In a statement on The Troggs’ website, Presley said:

Presley has fronted The Troggs since 1964, and achieved success with hits including “Wild Thing,” “With A Girl Like You,” “I Can’t Control Myself” and “Love Is All Around.”

“With A Girl Like You” – The Troggs

Best wishes to Reg Presley.

“Albatross” was released on single in January 1969, backed with “Jigsaw Puzzle Blues.” It would later appear on the albums “The Pious Bird of Good Omen” (UK) and “English Rose” (USA).

Fleetwood Mac had been founded by guitarist Peter Green in 1967 after leaving John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. Green recruited former Bluesbreakers Mick Fleetwood (drums) and John McVie (bass) and named the band Fleetwood Mac in reference to their two surnames. Also on board was Jeremy Spencer (guitar) and, several months later, the band’s third guitarist Danny Kirwan.

(Left to right) – Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Jeremy Spencer, Danny Kirwan & Peter Green

Peter Green had been working on “Albatross” for some time before recording it. He has said that the original idea was sparked by a guitar phrase that Eric Clapton played when he was with John Mayall. He has also cited Santo and Johnny’s excellent “Sleepwalk” instrumental as an inspiration. This makes good sense as, although there aren’t any real melodic similarities, the ambience is very similar, not least when the high pitched slide guitar parts kick in.

“The Pious Bird of Good Omen” album title refers to the Coleridge poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” so it’s a fair assumption that it was the albatross of the poem that was being referenced by Green when he titled the song. However, while Coleridge’s albatross has come to symbolise the struggle of carrying a psychological burden (an albatross around your neck), the mood created by Fleetwood Mac’s “Albatross” is anything but stifling or encumbering. Instead, there is a dreamy, hypnotic and comforting quality to the piece, with the cymbals and sliding guitar chords reminding the listener of rolling waves on a calm summer’s day by the sea.

Fleetwood Mac – “Albatross”

Authorship

“Albatross” was written by Peter Green.

Recording date/location

“Albatross” was recorded in October 1968 at CBS Studios, New Bond Street, London.

Musicians

The following musicians appeared on “Albatross”:

• Peter Green – guitar and bass guitar.
• Danny Kirwan – guitar
• John McVie – bass
• Mick Fleetwood – drums.

Danny Kirwan had only been with the band for a few weeks when he appeared on the “Albatross” recording. He penned the “Jigsaw Puzzle Blues” B-side, which was also an instrumental.

Band member, Jeremy Spencer, did not play on “Albatross.”

Chart performance

“Albatross” was a chart topping hit in the UK in February 1969, but didn’t even make the Hot 100 in the US.

The song peaked at number two on the UK singles chart when re-released in 1973.

Other notable versions

B-Tribe – “Albatross”

“Albatross” has not been widely covered, perhaps because the original makes such a definitive statement. B-Tribe did a good job with their 1995 cover though, which featured on the album “Suave Suave.” The song begins with an unexpected flamenco guitar, before the familiar rhythm kicks in, overlayed by acoustic guitar, strings and various synth effects. Like the original, the B-Tribe cover has a hypnotic effect.

There will be a new Song of the Week on January 30.

Fleetwood Mac’s “Albatross” is available on “The Best of Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac” and on the 4-CD box set “Peter Green – The Anthology.”

Title
The Best of Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
Peter Green – The Anthology (4 CDs)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now

The Who were originally The Detours, but changed their name to The Who in early 1964 after it emerged that there was already an American band called The Detours.

Under the influence of publicist and manager Pete Meaden, the band made a conscious effort to appeal to the Mod scene. Meaden also convinced the band to change their name to The High Numbers, which was a short-lived decision as The High Numbers one and only single (“Zoot Suit” b/w “I’m the Face”) was not a success. It was during an appearance as The High Numbers that the band was seen by the management team of Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, who were looking to make a film that would chart a band’s road to success. Lambert and Stamp decided that The High Numbers would fit the bill, but with the proviso that their name was changed back to The Who. A wise choice.

A big turning point for The Who came when Townshend’s home demo of “I Can’t Explain” was heard by American producer Shel Talmy, who had recently worked with the Kinks on their hard rock classic “You Really Got Me.” The demo was enough to convince Talmy of The Who’s potential and a deal with Brunswick Records followed shortly afterwards.

