Rod Stewart album by album thread

Far prefer any/ all of them to Human or that watered down classic rock album he did in the naughties.

 

We are in complete disagreement on that one then ☺. Especially Volume 4.

 

I prefer volume 1 of the songbook to human but that's it. nothing he did until time I even care about

 

Maybe the inspiration for the stylistic change towards RnB on "Human" came from the success of "If We Fall in Love Tonight" which had been his previous single in that style?

I feel the best tune to come out of Rod's GOS years (including the Xmas album) was his cover of "Blue Moon" with Eric Clapton guesting on guitar.

 

up next

The American Songbook series

It Had to be You (2002)
Track Listing
1. You Go to My Head
2. They Can't Take That Away From Me
3. The Way You Look Tonight
4. It Had to Be You
5. That Old Feeling
6. These Foolish Things
7. The Very Thought of You
8. Moonglow
9. I'll Be Seeing You
10. Everytime We Say Goodbye
11. The Nearness of You
12. For All We Know
13. We'll Be Together Again
14. That's All


As Time Goes By (2003)
Track Listing
1. Time After Time
2. I'm in the Mood For Love
3. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
4. Bothered and Bewildered Bewitched
5. Til There Was You
6. Until the Real Thing Comes Along
7. Where or When
8. Smile
9. My Heart Stood Still
10. Someone to Watch Over Me
11. As Time Goes By - (featuring Queen Latifah)
12. I Only Have Eyes For You
13. Crazy She Calls Me
14. Our Love Is Here to Stay

Stardust (2004)

Track Listing
1. Embraceable You
2. For Sentimental Records
3. Blue Moon - (featuring Eric Clapton)
4. What a Wonderful World - (featuring Stevie Wonder)
5. Stardust
6. Manhattan - (featuring Bette Midler)
7. 'S Wonderful
8. Isn't It Romantic
9. I Can't Get Started
10. But Not for Me
11. A Kiss to Build a Dream On
12. It's Cold Outside - (featuring Dolly Parton)
13. Night and Day
14. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square


Thanks For the Memory (2005)

Track Listing
1. I've Got a Crush On You
2. I Wish You Love - (featuring Chris Botti)
3. You Send Me
4. Long Ago and Far Away
5. Makin' Whoopee
6. My One and Only Love
7. Taking a Chance On Love
8. My Funny Valentine
9. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
10. Nevertheless - (featuring Dave Koz)
11. Blue Skies
12. Let's Fall In Love - (featuring George Benson)
13. Thanks For the Memory


Fly Me to the Moon (2010)

Track Listing
1. That Old Black Magic
2. Beyond the Sea
3. I've Got You Under My Skin
4. What a Difference a Day Makes
5. I Get a Kick Out of You
6. I've Got the World on a String
7. Love Me or Leave Me
8. My Foolish Heart
9. September in the Rain
10. Fly Me to the Moon
11. Sunny Side of the Street
12. Moon River

 

AKA: 67 Tracks

 

Yes, I mean I agree, Superstar is pretty sweet, a superb vocal,
and with Secret Heart I've never heard him sound much sweeter and lovelier. The same in a way with Shelly and its chorus. A little Beatlesesque perhaps? I like hearing the rock of Cigs and Rocks back to back. The mixes of those more rockin' tunes sound right to my ears. The title song (reminds me of an early Dylan folk tune like Restless Farewell/When The Ship Comes In?) and I hear some of the WWWTNB songs as pairs (the title track and Ooh La La.), (Cigs and Rocks Off) and I don't know why but What Do You Want Me To Do? reminds me of Elvis Presley in some ways. I like it.

 

A pretty good listen imo and a respectable way to end the post-classic RS era. I was not familiar with Superstar so when first hearing it I thought I was hearing a really good mellow U2 ballad. RS singing with a kind of expressiveness of longing and yearning in this song that feels a little different to me. There are bits in Secret Heart he seems to channel Jeff Buckley. Good stuff.

 

The American Songbook series went on for way too long. Granted, it made sense from a business perspective because the music sold, but Rod spent nearly a decade coasting and mailing it in.

I remember at a former job hearing demos for this project before the first volume was released (man, I wish I would have held on to that disc), and if I recall correctly, the recordings were subsequently reproduced (wasn't Phil Ramone the original producer?). Later, I went to the album release party at the St. Regis Hotel where Rod performed songs from the album, which was pretty cool. I just would have preferred Rod not waste so many years on this music.

 

I love "Human"

 

I really enjoy the first three Songbooks.

Wonderfully crafted songs, reasonable/ good arrangements and singing.

None of the performances are necessarily wonderful but most are a highly enjoyable way to experience a broad array of superb songs that I otherwise rarely hear.

Exceptionally good marketing, in contrast with Warners in the 90s, I especially applaud the concept of getting the first album played as background music in shopping Malls.

