Rod Stewart - Gasoline Alley

Working in what was not then called an "unplugged" format, Stewart mixed acoustic guitars, mandolin, and piano with a hard-rock attitude to create a distinctive sound that seems as fresh today as ever. Building on the success and innovations of The Rod Stewart Album, Gasoline Alley contains unfettered, laddish takes on Bobby Womack's "It's All Over Now" and the bluesy "Cut Across Shorty," plus a definitive version of Bob Dylan's "Only a Hobo" and the brilliant, nostalgic title track, a Stewart original. The singer is very near the top of his game here. --Daniel Durchholz Amazon.com essential recording

it brings tears to my eyes

It brings tears to my eyes every time I listen to (hear is a better term) anything rod has recorded in the past twenty years. Tears of sorrow, sadness and loss. How could a man who could make a record as good as this one become what he is today. This is such a fine recording. His unusual mix of acoustic and electric, mandolins and violins never loses its ability to evoke joy and pleasure. December 27, 2007

Gasoline Alley Delivers the Goods

If you like the ragged rock n' roll of the Faces and Rod Stewart's two towers, Every Picture... and Never a Dull Moment, you will like this one too. Major highlights include "My Way of Giving," the Elton John/Bernie Taupin penned "Country Comfort," "Cut Across Shorty," and "You're My Girl." The album is great through and through; never tedious to hear in one sitting. August 22, 2007

Then was then, now is now

Hard to believe the same clown still plonk singing today was so poignant 30+ years ago. While not his best early effort (see Rod Stewart Album and every Picture Tells A Story--each a 5-star effort), this is a worthy addition to the early Rod Stewart Holy Trinity. March 29, 2007

Rod's Best Work

Rod Stewart's musical career has been evaluated at both ends of the spectrum. One aspect of his talent that has been overlooked has been his ability as a writer. His earlier works with the Faces and his early solo efforts feature great rock music with many of the titles written by Stewart or in collaboration with mates like Ronnie Wood and Ronnie Lane.
Gasoline Alley is a perfect example with a title cut that sets the tone for some of his best work.
Stewart has also consistently maintained the knack for taking songs written by others and adapting them to his style. It's All Over Now, written by Bobby and Shirley Jean Womack is a classic Rod Stewart song. Even Country Comfort, written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, benefits in the direction Stewart takes it.
Gasoline Alley re-emerged after Stewart's Unplugged And Seated CD included a couple tunes from the album. It's worthy of acclaim. August 10, 2006

good boy gone bad

Believe it or not, at one time Rod Stewart was one of us. A quick glance at the songwriting credits for this, Stewart's second 'solo' effort, reveal where Rod's head was at: covers of Bobby & Shirley Womack's 'It's All Over Now' (more famously, and somewhat more enjoyably covered by The Rolling Stones), Bob Dylan's 'Only a Hobo', Elton John and Bernie Taupin's 'Country Comforts', and Steve Marriott & Ronnie Lane's 'My Way of Giving'. I've tried to keep my record collection pure of disco, and with composers such as these I don't believe anyone can accuse me of harboring anything as defiling as 'Hot Legs' or 'Do Ya' Think I'm Sexy?'. Unfortunately for me, each time I hear Rod's voice, a bit of the 'Hot Legs' overplay corrupts my capacity to concentrate on his earlier (and better) sensibilities. Rod's raspy vocal cords made him one of rock's premier vocalists before career decisions became of more immediate concern than the art. His defection to 'the other side' was perhaps the most disconcerting loss of the era.

Nevertheless, from his debut 'Rod Stewart Album' through his epic 'Every Picture Tells a Story' and it's sequel, 'Never a Dull Moment', Stewart left behind a fine legacy. 'Gasoline Alley' is Rod's second 'solo' effort, and while it failed to spawn even one single, it is a consistantly fine production. In fact, since it generated absolutely no Top 40 attention, the songs on this disc have managed to escaped the dred overplay that has afflicted some Stewart numbers, most notably 'Maggie May', and even 'You Wear It Well'.

At first glance the disc appears weighted toward more subdued numbers, such as the lilting 'Only a Hobo' and the gentle strains of 'Country Comforts', and in sheer numbers the disc is fairly reserved, especially toward the end when two Stewart compositions, 'Lady Day' and 'Jo's Lament' emerge. But the three longest songs on the disc are all rockers, and they are wisely distributed on tracks two, six and nine. 'It's All Over Now', 'Cut Across Shorty', and 'You're My Girl' consume nearly eighteen minutes of the disc's 41 minute running time, and 'My Way of Giving' is no slouch either. It predictably possesses an upbeat pop sound (reminiscent of Rod's previous gig with The Small Faces) since it was written by Marriott and bassist Ronnie Lane.

Here and there we are enticed by tell-tale sounds that allude to the emerging Stewart epic, 'Every Picture Tells a Story'. The fine back-home opener, 'Gasoline Alley', possesses a mandolin that harkens to 'Mandolin Wind', and 'Cut Across Shorty' and 'You're My Girl' feature sharp guitar riffs that would fuel similar Stewart classics such as his cover of the Temptation's 'I'm Losing You'.

The only disappointing aspect of this particular disc is that the rework didn't add any bonus tracks or informational material to the package... you get only what you got in 1970 with the original vinyl release. Weren't there any other tracks sitting in the vault from this session that ended up on the editing floor, or interesting anecdotes from the contributing artist's that could spice this up a bit? Many people buying this CD today also purchased the recordings on vinyl and cassette. We deserve a few more crumbs from the table. January 13, 2005

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