When did Rod Stewart jump the shark?

We are talking about an iconic rock performer who just happened to peak early. Some never peak, but if you seriously think Rod's later coasting bares comparison with his early seventies output, we are at cross purposes for sure.

 

Coasting for 44 years of his 50 year career and still going strong? Can he really fool so many people for so long? The man is a genius! His peers, who have maintained a non-coasting five decades,must hate him.
Maybe Rod's the guy behind 'The Bluffers Guide to...." books.
....or maybe one persons coasting is anothers "maybe not his best work since 197X but still pretty darn good."

 

Although Atlantic Crossing was a substantial change of direction from his superb, earlier, solo albums, it was still a pretty solid album, in my opinion. Quite classy, without any 'Do You think I'm Sexy' etc. malarky. I play it quite often.

After AC, the wings fell off.

 

Then your collection would be missing possibly the greatest rock album of all time......

 

Or some of us encountered a particular artist or band at a certain point in their career and liked the sound, but when they changed, as people inevitably and rightly do, we didn't like that sound so much and so chose to stop listening to that part of their output. I can name any number of bands/singers for whom that applies for me: they just stopped doing things I liked, I'm not required to carry on liking what they do.

 

I like all upto early 80's. I can dig the mid/late 70s tracks, Sailing, Killing of Georgie, I Was Only Joking, Sexy, Hot Legs. Perhaps moreso its the 80's that doesnt work for me. Not a fan of Baby Jane. Still a great voice and I like that he doesnt take himself too seriously.

Of course the early 70s solo and Faces albums were his peak but for me he's still good beyond the end of Faces.

 

Could he do a good album of country classics?

 

When he left Faces.

 

Even though I prefer Rods early albums he has done listenable stuff all the way. Nowadays he is foremost an entertainer -nothing wrong with that

 

I only have Every picture tells a story. I love it

 

You can't go wrong there, Stewarts best album imo..

 

Atlantic Crossing is the last album I like (the production isn't my cuppa tea; not sure if I like any rock n roll Tom Dowd has produced to be honest) and it's much better than Smiler... after this, I just don't care, which is a shame since he might be my fave white vocalist ever.

 

‘Jumping the Shark’ as originally used referred to the act of doing something dramatically out of keeping with previous expectations in a desperate and misguided attempt to remain current. So that’s When We Were The New Boys, then.

 

In the UK it was '...Sexy'. Well, for us, my friends & I, it was. We were loyal supporters of both his Faces work and his solo offerings until '...Sexy'. Awful awful awful song. It took some forgiving. I didn't go back until his marvellous version of 'Downtown Train'. Now, I totally understand why he went the American route. Disco was big and which entertainer doesn't want huge exposure and piles of cash? But I feel the quality of his work suffered when he diversified. It was sad. But he gained lots of new supporters too, so what do I know?

 

Huh? I've got multiple copies of "Suicide"?!

 

I guess you could say around Smiler. His output from this point on was never of the same caliber of his first 4 albums, IMO.

Though I will admit that I do like a lot of his 80s stuff. It seemed like the 80s were good to Rod.

 

He "jumped the shark" for me at Human. Before that he had singles I loved from every album before that. I haven't dug anything he's done since New Boys.

Obviously he did very well with the Storybook albums and revived his career sales-wise so I don't think he would change a thing about that. I'd rather hear Ella and Frank do those songs- not Rod.

 

Such a great album. After that I started to wonder about Rod...just a bad phase maybe for a bit. But No. Then came that awful awful hit single that grated every time I heard it on the radio and thought, god, what has happened to Rod?!"--"Tonight's The Night" was when we knew it was totally the end for ever expecting a great hard rockin' song or album from Rod. Gawd awful.

Then their was "Hot Legs".


Enough to make me swear off radio for good.

 

Your post sums it up exactly....

 

Well, first of all, it would be a compliment to refer to the Jump the Shark expression as retrograde. Jumped the Shark has jumped the shark. Nevertheless, "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" was a flash point. He k owns it. Having said, and despite going totally mainstream, his 80's output is better than fans of Jeff Beck Group, Faces and the early solo career will normally give credit. Because of Beck, "Infatuation" is pretty badass.

 

Offer him enough money and he could do an album of traditional Bulgarian lumberjack ballads.
Love Rod.....

 

Someone upthread mentioned Rick Rubin as a possible producer. I have that Johnny Cash cd produced by him, and something along those lines might make Rod a little more appealing to people of my age. But I suppose Rod Stewart doesn't need my money

 

Your post makes perfect sense in general...but no longer liking an artists output is one thing...that is not what seems to be the position with Rod...it is not people stopping listening and moving on...it is charging him with selling out or jumping the shark because they no longer like what he is doing.
It seems to assume that because one does not like it that is somehow the result of coasting / selling out/ jumping the shark. A alternative view is that he evolved / changed / developed, not always perfectly, and lost some fans along the way.
It is amazing that people who have not liked his material in over 4 decades still feel the need to diss him. He has moved on, maybe they should to. It's like stalking an ex for 44 years, and not in a good way.

 

I'm tempted to say it was when he released "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy", but I always felt that Foolish Behaviour was a pretty decent return to form...

It's not on par with his Faces or early solo output, but it's a big improvement over Blondes Have More Fun for sure!