Townshend is on record as saying that the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” was a big influence when he was writing “I Can’t Explain,” so Talmy was a good fit to produce The Who’s early material, including “I Can’t Explain.” When interviewed by Richie Unterberger, Talmy wasn’t shy about highlighting the impact that he had on The Who’s early sound:

As important as Talmy’s influence was on the recording, plaudits must of course go to Pete Townshend for writing the song in the first place. In the 2007 documentary “Amazing Journey – The Story of The Who,” Roger Daltrey spoke of his admiration for Townshend’s songwriting on “I Can’t Explain”:

It’s very evident on “I Can’t Explain” that all the gigging had paid off and The Who were now a very tight band who were beginning to craft a very distinctive style. The addition of Keith Moon to the band in early 1964 had been an important factor in that regard, because his manic style supported and at times prompted John Entwistle’s wandering bass work and Townshend’s explosive guitar style. With Daltrey’s powerful and passionate vocals added to the mix, the band were a force to be reckoned with.

Rock critic, Dave Marsh, summed up The Who’s early musical prowess when in 1976 (Rolling Stone – October 7, 1976 edition) he reflected on the profound impact that “I Can’t Explain” had on him when first released:

The Who – “I Can’t Explain”

Authorship

“I Can’t Explain” was written by Pete Townshend.

Recording date/location

“I Can’t Explain” was recorded in November 1964 at IBC Studios, London, England.

Musicians

The following musicians played on “I Can’t Explain”:

• Roger Daltrey – lead vocals
• Pete Townshend – lead and rhythm 12-string guitar
• John Entwistle – bass guitar
• Keith Moon – drums
• Perry Ford – piano
• Jimmy Page – rhythm six-string guitar
• John Carter and Ken Lewis (The Ivy League) – backing vocals.

John Carter and Ken Lewis were busy session singers who would go on to have a hit with “Let’s Go To San Francisco” as The Flower Pot Men. They had been brought into the session by Shel Talmy, as explained by Roger Daltrey in a 1994 interview for Goldmine Magazine:

Despite Talmy’s reservations, the great lead guitar part was indeed played by Townshend on his 12-string Rickenbacker.

Future Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin guitar legend, Jimmy Page, was a popular session guitarist in this period and had previously worked on a Talmy-produced session with the Kinks.

Chart performance

“I Can’t Explain” peaked at number eight on the UK singles chart on April 17, 1965. It was less successful in the US, only reaching number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Covers

Oscar and the Majestics – “I Can’t Explain”

Oscar and the Majestics’ 1966 garage rock cover of “I Can’t Explain” is notable for Oscar Hamod’s use of fuzz tone guitar and the energetic drumming from Johnny Topa. This lacks the bite of the original, but it is a good recording.

The Scorpions – “I Can’t Explain”

German rockers, The Scorpions, recorded “I Can’t Explain” for the 1989 charity album “Stairway to Heaven/Highway to Hell” and it also appeared on their 1989 compilation “Best of Rockers ‘n’ Ballads.” The typical 1980s hard rock production gives this a beefier sound than the original and all concerned give a good performance. However, there is also a predictability about the execution in that it’s exactly how you would expect a late 1980s hard rock interpretation of the song to sound.

There will be a new Song of the Week on January 16.

“I Can’t Explain” is available on an expanded edition of The Who’s first album “My Generation” and a number of compilations, including last year’s “Greatest Hits.”

Title
The Who – My Generation deluxe (2 CDs)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
The Who – Greatest Hits (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now

Weston played with Fleetwood Mac from 1972 to 1973, replacing guitarist Danny Kirwin. His first studio work with the band was on the album “Penguin” where he played lead guitar, harmonica and banjo. He also wrote the instrumental “Caught in the Rain” and joined Christine McVie on vocals for “Did You Ever Love Me.”

Fleetwood Mac – “Caught in the Rain”

Weston also played some great lead guitar on the album “Mystery to Me,” and co-wrote the song “Forever” with John McVie and Bob Welch.

After leaving Fleetwood Mac, Weston recorded with many other artists, including Murray Head, Sandy Denny and Dick Morrisey. He also released the solo albums “Night Light” (1980), “Studio Picks” (1981) and “There’s a Heaven” (1999).

A message on Weston’s website from his friend Steve Fairhead reads:

Highlights for January include:

• “Elvis Country – Legacy Edition” – Jan 3
• a number of releases in the Original Album Classics series from the likes of Johnny Cash, Elvis, Journey, the Byrds, Bob Dylan and David Bowie – Jan 17
• the Doors’ “L.A. Woman – 40th Anniversary Edition” and “Mr. Mojo Risin’” DVD and Blu-ray releases – Jan 24
• Dion DiMucci’s “Tank Full of Blues” – Jan 24
• Leonard Cohen’s “Old Ideas” on CD and vinyl – Jan 31.

