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He is also entirely irrelevant these days. Today, Stewart’s output – mostly karaoke performances of the standards – is squarely aimed at the audience that has followed him faithfully ever since Sailing. The really obsessive reader of this little seed in the blogospheric silo may recallFull article here
12 comments:
I let Rod go after "You're In My Heart." Just didn't work for me. On the other hand, "Downtown Train" is, to me, a marvel. Ah, differences!
I may be crucified for admitting this, but I liked both "Downtown Train" AND Rod and Jeff Beck's "People Get Ready." Of course I was about 10 or 11 then, and they were by far the least offensive things my mom (a huge Rod fan who's seen him in concert 3 or 4 times) was listening to at the time. And I also liked "Broken Arrow."
I've just turned 50 (where did that go then ?), for any (probably mainly) chap of my vintage Rod was the coolest thing around. To be early teens when Maggie May, You Wear It Well etc came out, football on TOTP, etc
Marvellous
I think you hit on the secret of Rod's success in the selection of
great songs. Every few years he would surprise me with a great song despite his voice. Unfortunately he hasn't surprised me in quite a few years.
I saw Rod in 82 or 83 when he came to Sun City and he really rocked. He had that great band that eventually ended up on the Absolutely Live album (Jim Cregan, Jay Davis, Jimmy Zavala). There were some serious rockers that came out in the early eighties like Young Turks, Tonight I'm yours and Baby Jane. He went totally off the rails with that album where he attempted to cover Free's Alright Now. It also goes to show that when he surrounds himself with respectability like Beck and Ron Wood (that MTV live album) he can still get away with it.
In spite of all that - I would argue that once the Faces had parted Rod was on a crash course to the purple-dyed hair brigade.
He might, however be able to pull it off for us old rockers in South Africa this year.
I was born in '84, and it was a long time before I knew to associate Rod Stewart with ANYTHING other than "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" In fact, even when I realised he had other songs, I couldn't think of him as anything other than a bit of a joke.
So now I'm going to try to block the images of a group of (relatively) innocent grade 2 kids dancing around the playground yelling "IIIIIF you want my body AAAAND you think I'm sexy.." and listen to these songs with an open mind. :))
I, too, came to Rod late - "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy," "Passion, "Young Turks." Hearing his older material was a revelation.
I don't think I've really paid any attention since "When We Were The New Boys" (94? 95?). Personally, I was absolutely no fan of "Broken Arrow," much preferring Robbie Robertson's stellar original.
Rod has had one schizophrenic career.
Touch and go with Rod for me. Absolutley anything prior to his mega disco, but spotty there after. But, I do tend to enjoy at least one song per album. "Forever Young" is great and I find myself whistling it now and then. The poster above reminded me of an album that I enjoyed through and through - "When We WEre The New Boys" - "cigarettes and alcohol" I thought was very good.
The standards albums? More mega sellers. Hey - someone bought them, and let's not throw dirt on that in a knee jerk way.
Rod and I went to a song-by-song relationship long about 1977. "Hot Legs" was an embarrassment, but "I Was Only Joking" was a fine, fine song. I only hated parts of the "Blondes Have More Fun" album, but most of "Foolish Behaviour." I lost track of him for a few years after that, until "People Get Ready." In the 90s, "Forever Young," "Downtown Train," "The Motown Song" and the Tom Petty song "Leave Virginia Alone" worked for me.
I am consistent on one thing, though: the Great American Songbooks albums blow, artistically and morally. I don't get the feeling he has any respect for those songs apart from their ability to bring him bushels of cash.
But "Every Picture Tells a Story" will always be great.
This is too hilarious... went on a date tonight and the bar was playing Rod Stewart songs ALL NIGHT LONG! He can be kitschy but at the same time extremely awesome, it all depends.
Madame Onassis ain't got nothing on you.
My very first radio gig was a Saturday overnight in November of 1979. I was 17 years old. I'd dreamed about my debut for years and figured the best way to open my maiden voyage was with a hot jingle into 'Hot Legs'. I wasn't 2 minutes into the song when I got a call on the studio hot line from the station's drunken redneck music director, screaming at me for playing the song. Literally in tears, I called the girl who was the night-time DJ, who warned me to lock the building because the MD tended to get violent on drunken Saturday nights. Twenty minutes later, she showed to hang with me while I collected myself. Thirty days later, we started dating. I lost my virginity to her, listening to CKLW in the background. Can't say "Downtown Train" gives me quite the fond memories.
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