Back after a long absence, in between other writing and musical activities.
Back after a long absence, in between other writing and musical activities.
Member since:13.07.2000
Reviews:262
Members who trust:48
When Rod Stewart returned to the studio to follow up the massively successful "Every Picture Tells a Story", he had a lot to live up to. Wisely he stuck to the tried and tested formula, switching from acoustic folksy ballads to good-time rock'n'roll with ease, sometimes in the same song. While "Moment" didn't have quite the same impact as "EPTAS" - expectations were sky-high, after all - it was just as good, and certainly fulfilled its swaggering title. Rod had immaculate taste when it came to cover versions, taking on Hendrix's love-lorn "Angel" with ease, going into roistering party mode with Sam Cooke's "Twistin' The Night Away", a version which for a while became even better-known than the original, and best of all treating us to a beautiful reading of the obscure Dylan song "Mama You Been On My Mind", making skilful use of accordeon and steel guitar. Four of the songs were original, the best-known being another collaboration with classical guitarist Martin Quittenton. "You Wear It Well" followed the "Maggie May" template without sounding like a pale copy, and the fact that it also made No. 1 as a single in the UK (albeit for only one week) suggests that fans agreed - remember, the album was also No. 1 at around the same time. The other Rod originals were written with guitarist Ronnie Wood, and they're all pretty neat. My favourite of the lot is "Italian Girls", which really sounds like two songs tacked together, the first part being a typical Faces-style rabble rouser with tongue-in-cheek non-PC lyrics ('she was tall, thin and tarty/and she drove a Maserati'), the second a moody lament with violin and mandolin augmenting the acoustic guitars. If you loved "EPTAS", this certainly won't disappoint you - treat yourself to both.
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