January

• 4 Jan – Gerry Rafferty (solo singer-songwriter and former member of the Humblebums and Stealers Wheel), age 63
• 4 Jan – Mick Karn (bassist with Japan), age 52
• 7 Jan – Phil Kennemore (bassist with Y&T), age 57
• 10 Jan – Pat Moran (record producer for Robert Plant and Iggy Pop), age 63
• 12 Jan – Tommy Crain (country rock guitarist and songwriter), age 59
• 13 Jan – Alex Kirst (former drummer with Iggy Pop), age 47
• 14 Jan – Trish Keenan (member of Broadcast), age 42
• 17 Jan – Don Kirshner (song publisher/producer), age 76
• 20 Jan – Margaret Whiting (pop and country singer), age 86
• 22 Jan – Bobby Poe (singer with 1950s rockabilly band Bobby Poe and the Poe Kats), age 77
• 26 Jan – Charlie Louvin (country singer), age 83
• 26 Jan – Gladys Horton (member of the Marvelettes), age 65
• 29 Jan – Bruce Jackson (audio engineer), age 61
• 29 Jan 11 – Milton Babbitt (composer), age 94
• 30 Jan – John Barry (Oscar-winning composer), age 77.

February

• 1 Feb – Doc Williams (bandleader and singer), age 96
• 6 Feb – Gary Moore (rock guitarist), age 58
• 14 Feb – George Shearing (jazz pianist), age 94
• 20 Feb – Harrell “Buddy” Jones (drummer), age 70
• 27 Feb – Eddie Kirkland (blues singer), age 88.

March

• 4 Mar – Johnny Preston (pop singer), age 71
• 8 Mar – Mike Star (bassist with Alice in Chains), age 44
• 9 Mar – Robert Marcucci (record company owner and songwriter), age 81
• 12 Mar – Joe Morello (jazz drummer), age 82
• 14 Mar – Todd Cerney (songwriter and musician), age 57
• 14 Mar – Ronnie Hammond (former lead singer for the Atlanta Rhythm Section), age 60
• 15 Mar – Nate Dogg (rapper), age 41
• 15 Mar – Melvin Sparks (soul and jazz guitarist), age 64
• 17 Mar – Ferlin Husky (country singer), age 85
• 18 Mar – Jet Harris (bassist with the Shadows), age 71
• 20 Mar – Joseph “Pinetop” Perkins (blues pianist), age 97
• 20 Mar – Ralph Mooney (steel guitar pioneer), age 82
• 21 Mar – Loleatta Holloway (soul/disco singer), age 64
• 30 Mar – Harley Allen (country music songwriter), age 55
• 31 Mar – Mel McDaniel (country singer), age 68.

April

• 5 Apr – Gil Gibbons (folk singer), age 80
• 9 Apr – Roger Nichols (Grammy-winning recording engineer), age 66
• 11 Apr – Lacy Gibson (Chicago blues guitarist), age 74
• 11 Apr – Billy Bang (jazz violinist and composer), age 63
• 22 Apr – Hazel Dickens (bluegrass singer-songwriter), age 75
• 25 Apr – Poly Styrene, aka Marianne Joan Elliott-Said (singer with punk band X-Ray Spex), age 53
• 26 Apr – Phoebe Snow (singer-songwriter), age 60
• 29 Apr – David Mason (classical musician who played the piccolo trumpet on “Penny Lane”), age 85.

May

• 3 May – Odell Brown (jazz organist and songwriter), age 70
• 7 May – John Walker (founding member of The Walker Brothers), age 67
• 8 May – Cornell Dupree (guitarist for Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin and more), age 69
• 9 May – Dolores Fuller (actress and songwriter), age 88
• 12 May – Lloyd Knibb (drummer for The Skatalites), age 80
• 13 May – Jack Richardson (record producer), age 81
• Bob Flanigan – (singer with the Four Freshmen), age 84
• 19 May – Kathy Kirby (pop singer and television host), age 72.

June

• 3 Jun – Andrew Gold (singer, musician and songwriter), age 59
• 4 Jun – Martin Rushent (record producer), aged 62
• 10 Jun – Kenny Hawkes (DJ and producer), age 42
• 10 Jun – Darryl Pandy (singer and producer), age 48
• 12 Jun – Carl Gardner (member of the Coasters), age 83
• 16 Jun – Larry Wayne Fischer, aka Wild Man Fischer (songwriter), age 66
• 18 Jun – Clarence Clemons (saxophonist with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band), age 69
• 30 Jun – Jimmy Roselli (pop singer), age 85.

