ROD STEWART/GASOLINE ALLEY 6360 500 (-70) UK

Late sixties and early seventies were turbulent times for us who'd already adjusted to the sixties pop and rock world and liked to keep track. Idols passed away, bands disintegrated, new genres started to emerge and we got the "supergroup" concept where members from different bands met and formed new constellations. This was Stewart's second solo album and the first by him I bought back then. He wasn't very famous here at the time. Only thing we knew about him was he'd contributed vocals to two Jeff Beck LP:s and also the lead singer on the first Faces album, which had shown up in the shops just months before this. As most backing here is provided by then Faces members it would be easy to forget the solo billing, just percieve it as a Faces album and be done with it. But digging a little deeper it can also be seen as supergroup effort since allmost everything is performed by a composite of earlier members from the then just split Small Faces and thoroughly reformed Jeff Beck Group. Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Ian McLagan from the former and Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood and Mick Waller from the latter. Let be Mick Waller only played on "Truth" and McLagan is noted as invited but absent on the UK issue, but credited keybordist on others - the summary still works. That said...to my ears it most of all sounds like a Faces album and as such not as enjoyable as "Long Player" or "A Nod...". Maybe it's just me, but though very well sung and performed it's too tame for my ears. I like that he's doing a cover of Small Faces "My Way Of Giving", title track is very catchy and the "Cut Across Shorty" version has zest, but I'm not all in with the rest. I prefer the rougher Rod and there's not enough of him here. Issued and reissued on every possible format all over the world through the years. First US and Canadian (Mercury SR-61264) came with alternate sleeve design. German 1990 CD on Repertoire Records (RR 4104-WP) had single version of "It's All Over Now" as bonus track. Premiere UK had labels as shown here and heavily structured fold/out cover with dated swirl inner. (SXÅH*) (WLÖ*)