"Blondes Have More Fun is the album that is easily the most critically reviled of all of Rod Stewart's albums and is a target of alot his fans"

--- Wow, that's quite the damning review^

Rolling Stones Magazine refer to Rod as the greatest wasted musical talent ever.

Did Rod indeed lose the plot in the late seventies after a series of truly sterling albums from '69 - arguably '76("A Night On The Town")?

Or, at what point did his albums go from great(very early), to sublime('Every Picture Tells a Story'!!!!), and finally, to, as one critic memorably recalled one of Rod's very early eighties works - 'musical excrement'^

Are all of Rod's opii(plural of 'opus'?) post-'70's woeful?

How did Roderick go from the bluesy, soulful, country-tinged greatness of those early beautiful albums, to the dreck, dross and damn awfulness of what he morphed into from the late seventies on? Has he indeed been releasing pap for all of that time??

Where is the line drawn -- as someone who's only heard the singles & a few album tracks from the '80's onwards era, what IS worth getting? -- What stinks? -- What fine moments has Rod had after the halcyon days of the early-mid seventies? -- and -- What albums should he be absolutely thoroughly ashamed of? ^

Fashion Criminal, Rod most definitely was(and is),but,Musical criminal from late '70's onwards??

IrelandCalling4 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Blondes Have More Fun is the album that is easily
> the most critically reviled of all of Rod
> Stewart's albums and is a target of alot his
> fans"
>
> --- Wow, that's quite the damning review^
>
> Rolling Stones Magazine refer to Rod as the
> greatest wasted musical talent ever.
>
> Did Rod indeed lose the plot in the late
> seventies after a series of truly sterling albums
> from '69 - arguably '76("A Night On The Town")?
>
> Or, at what point did his albums go from
> great(very early), to sublime('Every Picture Tells
> a Story'!!!!), and finally, to, as one critic
> memorably recalled one of Rod's very early
> eighties works - 'musical excrement'^
>
> Are all of Rod's opii(plural of 'opus'?)
> post-'70's woeful?
>
> How did Roderick go from the bluesy, soulful,
> country-tinged greatness of those early beautiful
> albums, to the dreck, dross and damn awfulness of
> what he morphed into from the late seventies on?
> Has he indeed been releasing pap for all of that
> time??
>
> Where is the line drawn -- as someone who's
> only heard the singles & a few album tracks from
> the '80's onwards era, what IS worth getting? --
> What stinks? -- What fine moments has Rod had
> after the halcyon days of the early-mid seventies?
> -- and -- What albums should he be absolutely
> thoroughly ashamed of? ^
>
> Fashion Criminal, Rod most definitely was(and
> is),but,Musical criminal from late '70's onwards??


I dont think all his post-70's stuff is crap. The nadir was probably the early/mid 80s, but most albums Ive heard have been patchy but still have their moments.

I personally like "Vagabond Heart". The 'Still The Same" covers album that he brought out last year isnt too bad either.

I'd agree that he's wasted his undeniable talent, however...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-07-12 20:17 by Gazza.

Each of them - even "Blondes" and the even worse "Body Wishes" have their moments. A really good CD or 2 could be put together from the best of his post-1978 work.

Among others:

Only A Boy
My Heart Can't Tell Me No
Otis, Muddy, and Sam
Leave Virginia Alone (written by Tom Petty)
Downtown Train (written by Tom Waits)
Tora Tora Tora (with girls answering ala "Where The Boys Go")
Better Off Dead (Rod's "Rip This Joint")
Oh God, I Wish I Was Home Tonight
Cigarettes and Alcohol
Hotel Chambermaid
Rhythm Of My Heart
Motown Song
Some Guys Have All The Luck (written by Robert Palmer)
Infatuation (a pretty decent guitar player on that one!)

many others

Beware: There is a LOT of filler on some CDs and some poor songs - "Love Touch" comes to mind.

The 1st Songbook wasn't so bad - but 4 was about 3 too many. I think he has writer's block as the last 5 CD's (at least 5) have been covers of others music.

He's still a great live act.