July

• 7 Jul – Manuel Galbán (guitarist with Los Zafiros and Buena Vista Social Club), age 80
• 9 Jul – Michael “Würzel” Burston (former Motorhead guitarist), age 61
• 11 Jul – Rob Grill (singer and bassist with Grass Roots), age 67
• 23 Jul – Amy Winehouse (pop singer), age 27
• 24 Jul – Dan Peek (co-founder of America), age 60
• 25 Jul – Mike Reaves (former guitarist with Full Devil Jacket), age 52
• 26 Jul – Joe Arroyo (Columbian singer-songwriter), age 55
• 29 Jul – Gene McDaniels (singer-songwriter), age 76
• 31 Jul – Tom Garvin (pianist and composer), age 67.

August

• 4 Aug – Conrad Schnitzler (multi-instrumentalist and composer), age 74
• 6 Aug – Marshall Grant (bass player with Johnny Cash & the Tennessee Two), age 83
• 10 Aug – Billy Grammer (singer-guitarist), age 85
• 11 Aug – Jani Lane (former lead singer of Warrant), age 47
• 22 Aug – Nick Ashford (soul/R&B singer), age 70
• 22 Aug – Jerry Leiber (songwriter/producer), age 78
• 24 Aug – Frank DiLeo (music executive, actor and former manager of Michael Jackson), age 63
• 29 Aug – David “Honeyboy” Edwards (blues guitarist and singer), age 96.

September

• 13 Sep – Richard Hamilton (pop artist who designed “White Album” cover), age 89
• 16 Sep – Willie “Big Eyes” Smith (singer and harmonica player), age 75
• 21 Sep – John DuCann (guitarist), age 65
• 26 Sep – Harry “Cuby” Muskee (singer), age 70
• 26 Sep – Sylvia Robinson (singer-songwriter and owner of Sugar Hill Records), age 75.

October

• 1 Oct – David Bedford (composer, musician), age 74
• 5 Oct – Bert Jansch (folk guitarist), age 67
• 8 Oct – Roger Williams (pianist), age 87
• 8 Oct – Mikey Welsh (former Weezer bassist), age 40
• 12 Oct – Paul Leka (songwriter, producer and pianist), age 68
• 18 Oct – Bob Brunning (original Fleetwood Mac bassist), age 68
• 20 Oct – Barry Feinstein (rock photographer), aged 80
• 29 Oct – Sir Jimmy Savile (DJ and television presenter), age 84.

November

• 3 Nov – Cory Smoot, aka Flattus Maximus (Gwar guitarist), age 34
• 7 Nov – Andrea True (singer and actress), age 68
• 8 Nov – Heavy D (rapper), age 44
• 12 Nov – Doyle Bramhall (singer-songwriter and drummer), age 62
• 14 Nov – Lee Pockriss (songwriter), age 87
• 15 Nov – Mark “Moogy” Klingman (musician, songwriter and producer), age 61
• 23 Nov – Montserrat Figueras (soprano singer), age 69
• 25 Nov – Don DeVito (record producer), age 72
• 27 Nov – Sultan Khan (sarangi player and singer), age 71
• 28 Nov – Tom Roady (percussionist), age 62.

December

• 2 Dec – Howard Tate (soul singer and songwriter), age 72
• 4 Dec – Hubert Sumlin (blues guitarist), age 80
• 6 Dec – Dobie Gray (singer-songwriter), age 71
• 8 Dec – Dan “Bee” Spears (bass player for Willie Nelson), age 62
• 8 Dec – Dick Sims (keyboarist for Eric Clapton), age 60
• 14 Dec – Billie Jo Spears (country singer), age 74
• 18 Dec – Ralph MacDonald (percussionist and composer), age 67
• 21 Dec – Nilesh Patel, aka Nilz (mastering engineer), age 46
• 25 Dec – Jim Sherwood (saxophonist and singer for the Mothers of Invention), age 69
• 26 Dec – Sam Rivers (jazz musician and composer), age 88
• 28 Dec – Kaye Stevens (singer and actress), age 79.

The Dead Rock Star Club website offers a more extensive list of musicians we lost in 2011 and before.

The Christmas number one has long been regarded as a prestigious achievement in the UK, with some of the biggest artists competing for the honour. Over the years, the Christmas number one has been occupied by classic pop songs, fun seasonal offerings, best forgotten novelties and, in recent years, the debut singles of television talent show winners.

