Rod Stewart - Reason to Believe: The Complete Mercury Studio Recordings

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Music reviews of Reason to Believe: The Complete Mercury Studio Recordings

Music Review: Essential Rod.. Get it!
Rating: 5 Stars

Rod Stewart was no exception. Starting out in the mid-60s in various soul/rnb/blues outfits, Rod The Mod was a "face" about the scene, just under the star radar but already known as much for his raspy vocals as his stylish clothes and hair. When he hooked up in 1967 with guitar wizard Jeff Beck, he couldn't have known that the two hard-rocking bluesy albums they made together with Ron Wood on bass and Mick Waller on drums would be considered important milestones in the history of hard rock.

But Rod was more than just a blues, soul, or hard rock singer, more than just a sidekick to a gifted guitarist. He was also an artist with a capital A and it would be the 5 albums he made for Mercury between 1969-1974 that would reveal his true talents. This set brings together for the first time all the solo material he made for Mercury, including the 5 solo albums and various B-sides and other rare tracks. The result is a goldmine of amazing music showcasing a diverse talent who could not only interpret and arrange other's music ingeniously, but could also write timeless original music as well. Folk, blues, rnb/soul, Celtic, pub rock, harder rock- it's all here. Never has Rod's voice sounded so special, so rich, so in control. The seamlessness of the originals and non-originals in this set is a credit to the man who some say would never reach these peaks of creativity again, having eventually succumbed as many artists have to the temptations and distractions of fame, image, money, lovers, and parties, and the natural process of aging that effects us all.

Gathering together his drinking buddies and partners-in-crime from both the Jeff Beck group and the parallel universe of this period that was the Faces (Wood, Waller, Kenny Jones, Martin Quittenton, Ian McLagen and others), Rod created an original, earthy sound, singing close to the mic, producing or co-producing with Lou Reizner. The remastering is sensational, the intimacy palpable.

The first two excellent albums (The Rod Stewart Album and Gasoline Alley) show an artist already sure of the sound and arrangements he wants. The next two shot Rod into the realm of superstardom- Every Picture Tells A Story and Never A Dull Moment remain sensational records in all ways. Smiler offers good music but seems to suffer from various excesses and incertainties- an artist moving perhaps too fast, burning the candle at both ends, tiring of the dual life of solo and leader of the Faces, and running dry on inspiring new material. Trying to find a new direction. It struggles to satisfy, offering generic rockers, covers, and uncomfortable strings. But it still isn't a bad album! The B-sides and rarities are on a whole excellent and add to the set.

Rod would soon move to America, change band members, change record companies, become a Hollywood jetsetter, and mutate into a cash cow hit machine/concert attraction/sex symbol to the point of parody. Sure he would have some good songs after 1974- many of his hits remain guilty pleasures- but it was the Mercury period that marked Rod as an Artist Par Excellence, on level with the best in the album rock biz of the time.

Get this box, it is truly a collection to be cherished. And for an important compliment, showcasing his other persona of the period- the boozy lad- get the best of Faces too!

Description of Reason to Believe: The Complete Mercury Studio Recordings

Classic Rock CDs

• Music > Styles
• Pop
• Rock