 

Phil Ramone co-produced the first two. What was your job?

 

I'm sure glad I was able to buy 4 of the Songbook CDs in one deal. If I had to buy them lone at a time I probably never would have gotten round to them. You can never fault Rod's singing but these songs just don't fit. I'm sure we all have one or two Songbook songs we like, but this is just too much. This is just not why we like Rod. Although it did lake sense from a commercial PoV, one album would have been more than enough. And even then, afaic it's not half as glood as Ringo's.

 

Worked at a talent agency in the concert business.

 

Ture, but they served two purposes:

1. Let Rod's voice recover at a reasonable pace. Those songs are less taxing on the larynx.

2. Revive what was about to become a career in a tailspin. He was approaching "has been" status after "Human" flopped.

 

No argument there but it reduced his credibility to sub-zero.

 

Yes, but it gave him a platform from which he could:

• Sustain a highly successful touring schedule ever since
• Rebound, credibility wise outside North America, with Time and Another Country

 

One big feature of the SB era was the amount of big name collaborations...some were wasted on the genre and could jave been goos match ups on proper Rod stuff..like Clapton,Elton, Stevie Wonder, Cher and Diana Ross.
Others like Dolly and Bette were reasonable fits for the material.

 

I may have heard bits of these Songbook albums before but not much of them really so will try to give some a listen today...fwiw can't say I ever want to listen to them in part of whole again. FWIW I suppose I could make a 1 cd comp of the 5 that I might listen to but then I would have to listen to all the tracks again. Sorry, I don't mean to sound like a hater. I might actually enjoy that one disc.

Giving Still The Same and Soulbook a listen for 'next album' post.

 

I agree that a single disc could have been a lot more enjoyable. But I'm certainly not gonna go through those 5 discs again for that ! In any case, 1 disc can be considered a sidetrip. As things stand, they're a moneygrabbing sell-out !

 

Agreed. I received a copy of the first volume, played it once, and never looked back. I don't dislike it, but do not find it very interesting or enjoyable, particularly considering the diverse and rich catalogue of material Rod has prior to the Songbook series. I never considered acquiring volumes 2-5.

 

I love "Human" & listened to it again (after not listening for some time) late last night.

Give me:
- title track
- "Don't Come Around Here"
- "Soul On Soul"
- "It Was Love That We Needed" &
- "I Can't Deny It"

over all the Songbooks combined.

I'm not saying that to diminish the Songbook records any further (meaning anything is better than the Songbooks) but to say, imo, "Human" has good songs and is a good album. I was excited for a new release and wasn't disappointed at all. I liked "When We Were The New Boys" better, but liked the soul/R&B infused "Human" the more I listened to it.

The sum equaled the same great voice transmitting mostly good "pop" with enough to remind me that one of my favorite rockstars of all time was still thriving.



**I've contributed a little bit to this thread. Some great stuff here, guys. Due in part to lack of extra time, I didn't give my review of every record.

The other reason, I'm an admitted subjective non critic of Sir Rod Stewart. I just can't criticize the favorite "solo" artist/rockstar of my lifetime (If I grew up with Elvis it may have been different.)

I will say this (note my subjectivity):
Had a recent conversation with someone talking about many different bands, singers, etc... the subject came around to "underrated" "overrated" & the guy I was talking to made some comparisons between Rod & Steve Marriot.

I came back to bands & artists that have been "underrated." I said that, and I meant it...Rod Stewart has been poorly rated & reviewed. Maybe not underrated - but rated too poorly and too much by press that became pissed that he didn't keep creating "EPTAS" or "Never A Dull Moment."

When people call him a sellout, I say he took chances, did his thing. Motivated by what? Trends, money...maybe in part, but just part.

I listened to the rehearsal version again the other day of "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" on the extended version of the iTunes "Tonight I'm Yours." Damn, that version, & I remember it "live" that way a few times back then......completely ROCKED!! A song associated with disco & sadly associated with the full and united turn against Rod Stewart by the rock & roll press.

He's a rocker, the front man of the original garage band, a balladeer, he's dabbled in new wave, yeah disco, pop star, a phenomenal performer, a soul & R&B singer, and a great writer.

Screw the press!!

I don't like the Songbook stuff because it's not what I like best from him. Hell, it's not the type of music I like best.

I love Bob Dylan, but hell he seemed & seems much more allowed to do whatever he wanted & wants.

Just my thoughts. Nothing to debate anyone about. Love the man & his music and am very much looking forward to the 40th or so time I've seen him this Summer in Vegas!

Long live Rod Stewart: his music....hair & style included!!

 

Ian McLagan thought Rod sold out (again) when he did the Songbook series.

 

Well he did to some degree, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing either. Artists are allowed to engage in projects that build an audience and generate money. If anything, the live concerts during this period were quite good, with a mixture of his classic catalogue and a set of standards.

 

Exactly Andy.

Excellent point.