"No Anchovies, Please"



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2007-07-12 20:27 by Elmo Lewis.

Saw him last Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed - particularly when he did Stay With Me! Was helped by the fact that I got a ticket off a tout outside the stadium for just £30!

-



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-12-31 03:48 by cirrhosis.

great thread I love Rod the mod!

His first solo era, 1969-1974 is incredibly great-
Great folk-rock'n'roll-blues-country songs, with a great, raw and soulful voice by Rod, and a band that knows how to play! Particular and extremely recognizable sound. Ronnie is on almost everything, some of his guitar parts are masterworks to me.

I didn't have any of the albums from this period, so I got "Reason to believe, the complete mercury recordings". Well-made boxset that contains all the albums in order of release and tracklisting, plus some bonus tracks. Can't get enought of it!


From 1975 it's the blonde Rod we all know. But still, not everything is bad. Almost each album contains some nice/good songs.
I got:
Atlantic crossing (I love: drift away, I don't want to talk about it, Sailing, Stone cold sober)
A night on the town (The first cut is the deepest, killing of Georgie)
Foot loose and fancy free (hot legs, you're in my heart, I was only joking)
Blondes have more fun (I ain't love a bitch, Is that the thanks I get, standing in the shadow of love)
Foolish behaviour (Passion)
Tonight I'm yours (Just Like A Woman, Jealous, Sonny, Young Turks)
Absolutely live (bad sound quality but not as shitty as they say)
Body Wishes (Baby jane, Sweet surrender, to me this two tracks worth alone the price, but the rest is really bad!)

IrelandCalling4 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Are all of Rod's opii(plural of 'opus'?)
> post-'70's woeful?

The plural is opera.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2007-07-12 21:48 by RickJagger.

Must say I rather groove on 'Do 'ya Think I'm Sexy', & as a cheesy Miss You-rip it's at least playful as well as sleazy. Really, to me the "Complete Mercury Studio Recordings (1969 - 74)" set is up there with the great rock 'n' roll of that era...heads & shoulders above anything he's done since. Even by "Footloose & Fancy Free" ('77) it felt like we were in Foreignerland...I mean I'll take my least fave Stones albums (Steel Wheels, IORR) over "When We Were The New Boys" or "Spanner". His version of Wood/Lane's 'Ooh La La', though a nice gesture, is a desecration when one recalls his comments on that album (and Faces) when it was released. And Body Wishes etc sound like a Hollywood contract player walking through assigned roles for which he was typecast.
Atlantic Crossing ain't too shabby. But that came out while Faces were still together!
Gasoline Alley, Never A Dull Moment, Every Picture Tells A Story, Rod Stewart Album, & Smiler (in roughly that order) - plus the non-lp singles/outtakes included in the Mercury box, shown what a great talent he was - his effortless 'everyman' soul and charisma, seemingly unaffected, unlike the cultivated sleeves-up 'mister/sir' of Springtsteen (not to mention Bruce's inferiors). Classic originals and interpretations...Also, these albums show Ron Wood's great talent along with his musicianship is his capacity for sympathetic collaboration, have great style & feel, sort of rustic-to-city, mandolin/dobro/slide/acoustic/electric textures to die for, great drum sound, and Faces tracks. I love both Faces and Rod's lps, but it's interesting to compare (not in a qualitative way, but stylistically)....Joyous stuff.

john r Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
Really, to me the
> "Complete Mercury Studio Recordings (1969 - 74)"
> set is up there with the great rock 'n' roll of
> that era...heads & shoulders above anything he's
> done since. Even by "Footloose & Fancy Free" ('77)
> it felt like we were in Foreignerland


Completely agree. One thing you have to say in Rod's credit: he very neatly separated his classic period from his crap period. You can buy his discs based solely by the date-recorded. Interesting that his steep decline perfectly coincides with Ronnie joining the Stones. Hmmm......