The Beatles hold the record for the most UK Christmas number ones with four, followed by Cliff Richard and the Spice Girls who both have three.

* – As established by the Official Charts Company, the official British singles chart is the New Musical Express chart from 1952 to 1960, the Record Retailer chart from 1960 to 1969, and the Official UK Singles Chart from 1969 on.

The 1950s

The first Christmas number one on the UK singles chart was Al Martino’s “Here in My Heart” which was at number one for nine weeks in 1952.

Pre-rock ‘n’ roll favourites Frankie Laine, Winifred Atwell and Johnny Ray all hit the top spot at Christmas after this, with the latter’s “Just Walkin’ in the Rain” staying on top for seven weeks.

The first rock ‘n’ roller to achieve a Christmas number one was Conway Twitty, with the classic “It’s Only Make Believe” in 1958.

Harry Belafonte’s “Mary’s Boy Child” and Dickie Valentine’s “Christmas Alphabet” were the only songs with a Christmas theme to reach number one at Christmas in the 1950s.

Harry Belafonte – “Mary’s Boy Child”

The 1960s

Although Cliff Richard and Christmas are linked in the public consciousness, his first Christmas number one was the chirpy love song “I Love You” which carried no seasonal theme. This trend continued throughout the decade, with none of the remaining Christmas number ones having anything to do with Christmas.

Elvis Presley recorded the best selling Christmas album of all time, but his only Christmas number one was the pop classic “Return to Sender.”

Each of the Beatles’ Christmas number ones were in the 1960s, starting with “I Want To Hold Your Hand” in 1963 and concluding with “Hello, Goodbye” in 1967.

The Beatles – “I Feel Fine”

Tom Jones’ “Green Green Grass of Home” occupied the top spot for Christmas 1966.

The 1970s

In contrast to the previous decade, the 1970s saw several Christmas-themed songs achieve the coveted Christmas number one, including the perennial favourite “Merry Xmas Everybody” by Slade, Mud’s “Lonely this Christmas,” Johnny Mathis’ “When a Child is Born” and “Boney M’s “Mary’s Boy Child.”

Slade – “Merry Xmas Everybody”

The novelty song tends to do well around Christmas time in the UK and the 1970s saw two examples reaching the Christmas number one – Benny Hill’s “Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West) and Jimmy Osmond’s “Long Haired Lover from Liverpool.”

The 1980s

The 1980s Christmas chart toppers are a real mixed bag, including the great synth pop song “Don’t You Want Me” by the Human League, a welcome vintage offering in the shape of Jackie Wilson’s “Reet Petite” and a handful of classic Christmas songs.

Band Aid’s “Do they Know It’s Christmas?” reaching the top spot in both its original incarnation and when re-recorded by a new batch of pop stars, including Cliff Richard who had the previous year’s Christmas number one with “Mistletoe and Wine.”

Cliff Richard – “Mistletoe And Wine”

The other seasonal offering to reach the top spot in the 1980s was Shakin’ Stevens’ very catchy and still popular “Merry Christmas Everyone.”

The 1990s

Cliff Richard’s third and final Christmas number one, “Saviour’s Day,” was the only Christmas-themed song to reach the top spot at Christmas in the 1990s.

Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” had already been a Christmas number one in 1975 and repeated the feat in 1991 (backed with “These Are the Days of Our Lives”) in the wake of Freddie Mercury’s untimely death.

The Spice Girls were the biggest thing in pop in the mid-late 1990s, as reflected by their hat-trick of Christmas number ones from 1996 to 1998.

Spice Girls – “2 Become 1″

The year before the Spice Girls’ period of dominance began, Michael Jackson achieved his first and only Christmas number one with “Earth Song.”

2000+

The Christmas number one spot has been dominated by reality tv show winners since 2002. The only exceptions have been Michael Andrews and Gary Jules’ “Mad World” and Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name,” with the latter only achieving the top spot as a result of a Facebook campaign to prevent the X-Factor winner hitting number one.

Robbie Williams was at his commercial peak when his duet with Nicole Kidman on the Sinatra classic “Somethin’ Stupid” reached number one for Christmas 2001.

Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman – Somethin’ Stupid”

It seldom fails, I’ll be riding down the road and “Maggie May” will come on the radio and I’ll just be arrested by those final phrases from Rod Stewart. “I’ll get on back home, one of these day-aaays” and that glorious final falsetto howl. “Wooo hoo hooh.” My spine will tingle a bit and I’ll think “Man, that guy used to be a really terrific singer.” Then the old hand wringing will come out, “too bad he didn’t keep it up” or some such. I’m probably not alone in that feeling. The idea that Stewart was one of the people who had it and then lost it is close to pop consensus. It’s almost the Elvis after the army of the next generation. Maybe there’s not a clear demarcation like there was there, but many listeners believe that Rod Stewart at some point, relatively early on, lost “it” in a bid for mainstream stardom, and never quite got “it” back.

After the early 1970s, “hip” and Rod Stewart have never fit. He was one of the figures who most incurred the scorn of the original punks for his flash and relative musical conventionality. As Entertainment Weekly once pointed out, he is the only performer to lose his chapter in the Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock n’ Roll. It’s as if the editors tried to rewrite their own history, ashamed that they had once singled out a performer who later proved unworthy of such a spotlight. Having some occasion to listen to some Stewart lately, it’s become clear to me that this assessment is very harsh and unfair. Even sticking primarily to the hit singles, it appears evident, to these ears at least, that he was good or great a lot more than we gave him credit for at the time. In fact, you can just pop in at any point in his career and pull out at least a few gems. When you add it all up, instead of a career of disappointment you find one of the more enjoyable bodies of work played out in the pop Top 40.

Generally, the story is that at Mercury, alone and with the Faces, he was beyond reproach with masterful originals like “Maggie May,” “Gasoline Alley,” “Stay With Me,” “Every Picture Tells a Story,” and “You Wear it Well,” along with insightful, passionate and daring reconstructions of songs like Tim Hardin’s “Reason to Believe,” Jimi Hendrix’s “Angel,” and the Temptation’s “I Know (I’m Losing You).”

Stewart’s 1971 LP “Every Picture Tells a Story” is widely and justly considered one of the finest full length LP statements in rock and roll history. In a year that produced classics like “Who’s Next,” “Sticky Fingers,” “What’s Goin’ On,” “Led Zeppelin IV” and at least a half dozen other certified classics, “Picture” might be the best of them all. This is not something I have any desire to dispute.

The interpretative gift Stewart displays on these recordings is one of the most singular in all of rock ‘n’ soul and still contains surprises and rewards four decades later.

Stewart was successful at Mercury. Both “Maggie May” the single, and the Every Picture LP were chart toppers. It was at artist friendly Warner Brothers, though, where he became a superstar. This is where the story starts the move downwards for many critics and fans. Part of it was that Stewart had split with the Faces. He had always pursued a solo career along with his work with the group and tracks like “Maggie” were done as Stewart solo numbers. The well publicized break, though, made Stewart seems selfish and egotistical to some. And for the rock critic hordes, a singer in a band was much hipper than a soloist.

Rod Stewart – “Maggie May”

As writer Fred Bronson pointed out, another well publicized move further pushed Stewart away from hipness: His move to L.A. and full hearted embrace of popular success. It is no coincidence that the Stewart that is most reviled is the Stewart that is most popular. Love them or hate them songs like “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright),” “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy,” “Passion,” “Young Turks” and the dozen other or so hits that made Rod Stewart not merely popular but a pop institution captured a broad swath of the public’s interest, including many who don’t usually buy music. Many of those songs meant something to many of those people. Since this is an audience that is not often heard in print, particularly about pop music, that fact is often ignored or downright belittled. Stewart’s ascension to superstar status came at almost the exact moment when critics devalued mainstream success in favor of the perceived greater challenge of artists on the margins.

The third and arguably most decisive factor in Stewart’s plummet from the critical heights, and the mainstream condemnation that retroactively came with it, was the persona he pursued at his second label. Rather than continue with the type of earthy folk-influenced rock that he had perfected at Mercury, on Warner Brothers Stewart became the personification of the late-night, sophisticated seducer. At the time, the move was seen as strictly cynical. In retrospect, it seems a natural progression. He was no longer the naïve young boy taken advantage of by an older woman; he was now himself a man of sexual experience and that experience came out in his music. More importantly, though, Stewart’s heart of hearts was in R&B music, much more than rock ‘n’ roll, and in the mid-1970s this was the direction of R&B. In that time R&B performers of all stripes including veterans like Johnnie Taylor, relative newcomers to the field like Barry White and Stewart idols like Marvin Gaye, were exploring the music’s potential as an aide to and chronicle of adult bedroom activities. Of course, sex was always a large part of the rock ‘n’ roll experience, but Stewart drifted away from the force and frustration that defined that style towards the seductive intimacy that defined the then new R&B. The smooth sax solo at the center of “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” underlines the song’s roots in R&B soul, as does the participation of Memphis legends Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn.

