1972 Case File #58.
February 2nd, 2010
Rod Stewart, Never A Dull Moment
File Between: The Rolling Stones and Sam Cooke
Comments: I cannot possibly be objective about Rod Stewart, not that I’ve ever really attempted objectivity here. His first four solo records, and the four albums he recorded with the Faces, are my most-loved music on the face of the earth, the stuff that has wormed down deepest into my bones and colored my entire outlook on life. More than anything, I want to live inside a Rod Stewart song, in that drizzly, brightly-colored mishmash of mythic America and comfortably dull Britain, where life is basically acoustic and even when it’s electric it’s wiry, rusty, and sputtery. Never A Dull Moment is the stuck landing after the crowing height of Every Picture Tells A Story (not to mention Long Player and A Nod Is As Good As A Wink … To A Blind Horse, all © 1971), and after this record Rod wanders offstage, goes to the afterparty, does some karaoke, and lives out the rest of his laddish, twinkle-eyed life not even attempting the delirious heights he once so effortlessly achieved. And all is forgiven him, for once upon a time he made records like these, intuitive combinations of folk, soul, rock & roll, and whatever rhymes he could come up with off the top of his head. Once he gave into the professionalism of international pop stardom, he was never the same again.
A Keeper? It is life and health and wisdom and nourishment. It contains three of the songs most likely to make me cry in this world, “Mama You Been On My Mind,” “Angel,” and “You Wear It Well.” And it ends with one of the best Sam Cooke covers in the world. You’ll have to pry it from my cold dead hands.
Vinyl Rip: Italian Girls