Karl

Elmo Lewis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Only A Boy
> My Heart Can't Tell Me No
> Otis, Muddy, and Sam
> Leave Virginia Alone (written by Tom Petty)
> Downtown Train (written by Tom Waits)
> Tora Tora Tora (with girls answering ala "Where
> The Boys Go")
> Better Off Dead (Rod's "Rip This Joint")
> Oh God, I Wish I Was Home Tonight
> Cigarettes and Alcohol
> Hotel Chambermaid
> Rhythm Of My Heart
> Motown Song
> Some Guys Have All The Luck (written by Robert
> Palmer)
> Infatuation (a pretty decent guitar player on that
> one!)

who's the guitar player?

"Hotel Chambermaid" --> (written by Graham Parker)

When an artist declines so dramatically, it's hard for younger folks to believe they could have ever been great. I've turned several 'kids' (17 - 26) on to Faces & early Rod by playing the albums loud as my guest sat tied up to a chair, and gagged...Later they'd buy their own copies, & be grateful. Something similar happened with Jefferson Airplane degenerating into Starship (basically at the exact SAME TIME! as Rod) - even Dead fans don't want to know, 'til you play 'Bless Its Pointed Little Head' or 'Crown Of Creation'...

yeah, most established mainstream rock artists declined at the same time--the mid-70s through the 80s. maybe a little early in rod's case, but I think he quit a great band at exactly the wrong time. all the drama about his relationship with them seems silly in light of his career since, which is pffft.

cc, it was Jeff Beck on lead. And thanks for the note about Graham Parker - I had forgotten that.

"No Anchovies, Please"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-07-13 00:39 by Elmo Lewis.

Following Atlantic Crossing and Smiler I was pretty much done with Rod as far as buying anything. Yes Of course he did some nice songs on albums after that, but the good tracks on albums dwindled to 1-2 as opposed to strong sides. Like most artists the creative flame only burns for so long. Throw in lots of money as well as the fact that people naturally can get a bit lazy, and there you have it. I look at 1970-1975 solo Stewart/Faces material as some of best stuff in my collection. Happy to have it, happy to have been there, and still pleased to listen and enjoy. I can sum it all up by saying that "things ain't what they used to be" and except this regarding Rod and music in general.

RS must haves - with Jeff Beck Group, Faces and first solo album

BluzDude, no question, "Truth" is practically Led Zeppelin's debut, & "Beck-Ola" features the emerging Stewart/Wood songwriting sensibility, humor, etc, and is one wild ride (Led Z meets Stooges' "Funhouse") - after that tape splice at the end, it's no wonder Jeff crashed his car for real...Talk about a band playing with its pedal to the floor...

>Jefferson Airplane degenerating into Starship (basically at the exact SAME TIME! as Rod)

Well at least they changed their name. I still like BLOWS AGAINST THE EMPIRE and much of the weird period when the various participants were in the stage in between Airplane/Starship (SUNFIGHTER etc.).

Get "The Faces - Five Guys Walk Into A Bar" and "Rod Steward - Reason To Believe: The Mercury Years" and you have the essentials!

Although I will admit to owning "Atlantic Crossing" (worth it for "Sailing"), "A Night On The Town" (worth it for "First Cut Is The Deepest"), and "Foot Loose And Fancy Free" (which I think is actually a pretty solid album all the way through, the title cut being a great rocker, and even "You're Insane" is a hidden gem) too.

After that though, the disco thing forbid me from buying any more of his albums, although from time to time he did release a song here and there that was worth listening to ("Foolish Behaviour", "She Won't Dance With Me", "Tora Tora Tora", etc.).

Don`t forget the "Python Lee Jackson" issue from 1972 where he sings 3 excellent songs:

IN A BROKEN DREAM

DOIN` FINE

THE BLUES

kovach wrote:

"Foot Loose And Fancy Free" (which I think is actually a pretty solid album all the way through, the title cut being a great rocker, and even "You're Insane" is a hidden gem) too

There is no song FLAFF. Maybe you meant "Hot Legs".

"No Anchovies, Please"

Elmo Lewis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> kovach wrote:
>
> "Foot Loose And Fancy Free" (which I think is
> actually a pretty solid album all the way through,
> the title cut being a great rocker, and even
> "You're Insane" is a hidden gem) too
>
> There is no song FLAFF. Maybe you meant "Hot
> Legs".