Tracks like Gaye’s “After the Dance,” “I Want You,” several of White’s singles, Donna Summer’s “Love to Love You Baby” and Stewart’s “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” helped expand the concept of what could be played on pop Top 40 radio, although they seldom received credit for it. There’s no way Rhianna’s singing about “whips and chains” on Top 40 without them. Arguably, “Tonight’s the Night” as a #1 pop hit for two solid months was the most influential of all them because it was one of those songs that impacted people who didn’t normally listen to the radio. It helped open minds because it wasn’t just preaching to the converted.

Rod Stewart – “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)”

Given the gentle but insistent assurance of Stewart’s vocals, even many critics were swayed by the record’s charms. But that was about it. “Tonight’s the Night” was a bad model for an artist who had sold out to mainstream success. Most of the remainder of Stewart’s catalogue is seen as self-parodying attempts to recapture that record’s potency or sell out professionalism.

There’s some truth there. Success breeds imitation and often creates artistic conservatism. It’s hard to hear “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy” today and not cringe (although how much of that cringing comes from the tons of lounge lizards and shower singers who’ve mauled the song over the years without an appreciation of Stewart’s sense of irony and observation is up for debate). And it’s hard to recall a song like “Love Touch,” a 1986 Top Ten, seconds after you’ve heard it. Sometimes it’s hard not to want to strangle Stewart for wasting his talent on a blatant piece of boomer pandering such as “The Motown Song” or allowing his producers to destroy the delicacy of a promising piece like “Rhythm of my Heart” with sledge hammer production when the tune screams for delicacy. And listening to selections from his standards albums, it’s hard not to think he’s lost the plot with his well meaning but bland interpretations of the Great American Songbook.

To focus on those missteps, though, is to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Looking back, we can see an artist who delivered far more than he failed. From 1976 on, we don’t have to look very hard to find that genius who gave us “Maggie May.” In retrospect, it’s easy to see that he was with us a lot more than we thought.

From the start it was evident. “A Night on the Town,” the album that gave us “Tonight’s the Night,” was an LP of deep pleasures, not the least of which were the follow up hit singles “The First Cut is the Deepest” and “The Killing of Georgie Part I and II.” The latter track, a six minute plus self-penned opus about a gay friend of Stewart’s who was killed, is especially worth remembering. It is one of the first mainstream pop pieces to address the humanity of gays. In doing it Stewart risked the ire of a mainstream audience that had still not adjusted to the idea that homosexuality was not a sin. The record itself was a passionately sung, improvisational piece in the great talking blues/folk tradition. It was definitely up there with his best Mercury work. The rest of the album largely maintained that standard with strong originals like “Fool for You” and inspired remakes like “First Cut” and a beautiful “Pretty Flamingo.” It wasn’t Every Picture, but it was a lot closer than you would guess.

With 1978′s “You’re in My Heart (the Final Acclaim),” Stewart did with love ballads what he did for seduction songs with “Tonight’s the Night.” The self-penned number was one of the best written love songs of its era with a gentle ingratiating melody that oh so subtly soared on the chorus and a lyric that was alternately witty and self-deprecating (“You’re an essay in glamour/Please pardon the grammar”), observant (“Breezing through the clientele/spinning yarns that were so lyrical/I must confess right here/the attraction was purely was purely physical”) and beautifully sentimental (“You’re ageless, timeless, lace and fineness/You’re beauty and elegance”). In some moments, it was all those things at once – “A big bosom lady with a Dutch accent/who tried to change my point of view/Her ad-libbed lines were well rehearsed/But my heart cried out for you.”

The record was also blessed with a versatile, genre defying production by Tom Dowd that set Stewart’s vocal aside, in different parts of the record, to an acoustic guitar, an electric rock guitar, strings, and a Beach Boys’ type latter day doo wop backing vocals. Stewart the vocalist did not let either Dowd or himself down. “You’re in My Heart” features some of his most finely calibrated singing. On the line “I said ‘hello’ unnoticed,” he breaks the word “hello” in two, emphasizing both syllables, a gesture that underlines how much this individual greeting meant in his life. You can feel him conjuring the memory.

Rod Stewart – “You’re in My Heart (the Final Acclaim)”

On the chorus of the song he takes a pause before the word “soul” to make that word stand out. And when he does sing it, that one word has the feel of a paragraph. In a moment like this, he’s not only as good as that singer on “Maggie May,” he’s arguably better.

