Rod Stewart album by album thread

Anyone interested in doing this starting with the Jeff Beck group stuff and including the Faces and of course solo stuff?

 

I'm listening to "Lady Luck" from "Spanner in the Works right now.

Perfect timing.

 

I'm trying to gauge interst if this gets started

 

Bring it on.

 

+1

 

ok i'l we'll start then with the first jeff beck group release. i'll just post the albums. if people want to post cover art or background info feel free. should we skip the albums he released from 2002-2012? the covers stuff.


Truth (Jeff Beck Group) 1968


Track Listing
1. Shapes of Things
2. Let Me Love You
3. Morning Dew
4. You Shook Me
5. Ol' Man River
6. Greensleeves
7. Rock My Plimsoul
8. Beck's Bolero
9. Blues de Luxe
10. I Ain't Superstitious

bonus tracks
11. I've Been Drinking - (Stereo Mix)
12. You Shook Me - (Take 1)
13. Rock My Plimsoul - (Stereo Mix)
14. (Beck's) Bolero
15. Blues de Luxe - (Take 1)
16. Tallyman
17. Love Is Blue
18. Hi-Ho Silver Lining - (Stereo Mix)

 

You could tell that you were dealing with a major talent; an absolutely unique important voice.

No, the covers stuff IS Rod.

 

I like that album. Pity it wasn't a commercial success. It might have spared us all that Great American Songbook non-sense.

 

Had the JB Group been a huge success, the stellar Mercury solo albums may not have happened, nor his tenure in The Faces. It worked out.

 

my thoughts

Truth (Jeff Beck Group) 196

what a massive album. its almost shocking this album wasn't a gigantic smash. I can't talk about this album without saying 2 things. one the great piano work by nicky hopkins. he's all over the album and really shines on "blues de luxe". second thing is that micky waller is a good drummer but I wish aynsley dunbar had stuck around. huge fan of his and would have liked to hear what he could have done with the group. just listened to this again to have it fresh in my mind. the band is on fire. rod shows he is a great blues and r&b singer. his voice is very expressive and raw. of course jeff beck makes sure to highlight his guitar work on the album since its his namesake. album has a nice mix of rockers, blues and acoustic somewhat folk or softer stuff. its funny that this was almost the formula rod would follow after leaving the jeff beck group while he was splitting time as a solo and with the faces with a bit more of the folk influence showing through. I say funny because I believe the concept of this album and doing the mix of styles was jeff becks idea. whoever thought of it though it was a great idea and rod ran with it for his career until about 1977.

a few things about the songs. I like the bonus track versions of "you shook me" and "blues de luxe" better than the versions included on the proper album. they just feel a bit more raw. the album version of "rock my plimsoul" though is better than the original b-side version. the arrangements of all of the songs work well. not that he couldn't pull it off but when you see "ol man river" and "morning dew" listed you get a bit nervous at first. the wrong arrangement could have ruined these no matter how great rod sounded.


also like to say I really love "hi ho silver lining"


a great start to rods career and imo a landmark album

 

I'm in.. Rod the Mod is an all-time great vocalist, any genre.

He may be the greatest rock singer ever

 

Having seen Rod for the first time in 1977 (opening night of the tour) I always believed I was a little late coming to the party. How wrong I was. That concert was absolutely incredible. IIRC, he only played 2 songs from FL&FF, and the rest were from previous albums with heavy emphasis on his first 4 and the Faces. So, for me, essential Rod is the first 2 JBG albums and all his albums from Raincoat to Night. Smiler is the weakest of the lot and it still had some great songs.

 

Superb album, far prefer it to Zep 1.

Not only is the music superb, it is highly amusing; the bagpipes on Morning Dew, the OTT Old Man River, the audacious Greensleeves, the rollicking Beck's Bolero and the fake live Blues Deluxe.

Favourite tracks being the opener and the closer but the album is sequenced really well without a duff track, a highly enjoyable listen.

 

Live performances of Rock My Plimsoul at Earls Court in 83 were a highlight of the shows.

 

I wish some live jeff beck group stuff would get an official release. rod stewart might be the most under represented act when it comes to live material. the only 2 live things released by him that should be purchased are the unplugged released and the 4 disc live boxset. how can someone known for tearing it live have a handful of live releases to cover a 50 year career? the faces live release is not that great and fans want a live release with the classic lineup. there is nothing from the jeff beck.

