Slang Editorial :: Never Underestimate The Value Of A Holla'

Monday, April 13, 2009
I Used To Love Him (Is It All Over Now?)

Answer: NO, NEVER.

I was having a conversation with Jay today about Lisztomania and the fiercely negative reactions it elicits from fans of The Who--particularly of the older, I-weaned-from-the-tit group (see comment #3)--and it brought us to a bit of musing on my man Roderick:

JeffreyBeaumont: "And I don't mean to sound haughty, like it offended our artistic sensibilities…although it obviously did. It mostly made us sad. The movie was full of crap, Roger was full of crap, Ken Russell was full of crap…maybe we were full of crap too. And we kind of were. I pretty much still am."
jaychampionvinyl: he didn't tell me I was an asshole and what I wrote was horseshit....he just has very, very strong feelings about lisztomania
jaychampionvinyl: which, fuck, I think is awesome
jaychampionvinyl: though hilarious to me that he thought Roger Daltrey might, at one point, not have been full of shit, but I guess that's just retrospective for me
JeffreyBeaumont: this is a major value point of discussion: the grand sweep of "context" and our inability at times to truly perceive the scope of its effect on us
JeffreyBeaumont: i can imagine similar conversations with past rod stewart fans who never forgave him for torturing them by perverting his rock talents in american pop farce
JeffreyBeaumont: shorn of the "i lived through this" life experience, i can deftly hear 68-74 Rod and say, "Awesome!" and easily dismiss everything later, as if they were two different people
JeffreyBeaumont: someone though who grew up loving Rod, growing with him, could actually feel betrayed by his change
JeffreyBeaumont: even if, on some level, the signs were always there that the day would come at some point
JeffreyBeaumont: similar, though on a much lesser scale, is Modest Mouse with "Dashboard", which is shit though not actually despicable like, say, "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy"
jaychampionvinyl: it is a more complete refutation of what he was before than "Dashboard"
JeffreyBeaumont: yeah, "Dashboard" sucks because it's empty--whereas "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" feels like a betrayal to the true rock love of "Maggie Mae"
JeffreyBeaumont: more of a fizzle out vs. a fuck you to the past and the people who loved you
jaychampionvinyl: right, and at least a "fuck you" is sort of invigorating, even if in a negative way
jaychampionvinyl: it prompts indignation
JeffreyBeaumont: right which is why Tim hates Lisztomania so much
jaychampionvinyl: full circle!!!!

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And so, in light of this conversation, for anyone who's ever wondered what all the fuss is about Rod Stewart, I have decided to finally post my "Ultimate Rod" playlist, finished last summer after years of tinkering. Behold:

THE BEST OF ROD STEWART AND THE FACES, 1964-1975

as compiled with care by Jeffrey Beaumont

This compilation is a selection of songs covering Rod's first four solo albums on Mercury Records,the four Faces records, and a smattering of extras from the WONDERFUL four disc 2004 Faces box sec Five Guys Walk Into a Bar... and from elsewhere.

I have labored over a particular running order for these songs--by mood rather than chronology--and I think this mix gives a good flow with variation of ballads and rockers. And really, chronology hardly matters here, because although one track is from 1964 and another from 1975, everything else sticks to the high-powered bread-and-butter years of 1969-1973, a period during which Rod, Ron and Co. pumped out eight great records testifying their love of rock and roll and cementing their place in the great rock and roll pantheon***. It's all rock and roll, and that's all that matters. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

~~Eight~~ Nine Extended notes:

1. Track 1, "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl", is Stewart's first recorded vocals from '64, released as a single before he and Ron Wood got their big breaks singing for Jeff Beck Group on two albums in the 67-68.

2. In a never always up for debate way, "True Blue" might be my favorite Rod song of all time.

3. "It's All Over Now", written by Bobby Womack and first made famous by the Stones, is included in it's abbreviated "single edit". I recommend, however, tracking down the full version from Rod's second record Gasoline Alley, as well the version on the live Coast to Coast - Overture and Beginners record.

4. "Angel" was never really a Faces song as it appeared on Rod's fourth solo record, Never a Dull Moment. However, the artist labels of "Rod Stewart" or "The Faces", were often meaningless as the Faces regularly played on Rod's records and a handful of these "Faces" cuts are just Rod songs credited to Faces on post-band/live releases.

5. "Maggie Mae", as you may notice is included not its familiar form but as a full-band Faces version recorded live at the BBC. Its inclusion does not suggest that this version is in any way superior to the completely unfuckwithable original; HOWEVER, both you and I have heard that original a million times and this version has the benefit of being not just fresh, but also fiery and impassioned, and I think submit that it's worth your time. But if you somehow don't know the original, stand tall and swap it in.

6. Let we all be reminded that "Stay With Me" is a great rock song for the annals.

7. "You Can Make Me Sing" was actually credited to "Rod Stewart and the Faces" and is, I believe, the only single released in the post-Ronnie Lane version of Faces with Tetsuo on bass. Things were coming apart at the seams and the show is almost over, but I enjoy this fun albeit light track. Which is my way of saying that I might cut this one if i had to... but I don't, so I didn't.

8. The b-side "What Made Milwaukee Famous" is the closest Rod ever got to country and it makes me yearn for a curious sidebar with Gram Parsons that never happened.

UPDATE: 9. Ok, so a few caveats: I insisted upon keeping this mix at a length that fits on one cd--meaning under 79:59. This means, in distilling eight albums and countless extras down to one disc, that you leave off some faves, including "You Wear It Well," which was actually my first favorite Rod song. It saddens me to do that. But I dunno, it seemed to make sense to me. Also, of more understandable priority: I specifically excluded any non-Rod faces songs, which includes three of their best: "Ooo La La", "Last Orders Please" and "Glad and Proud". These songs have places in my heart above just about everything, but they aren't Rod songs, so they're not here. Sorry. Anyway...

And so....

Download mix (zip of separate mp3s):
The Best of Rod Stewart and The Faces, as compiled by Jeffrey Beaumont

NOTES:

***-- Silly aside: in summer 2002, I attempted to argue with Shrimp Cracker that Rod was more rock and roll than the Stones, and way more enjoyable to listen to. I can't say I'd stand by this claim anymore, but at the time I actually meant it.

Labels: loved sounds, mixes, mp3, music, old flames, ROD, thoughts

posted by Nihilist Loves Hate, Hates Everything at 4/13/2009 04:45:00 PM 3 comments

3 Comments:

jayson said...: This is a fucking fantastic mix, friend. Also rereading this conversation we had brings me to a point I hadn't realized when we were talking: you and I had the exact inverse reaction of Tim upon seeing Lisztomania. With the benefit of hindsight, we have always seen Roger Daltrey as a prancing show pony, and were therefore surprised that he had the guts and the inner weirdness to not only appear in but STAR in a film like Lisztomania. For Tim, it was the exact moment he realized Roger was full of shit.; 4/14/2009 10:18:00 AM
Nihilist Loves Hate, Hates Everything said...: Wow, yes--that is exactly correct. Excellent, excellent point. And precisely why people will continue discussing and debating art until it no longer exists.; 4/14/2009 10:23:00 AM
E-BAD said...: i have been asking for this for so long. thank you.; 4/14/2009 12:16:00 PM