Rod Stewart 80 years old: the great singer that rock has lost over time

Before diving into pop music, the British singer was part of the important Jeff Beck Group and the Faces, as well as developing good solo albums

Rod Stewart Remember Roberto Carlos in certain aspects. Both were close to rock at the beginning of their careers, but abandoned the genre in search of a more popular and, obviously, more profitable approach.

The Englishman, born on January 10, 1945, built a fascinating career until the mid-1970s. From then on, his career was marked by a series of questionable works – and some slightly cheesy moments that curiously have a certain quality.

Starting with the Jeff Beck group

Also in the 1960s, Stewart appeared in Jeff Beck Groupwith the talented and now deceased guitarist who gave the project its name. The albums Truth (1968) e Beck-Ola (1969) establish a very concrete link between blues rock and psychedelia. It is less lysergic than Experience with Jimi Hendrix and less blues than Cream.

Gene Simmonsverbose singer and bassist of Kisshe goes so far as to say that the Jeff Beck Group was superior to contemporaries Led Zeppelin when they both emerged. THE World of guitarstated:

“Ronnie Wood it is very little appreciated. He’s better at bass than guitar [instrumento que assumiria no Faces e Rolling Stones]. For those who want to improve (on bass), I recommend listening to the first albums of the Jeff Beck Group – Truth AND Beck-Ola. In my opinion, they kill anything Led Zeppelin and other bands released around the same time.”

Faces and solo career

Both works by the Jeff Beck Group were more successful in the United States than in the United Kingdom, home of the musicians involved. The good image outside Europe has satisfactorily served the creation of Facesproject formed after the end of Small faces and with Rod Stewart on vocals, as well as Ronnie Wood now to the guitars.

More blues oriented, the Faces only existed for six years, but that was enough to produce four good studio albums. The strong point is A nod is as good as a wink… to a blind horse (1971).

At the same time, Stewart had been working on a solo career since 1969. He took advantage even more intelligently of the good reputation he had earned in the United States to launch himself there.

The sound of his solo career contained elements of the bands he was a part of. However, it added an American flavor based on both folk and country, in addition to the conventionally practiced hard/blues rock.

The result could not have been different: from the excellent album Each image tells a story (1971), Stewart achieved success once and for all in America and, consequently, in the world. And he succeeded without compromising quality, as there are many excellent songs on these early records.

All albums involving English up to A night in the city (1976) are noteworthy. His occasional dips into pop during this period also produced enjoyable listening results.

Starting from the second half of the 70s Rod was seduced by disco music and, in the long term, by pop. Over time, he shaped his image to eventually become a crooner – not exactly of jazz, but of folk songs. He has remained active in recent times more with revisitations than with original songs, even those signed by other collaborators.

The merits of Rod Stewart

It’s worth pointing out that Rod Stewart has never been a composer type, so much so that most of his solo work, especially in the early years, brings together covers and outside collaborations. But he had (and continues to have) an above-average interpretative ability, as well as being a good producer and knowing how to adapt existing songs into his versions.

It’s not just the singer that rock has lost, but also the crooner Elvis Presley would have become if he hadn’t died in 1977. However, it is not possible to criticize his transition to more popular and less memorable sounds: his bank account was grateful, as he became one of the best-selling artists in the history of music, with 100 million commercialized copies.

Even in pop, Stewart has proven to be different. However, curiosity strikes: what if he had continued along the same lines between 1968 and 1976?

Recommended albums:

• Jeff Beck Group: Truth (1968) e Beck-Ola (1969)
• Faces: A nod is as good as a wink… to a blind horse (1971) e Ooh La La (1973)
• Solo career: Petrol alley (1970), Each image tells a story (1971), Never a dull moment (1972) e Atlantic crossing (1975)

+++ READ MORE: Is Rod Stewart retiring? The singer explains himself after the rumors about the name of the tour

+++ to follow the journalist Igor Miranda @igormirandasite on Instagram

Source: Terra

Earl

Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.