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In the age of the single download, Jeff Harford
rediscovers the album . . .
There are some things Rod Stewart should never be forgiven
for - his four Great American Songbook albums, for
example.
Was there ever a more tragic mismatch of man and material?
But the raspy-voiced rocker got one thing absolutely right.
And for that he should never be forgotten.
Every Picture Tells A Story (1971) is Stewart's
benchmark piece, a near-faultless third solo album that put
him at the top of the charts, at the top of his game.
It delivered a transatlantic No 1 hit in Maggie May
(originally the B-side to a cover of Tim Hardin's Reason
To Believe) and permanently assured the London-born
singer's star status.
Here lay the nuance-rich proof there was more to Stewart than
the chirpy Jack the Lad who had once fronted the Jeff Beck
Group and now belted out bawdy blues-rockers with the Faces.
And, given that the Faces backed him on the recordings, here
also lay the seeds of the discontent that would lead to the
break-up of the band four years later.
But no discord is evident as the band, driven by Micky
Waller's urgent drumming, tunes in to the album's eclectic
vibe.
The rollicking title track, which opens the album, sets the
theme with its tale of a well-intentioned rogue assembling a
colourful catalogue of travel experiences.
Maggie May's story of seduction is similarly
semi-autobiographical - Stewart is confessional and
matter-of-fact about his nature, proud of learning his life
lessons through trial and error.
Covers of Arthur Cradup's early rocker That's All
Right and reflective Bob Dylan number Tomorrow Is A
Long Time reveal competing influences on Stewart and,
alongside a version of the Temptation's Motown hit (I
Know) I'm Losing You, point to his growing confidence at
handling a range of moods.
Rock, blues, soul, and mandolin-heavy folk each get an airing
as he paces himself through a neatly compiled set that sounds
for all the world like a vibrant live performance.
