ROD STEWART/AN OLD RAINCOAT WON'T EVER LET YOU DOWN VO 4 (-70) UK

For more on early Rod Stewart and my relation to what he did at the time please check post on his second solo album "Gasoline Alley" - https://monolover.blogspot.com/2019/05/rod-stewartgasoline-alley-6360-500-70-uk.html . I wasn't and still isn't very thrilled by that. I prefer the dirtier rougher Rod and there isn't enough of him there. But this is more down my alley. Including Micky Waller (Steampacket, Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Jeff Beck Group) on drums, Ron Wood on bass and guitar and Ian McLagan (Small Faces and Faces) on keyboards. Released at about the same time as The Faces debute "First Step" it sounds a lot like a very good Faces album and to my taste even better listening than the band billed debute. Splendid dirty rock with lots of real emotions sipping through - e.g. "Blind Payer", "Cindy's Lament" and title track - coupled with some beautful ballads - "Dirty Old Town", "Man Of Constant Sorrow" and especially the Mike D'Abo penned and arranged "Handbags And Gladrags, on which D'Abo also plays piano. I don't think the "Street Fighting Man" cover reach up to the Stones own version, but good enough in its own way. A great album indeed and to me way more important than anything his bleached avatar made world-wide success with seven years later. Issued and reissued on every possible format all over the world through the years. First US and Canadian as "The Rod Stewart Album" on Mercury (SR 61237) had totally different sleeve design. Premiere UK press carried a large swirl on B-side label. This copy has the smaller one so I guess it's from 1971-72. It came in a matt fold/out cover. (WLÖ*) (SXÅH*)