |
6. Cut Across Shorty 7. Lady Day 8. Jo's Lament 9. You're My Girl (I Don't Want to Discuss It) |
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1. Every Picture Tells a Story 2. Seems Like a Long Time 3. That's All Right 4. Tomorrow Is a Long Time |
5. Maggie May 6. Mandolin Wind 7. (I Know) I'm Losing You 8. Reason to Believe |
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1. True Blue 2. Lost Paraguayos 3. Mama, You Been on My Mind 4. Italian Girls 5. Angel |
6. Interludings 7. You Wear It Well 8. I'd Rather Go Blind 9. Twistin' the Night Away |
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1. Sweet Little Rock 'N' Roller 2. Lochinvar 3. Farewell 4. Sailor 5. Bring It on Home to Me/You Send Me 6. Let Me Be Your Car |
7. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Man 8. Dixie Toot 9. Hard Road 10. I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face [instrumental] 11. Girl from the North Country 12. Mine for Me |
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1. Three Time Loser 2. Alright for an Hour 3. All in the Name of Rock 'n' Roll 4. Drift Away 5. Stone Cold Sober |
6. I Don't Want to Talk About It 7. It's Not the Spotlight 8. This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You) 9. Still Love You 10. Sailing |
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1. Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright) 2. The First Cut Is the Deepest 3. Fool for You 4. The Killing of Georgie, Pts. 1 & 2 5. The Balltrap |
6. Pretty Flamingo 7. Big Bayou 8. The Wild Side of Life 9. Trade Winds |
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1. Hot Legs 2. You're Insane 3. You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim) 4. Born Loose |
5. You Keep Me Hangin' On 6. (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right 7. You Got a Nerve 8. I Was Only Joking |
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1. Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? 2. Dirty Weekend 3. Ain't Love a Bitch 4. The Best Days of My Life 5. Is That the Thanks I Get? |
6. Attractive Female Wanted 7. Blondes (Have More Fun) 8. Last Summer 9. Standin' in the Shadows of Love 10. Scarred and Scared |
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1. Better Off Dead 2. Passion 3. Foolish Behavior 4. So Soon We Change 5. Oh God, I Wish I Was Home Tonight |
6. Gi' Me Wings 7. My Girl 8. She Won't Dance With Me 9. Somebody Special 10. Say It Ain't True |
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01. Tonight I'm Yours(don't hurt me) 02. How Long 03. Tora, Tora, Tora(out with the boys) 04. Tear It Up 05. Only A Boy |
06. Just Like a woman 07. Jealous 08. Sonny 09. Young Turks 10. Never Give Up On A Dream |
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01. The Stripper 02. Tonight I'm Yours 03. Sweet Little Rock & Roller 04. Hot Legs 05. Tonight's The Night(gonna be alright) 06. Passion 07. She Won't Dance With Me/Little Queenie 08. You're In My Heart(the final acclaim)) 09. Rock My Plimsoul |
10. Young Turks 11. Gasoline Alley 12. Maggie May 13. Tear It Up 14. Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? 15. Sailing 16. I don't Want To Talk About It 17. Stay With Me |
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01. Dancing Alone 02. Baby Jane 03. Move Me 04. Body Wishes 05. Sweet Surrender |
06. What Am I Gonna Do 07. Ghetto Blaster 08. Ready Now 09. Strangers Again 10. Satisfied |
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01. Infatuation 02. All Right Now 03. Some Guys Have All The Luck 04. Can We Still Be Friends |
05. Bad For You 06. Heart Is On The Line 07. Camouflage 08. Trouble |
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01. Here To Eternity 02. Another Heartache 03. A Night Like This 04. Who's Gonna Take Me Home 05. Red Hot In Black |
06. Love Touch(theme from Legal Eagles) 07. In My Own Crazy way 08. Every Beat Of My Heart 09. Ten Days Of Rain 10. In My Life |
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01. Lost In You 02. The Wild Horse 03. Lethal Dose Of Love 04. Forever Young 05. My Heart Can't Tell You No 06. Dynamite |
07. Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out 08. Crazy About Her 09. Try A Little Tenderness 10. When I was Your Man 11. Almost Illegal |
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01. Rhythm Of The Heart 02. Rebel Heart 03. Broken arrow 04. It Takes Two 05. When A Man's In Love 06. You Are Everything |
07. The Motown Song 08. Go Out Dancing 09. No Holding Back 10. Have I Told You Lately 11. Moment Of Glory 12. If Only |
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01. Hot Legs 02. Tonight's The Night 03. Handbags And Gladrags 04. Cut Across Shorty 05. Every Picture Tells A Story 06. Maggie May 07. Reason To Believe 08. People Get Ready |
09. Have I Told You Lately 10. Tom Traubert's Blues(waltzing matilda) 11. The First Cut Is The Deepest 12. Mandolin Wind 13. Highgate Shuffle 14. Stay With Me 15. Having A Party |
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01. Windy Town 02. The Downtown Lights 03. Leave Virginia Alone 04. Sweetheart Like You 05. This 06. Lady Luck |
07. You're The Star 08. Muddy, Sam And Otis 09. Hang On St. Christopher 10. Delicious 11. Soothe Me 12. Purple Heather |
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01. Cigarettes And Alcohol 02. Ooh La La 03. Rocks 04. Superstar 05. Secret Heart |