Sorry, I was referring to "Born Loose", good old fashioned rocker. "You're Insane" has a Stones "Hot Stuff" feel.

I love the phrase "Musical Crimes." Somebody should put out a boxed set called "Musical Crimes - The Complete Works of Barry Manilow." It could be used to torture political prisoners and to keep wild animals from attacking campsites.

"It wasn't my fault ... liquors drunkened me!" Homer Simpson

Yeah, FLAFF got me through my senior year of high school and all the romantic troubles that brought. Also, my parents had just divorced and I was living with my Dad. He drank bad and I was a crazy kid, so I moved out around Christmas 1977 to live with my aunt and uncle.

I spent a lot of time listening to that one. "I Was Only Joking" pretty much told my life story at that time. Sorry for ramblin' (and I'm sober!).

i recall a radio interview from maybe 20 yrs. ago where Rod said he gets pissed when most people tell him " Every Picture " was his best work.

from his recent stuff i like " Have You Ever Seen Da Rain "

Rods got alot better music than wretched music. As well as many many classics.

Elmo Lewis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yeah, FLAFF got me through my senior year of high
> school and all the romantic troubles that brought.
> Also, my parents had just divorced and I was
> living with my Dad. He drank bad and I was a crazy
> kid, so I moved out around Christmas 1977 to live
> with my aunt and uncle.
>
> I spent a lot of time listening to that one. "I
> Was Only Joking" pretty much told my life story at
> that time. Sorry for ramblin' (and I'm sober!).


Hey Elmo. I'm right there with ya on "I Was Only Joking".........Remember the thread I started a while back about your own personal anthem? That was mine....I guess a lot of people can relate to those lyrics,for various reasons.

-



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-12-31 03:50 by cirrhosis.

cirrhosis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'd Rather Go Blind
>




It's simply awesome (in addiction we have Keef).
The Wood's years are classics. After that I only like some songs such as Sailing, Do Ya Think I'm Sexy (How can't I like it, loving Miss You?) and You're In My Heart with its country flavour.

Elmo Lewis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Each of them - even "Blondes" and the even worse
> "Body Wishes" have their moments. A really good CD
> or 2 could be put together from the best of his
> post-1978 work.
>
> Among others:
> .....
>
> He's still a great live act.


Don't forget

Have I told you lately (written by Van Morrison)

Despite it was a huge hit Rod's version is really great!

I've been Rod fan for years, since very early 80's. Today I think Rod wasted his talent. When I look back I will rate his album like

1969 The Rod Stewart Album *****
1970 Gasoline Alley ****** top
1971 Every Picture Tells A Story ****** favour album
1972 Never A Dull Moment *****½ some songs not that great, but I'd Rather
Go Blind, You Wear It Well and Mama You Been
on My Mind among his 10 best recordings
1974 Smiler ***½ same kind of music, not the same class
1975 Atlantic Crossing ****½ if only the sound was better it would be 6 stars
1976 A Night On The Town ****
1977 Foot Loose And Fancy Free ****
1978 Blondes Have More Fun *½ it is NOT disco, just borring
1980 Foolish Behaviour **½ more rock, but...
1981 Tonight I'm Yours ***½ forget the hits, Young Turks, and titel track
but listen to Just Like A Woman and How Long
1983 Body Wishes * all time low
1984 Camouflage *½
1986 Every Beat Of My Heart ***½
1988 Out Of Order *****½ His best since early 70's Some tracks still great
today (Try A Little Tendernes, wild Horses)
1991 Vagabond Heart ****
1993 Unplugged ***½ great music, bad singin' (was he drunk?)
1995 A Spanner In The Works *****½ underated great album
1998 When We Were The New Boys *****½ underated great album
2001 human **
2002 It Had To Be You ***½ first American Songbook, not that bad
2003-2005 American Songbook 2, 3 and 4 * Rod sings karooke What a waste!
2006 Still The Same **½ No, it is not a return,
I still hope for one more great Rod album, but...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-07-30 01:24 by DKsoulman.