album or cover rod stewart never a dull moment

Yet perhaps his biggest achievement through the three albums bearing his name was the adorable warmth he had managed to infuse them with, Rod producing a blend of folk, rock, soul and blues that was triumphantly charming while at the same time sounding as pleasurable to make as it was for the listener to hear. Not that there was a lack of serious intent in the albums Stewart had so far made as a solo artist – his reputation as a first-rate wordsmith, song interpreter without equal and singer of the highest order already well established.

Indeed, what renown they had was built primarily on the boozy bonhomie of their live shows, performed to fellow inebriates who saw rock as a means to fall about fun, rather than the introspective intentions of a host of emerging singer-songwriters or backs to the audience noodling of those popularising prog-rock. With Wood (guitar) and Stewart (vocals) in tow, Kenny Jones (drums), Ian McLagan (keyboards) and Ronnie Lane (bass) – former Small Faces singer/guitarist Steve Marriott having left to form heavy rock ensemble Humble Pie – realigned as the Faces, who by 1971 had recorded three albums of variable quality, but each a steady improvement on the last. After cutting his musical teeth in the mid-60s English R&B scene, Stewart, born in North London to Scottish parents on 10 January 1945, spent two years as vocalist with blues/rock forerunners the Jeff Beck Group.īut on tiring of the self-absorbed ways of its guitar-virtuoso leader quit in July 1969 to follow Beck-band carousing campadre Ron Wood to the Faces – a rumbustious, ramshackle outfit formed from the remnants of 60s power-pop maestros the Small Faces.

Album or cover rod stewart never a dull moment