Back when Rod rocked

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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.