Diagnosed with an aggressive cancer of the right lung on my 58th birthday (14th July) So not really ...
Diagnosed with an aggressive cancer of the right lung on my 58th birthday (14th July) So not really in the humour for writing much at the moment, although I *WILL* be back before too long...Ken
Member since:06.12.2000
Reviews:678
Members who trust:869
~ ~ Most youngsters these days probably have an image in their heads of Rod Stewart as a fast aging former rock star with a penchant and taste for younger women. (Usually blonds!) In fairness, Stewart himself doesn’t do a hell of a lot to dispel this image, so perchance it’s an accurate one. But back in the day (late 60’s and early 70’s) Rod Stewart was the ultimate rock star, and right up there with the all-time greats. (Like the Rolling Stones) During this early period he had an ability to turn out albums that to this day remain classics; mixtures of folk and rock and some haunting ballads that were/are almost unique in their style and presentation, and which have stood the test of time. (Unlike some of the music from his glam/rock period of the 1980’s)
~ ~ In 1970 he released an album called “Gasoline Alley” which included a number of his own compositions and a few cover versions from other famous artists, all with Stewart’s own unique gravely voice and a strange blend of instruments and acoustics. The tracks are mostly folk and country in style, but in this album Rod blends them into a rock format by using a mixture of guitars, piano, and mandolins. Most of the musicians who were later to go on to form the band called “The Faces” with Rod were present on this album, including the talented Ron Wood, who was later to join the Rolling Stones. The album built on the success he’d already achieved with his earlier album “Every Picture Tells A Story”, and many critics would maintain
that this period (1969 – 1972) was when Stewart produced his finest work.
~ ~ There are a total of nine tracks on the album.
1. Gasoline Alley 2. It's All Over Now 3. Only a Hobo 4. My Way of Giving 5. Country Comforts 6. Cut Across Shorty 7. Lady Day 8. Jo's Lament 9. You're My Girl (I Don't Want to Discuss It)
I’d be hard put to pick a favourite, but certainly the title track, “Gasoline Alley”, would come close. This is one of Stewart’s own songs, and a simple lament for times, people and places from the past.
“Going home, running home Down to Gasoline Alley where I started from Going home, and I'm running home Down to Gasoline Alley where I was born”
The mandolin is very much to the fore on this track, and combined with Rod’s husky, throaty, emotion packed voice it produces a song well worthy of its place as the title track on the album.
~ ~ Next up is a cover of the rock song made famous by the Rolling Stones, “It’s All Over Now”. This was a major chart success for the Stones, but I actually think Stewart’s cover version is better. The rhythm is a bit slower than the original, and again Rod’s unique voice carryies the song in a way that even old rubber lips himself (Mick Jagger) couldn’t manage.
“’cos I used to love you But it’s all over now”
~ ~ “Only A Hobo” is yet another cover version, this time of a song by the man himself, Bob Dylan. Once again, Rod makes a good fist of things, and makes the very most of the brilliant lyrics.
“A blanket of newspaper covered his head The step was his pillow The street was his bed One look at his face Showed the hard road he’d come And a fistful of money Showed the coins that he’d bummed
He was only a hobo, but one more is gone Leavin’ nobody to sing his sad song Leavin’ nobody to carry it on Only a hobo, but one more is gone only a Hobo.”
~ ~ Another cover version, “Country Comforts” by Elton John and Bernie Taupin is another of my favourites, and Stewart’s version of the track is the simply the best I’ve ever heard. The song is about the simplicity of rural life, and the different situations and personalities that enrich it. You have “Old Man Grayson” who refuses point blank to operate new machinery in the local mill, calling it “new-fangled”, and claiming “it just ain’t natural”. He’s summed up as “a horse drawn man until his dying day.” Then you have Grandma who’s looking fine, (for an 84-year-old!) and wants you to come around and help her fix the barn. The chorus is particularly catchy.
“And it’s good old country comforts in my bones Just the sweetest sound my ears have ever known Just an old fashioned feeling in my bones Country comforts and the road that’s going home.”
~ ~ “Jo’s Lament” is a haunting ballad, beautifully sung by Stewart, about the break up of a relationship and the regrets the person is experiencing as he grows older and starts to fear a lonely old age.
“You bore my child then I left you aside I don’t expect you to forgive But now I’m not so young and I’m so afraid To sleep alone for the rest of my days.”
~ ~ “Lady Day” is another ballad, this time one of Stewart’s own compositions, as is the belting rocking and reeling “Cut Across Shorty”, which is basically a country tune, but which Stewart has turned around into a belting rock song by his clever use of instruments. There’s three acoustic guitars, a violin that howls and screeches the whole way through, and all backed by a set of pounding drums.
Cut Across Shorty
“Now a country boy named Shorty And a city boy named Dan Had to prove who could run the fastest To wed Miss Lucy’s hand
Now Dan had all the money And he also had the looks But Shorty musta had that something boys That can’t be found in books”
~ ~ What makes this album particularly memorable for me is that I once owned an original vinyl copy signed by both Rod himself and Ron Wood. Stewart has strong connections with Scotland, (he’s an avid Glasgow Celtic fan!) and his aunt and uncle used to own a small hotel in North Berwick called the “Nether Abbey”, which he frequently visited. I ran into himself and Woods in here one Sunday evening when I was out and about downing a few wee drams. (Back in my drinking days) It turned into a memorable session, and he not only gave me a signed copy of this album, but I also managed to relieve him of over £150 in a card school that went on into the “wee small hours”. The original vinyl album was released over 34 years ago, in June 1970. It reached a high of No. 27 in the charts, but remained in the top 100 album lists for over a year. (53 weeks) The new CD version was released back in 1998, and is now freely available on the Web. New for £8.99 at Amazon, but it pays to shop around.
~ ~ Unfortunately, my original vinyl album has long since disappeared, (the Lord only knows where!) but I now own a digitally enhanced CD version of the album that is one of my all-time Rod Stewart favourites. In my opinion Rod Stewart is one of the most under-rated rock stars of the past 40 years, and his music is much, much better than his image of an aging celebrity would lead you to believe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title: Gasoline Alley Original album released: June 1970 CD Release date: 31 March, 1998 Publisher: Mercury / Universal
Classic rock star in my book. I hope that evening was a memorable one; I'm green with envy. Gasoline Alley is one of my favourites too. Cheers. Christina ;-) x
martint1983 13.11.2004 11:35
I've got the very best of album and its great. nice review
Working in what was not then called an "unplugged" format, Stewart mixed acoustic guitars, ... more
mandolin and piano with a hard-rock attitude to create a distinctive sound that seems as fresh today as ever. Building on the success and innovations of The Rod ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
![Gasoline Alley [Remastered] - Rod Stewart](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/normal/079/product-46079.jpg)
![Overall user rating: Gasoline Alley [Remastered] - Rod Stewart](http://images.ciao.com/ide/images/stars/2003/stars50.gif)
exceptional by (9%):
very helpful by (91%):
![Gasoline Alley [Remastered] - Rod Stewart Picture 75079 tb](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/84751.jpg)
![Gasoline Alley [Remastered] - Rod Stewart Picture 75082 tb](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/84758.jpg){kind=small}
![River Is Wide, The [Remastered] - Forum (The)](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/251/prod_small-6006251.jpg)