06. Hotel Chambermaid 07. Shelly My Love 08. When We Were The New Boys 09. Weak 10. What Do You Want Me To Do |
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01. Human 02. Smitten 03. Don't Come Around Here 04. Soul On Soul 05. Loveless 06. If I Had You |
07. Charlie Parker Loves Me 08. It Was Love That We Needed 09. To Be With You 10. Run Back Into Your Arms 11. I Can't Deny It |
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01. You Go To My Head 02. You Can't Take That Away From Me 03. The Way You Look Tonight 04. It Had To Be You 05. That Old Feeling 06. These Foolish Things 07. The Very Thought Of You |
08. Moonglow 09. I'll Be Seeing You 10. Every Time We Say Goodbye 11. The Nearness Of You 12. For All We Know 13. We'll Be Together Again 14. That's All |
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01. Time After Time 02. I'm In The Mood For Love 03. Don't Get Around Much Anymore 04. Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered 05. Till There Was You 06. Until The Real Thing Comes Along 07. Where Or when |
08. Smile 09. My Heart Stood Still 10. Someone To Watch Over Me 11. As Time Goes By 12. I Only Have Eyes For You 13. Crazy She Calls Me 14. Love Is Here To Stay |
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01. Embraceable You 02. For Sentimental Reasons 03. Blue Moon 04. What A wonderful World 05. Stardust 06. Manhattan 07. 'S Wonderful |
08. Isn't It Romantic 09. I can't Get Started 10. But Not For Me 11. A Kiss To Build A Dream On 12. Baby, It's Cold Outside 13. Night And Day 14. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square |
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01. I Just Got Some 02. Bright Lights, Big City 03. Ain't That Loving You Baby 04. Mopper's Blues 05. Why Does It Go On 06. Shake 07. The Day Will Come 08. Little Miss Understood |
09. Come Home Baby 10. Sparky Rides 11. Can I Get A Witness 12. Baby Take Me 13. keep Your Hands Off Her 14. Don't You Tell Nobody 15. Just Like I treat You |
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01. I've Got a Crush On You 02. I Wish You Love 03. You Send Me 04. Long Ago And Far Away 05. Makin' Whoopee 06. My One And Only Love 07. Taking A Chance On Love |
08. My Funny Valentine 09. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm 10. Nevertheless 11. Blue Skies 12. Let's Fall In Love 13. Thanks For the Memory |
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01. Have You Seen The Rain 02. Fooled Around And Fell In Love 03. I'll Stand By You 04. Still The Same 05. It's A Heartache 06. Day After Day 07. Missing You |
08. Father & Son 09. The Best Of My Love 10. If Not For You 11. Love Hurts 12. Everything I Own 13. Crazy Love |
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01. It's The Same Old Song 02. My Cherie Amour 03. You Make Me Feel Brand New 04. (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher 05. Tracks Of My Tears 06. Let It Be Me 07. Rainy Night In Georgia 08. What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted |
09. Love Train 10. You've Really Got A Hold On Me 11. Wonderful World 12. If You Don't Know Me By Now 13. Just My Imagination 14. Never Give You Up 15. Only The Strong Survive |
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01. Ruby Tuesday 02. The Groom's Still Waiting At The Altar 03. Shotgun Wedding 04. The Downtown Lights 05. Windy Town |
06. This 07. Stand Back 08. Let The Day Begin 09. First I Look At The Purse 10. Tom Trauberts Blues |
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01. That Old Black Magic 02. Beyond The Sea 03. I've Got You Under My Skin 04. What A Difference A Day Makes 05. I Get A Kick Out Of You 06. I've Got The World On A String 07. Love Me Or Leave Me 08. My Foolish Heart 09. September In The Rain |
10. Fly Me To The Moon 11. Sunny Side Of The Street 12. Moon River 13. Bye Bye Blackbird 14. All Of Me 15. She's Funny That Way 16. Cheek To Cheek 17. Ain't Misbehavin' 18. When I Fall In Love |
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01. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 02. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town 03. Winter Wonderland 04. White Christmas 05. Merry Christmas, Baby 06. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! 07. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? |
08. Blue Christmas 09. Red-Suited Superman 10. When You Wish Upon A Star 11. We Three Kings 12. Silent Night 13. Auld Lang Syne |
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01. She Makes Me Happy 02. Can't Stop Me Now 03. It's Over 04. Brighton Beach 05. Beautiful Morning 06. Live The Life 07. Finest Woman 08. Time |
09. Picture In A Frame 10. Sexual Religion 11. Make Love To Me Tonight 12. Pure Love 13. Corrina Corrina 14. Legless 15. Love Has No Pride |
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01. Love Is 02. Please 03. Walking In The Sunshine 04. Love And Be Loved 05. We Can Win 06. Another Country |
07. Way Back Home 08. Can We Stay Home Tonight? 09. Batman Superman Spiderman 10. The Drinking Song 11. Hold The Line 12. A Friend For Life |
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01. Look In Her Eyes 02. Hole In My Heart 03. Farewell 04. Didn't I 05. Blood Red Roses 06. Grace 07. Give Me Love 08. Rest Of My Life |
09. Rollin' & Tumblin' 10. Julia 11. Honey Gold 12. Vegas Shuffle 13. Cold Old London 14. Who Designed The Snowflake 15. It Was A Very Good Year 16. I Don't Want To Get Married |