 

Good album but for me not really the masterpiece others claim it to be. A few weak choices in the track listing (Ol' man river, Greensleeves, Morning dew) and a few tracks that, for me, are just not as good as the Yardbirds version (Shapes of things), Led Zeppelin (You shook me). Beck's guitar playing is great and Rod's vocals are great but as an album it doesn't really work for me the way it apparently does for others.

 

In a Album by Album thread for Jeff Beck, I posted the following on Truth:

The album is a pioneering fusion of rock & roll and heavy blues. Beck laid down some of the dirtiest, nastiest guitar licks to date on a rock album. The album is somewhat ragged and under-produced, but it is that same raw nature that gives it attitude and identity. Beck is stunning throughout with layers of exciting guitar passages, but the real star of this album may very well be Rod Stewart. His vocals are truly stunning throughout the proceedings. This album and band gave him a platform to really develop his craft and he goes from delicate vocal subtleties, dirty blues, and ferocious rock delivery with complete ease.

The band would be finished less than 24 months after this release. This is one band that often falls into the conversation of “what if” and often its ending is viewed as being premature; but really, fans are probably fortunate to have 2 albums of material to listen to. It was a somewhat disjointed, unconventional grouping from the start. Beck was part of Mickie Most and Peter Grant’s operation – he was the only one directly under their management. Rod Stewart was never actually contracted with them, and was somewhat of an independent contractor of sorts. The bottom line is that it was not a traditional band in the sense that 4 or 5 guys were working under the direction of a management team, pushing them or opening doors to allow for greatness. Grant did help break the band in the U.S., but there was little camaraderie between the band members (although Rod and Ronnie Wood developed a bond). The money was not evenly distributed, the egos were clashing, and there were disagreements about what the musical direction should be. But regardless of the inner-turmoil and issues, the band did lay down some potent rock & roll and blues and left behind a pioneering legacy. Truth is one of those special albums, and the ultimate album for Jeff Beck to have started his career outside the confines of The Yardbirds.

 

In A Broken Dream/Python Lee Jackson.
What a classic.
He sang that for the price of a carpet, magic tune.

 

It is unclear what live tapes from the Jeff Beck Group "1" exist in the archives. It has not been revealed if the band's BBC recordings are lost, or if they are tucked away in a vault somewhere. A BBC release for the Jeff Beck Group would be incredible. Jeff Beck stated in an interview several years ago that he has a tape from the Fillmore (not sure if it is Fillmore West or East) from this version of the band. Additionally, there is a short 5 song soundboard from the Fillmore West that has been around for years from the Jeff Beck Group, which I thought might be included on the expanded edition of Truth released around 2005.

 

Truth is a fine album that still holds up today with its edgy rock with folk and blues roots. I still have my vinyl. Haven't heard the bonus tracks.

 

I don't think they did that many BBC sessions. I have two 1967 sessions for Saturday Club (I know I'm losing you, Tallyman, Rock my plimsoul) and a 1968 session for Top Gear (Rock my plimsoul, Shapes of things, Sweet little angel). Anybody know of any others ? Either way, it would still be nice to see them as bonus tracks, if not a dedicated BBC disc with Mark II recordings.

 

I agree. I didn't hear this album until relatively late even though I'm a lifelong Rod fan, and by the time I finally did...it's just...it's not that great. Doesn't nearly live up to the hype. And the first Zeppelin album leaves it in the dust as far as that goes.

 

I'm interested, although hopefully we won't do a new album too often. I like these threads--I'm participating in the song-by-song KISS thread, but I don't want to do to much at a time or it starts to seem like a chore that I have to do, especially as I don't like commenting in a critical way unless I've just listened to something again. I'll relisten to Truth soon so I can comment on it.

 

I'd love an official release of JBG live stuff... there is a live BBC version of them covering the Temps I'm Losing You... and while it doesn't necessarily blow the Faces BBC take away, it is different enough to be revelatory... stunning indeed...

 

its funny beck always mentions live tapes he has of the group blowing people off the stage and that the songs kicked live much better than in the studio yet no official release of anything