Although, it was one of the best mainstream records of the late 1970s, it has largely been taken for granted – ballad junk, a wedding song. That so many people have taken it as an anthem for one of the most important moments in their lives has seemed to wash over many critics. There are a lot of sentimental records, but few of them hit like this one.

As if to prove he was not locked into the love man persona, the same year’s “Hot Legs” was one of Stewart’s toughest records. Some critics have complained it’s too much, but it would be willful to argue that it’s not as tough, or aggressively sexual as the best Rolling Stones’ records of the era.

And so it continued. Although sometimes he would strike out, most years you could turn on the radio and there would be a good Rod Stewart record. There were things like the heavily synthesized short story “Young Turks,” a record whose slickness could not dissipate the passion and inventiveness of Stewart’s singing. “Time, time, time, time is on your side.”

The year 1984 provided two of his best in “Infatuation” and “Some Guys Have All the Luck.” The former was a dark piece of pop paranoia with a terrific guitar solo by Jeff Beck and one of Stewart’s most intensely rhythmic non-melodic vocals. In different measures, he creates a legitimate and disturbing sense of paranoia, and a sense of the absurd. Sometimes our lives are that way. They’d be funny if we weren’t living them. The latter with its seamless musical confidence next to an unsettling display of male vulnerability recalled Elvis Presley’s hits of the early 1960s. Buoyed by arguably the best production of Michael Omartian’s career, it easily outpaced the Persuaders’ Spinners-wannabe original. That source though again reaffirmed Stewart’s commitment to and passion for R&B.

Rod Stewart – “Infatuation”

The same could be said for his much maligned disco records. Disco was where the style was headed in the late 1970s and Rod was willing to follow it. And in retrospect, many of those records are better than we remembered them. “Even the president needs passion,” he extols at the climax of “Passion.” We were fools to miss such an obvious wink. Riding that irresistible groove, he knows this is all supposed to be fun. Could we have taken ourselves so seriously that we didn’t understand that? It’s a shame if that’s the case because “Passion” is one delicious cheap thrill.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s Stewart seemed determined to win back some of the cultural respect he had lost in the disco and post disco era. As a result, some of his vocals in the era are fine but too careful, too respectful. It was as if by showing some restraint, he could remind us that he was once a serious artist.

Even here, though, his talent was too strong to be swept away. One of the best examples of this was his great 1993 unplugged concert on MTV. His version of Van Morrison’s “Have I Told You Lately” became a huge and deserved Top Five hit. Morrison is a very difficult artist to cover because he himself is vocally capable of displays of unreserved passion and his lyrics often contain a fierce but often muddled spirituality that only the composer can adequately deliver. Stewart, though, without radically changing the song’s melody, lyrics or arrangement, is able to take the song as his own. In the song’s final moments, the singer is able to capture a true to life emotionality that is supposed to be the essence of the best of pop music, although few performers ever go that far. He spreads the lines out, singing each deliberately, barely even singing at times, just kind of melodically speaking. When he gets to the final line, it almost seems as if he is in tears of joy. “You fill my- heart- with gladness.” He almost chokes on the word “heart.” Never has the legendary Stewart rasp drawn forth such meaning. “Ease my troubles that’s, that’s… what you do.” The pauses and the repetition portray a person just discovering his feelings and the miracle of being able to place those feelings into words. Hearing it, you can almost find those moments in yourself; you’re able to recall that special memory that you want to hold on to. More than that, you’re able to summon once more the feeling you held then in its full force. Isn’t that what great art is supposed to do, elevate your feelings and insights into your life and the world at large? And this performance is as close to a true work of art as any in its era.

Rod Stewart – “Have I Told You Lately”

Stewart was not done as a popular sensation or as an artist. In 1994 he scored one last number one with a self-congratulatory team up with Sting and Bryan Adams. For the Stewart haters, it was just another example of how he’d gone wrong. A smaller hit, 1998′s “Ooh La La,” a remake of a Stewart/Faces’ original, told a different story. Despite barely making the Top 40 it grabbed hold in the wider culture (to the point of serving as hook for a famous television commercial) and showed that the journey through adulthood and into middle and eventually old age was not without rewards.

The last decade or so has been filled with his series of albums based upon the Great American Songbook. They’ve been a popular, albeit unsatisfying, product. Stewart’s sandpaper voice and delivery are ill suited to Tin Pan Alley material. He compensates with a touch so soft that his distinct personality is almost completely wiped away when he sings these songs. As hard as they are to like though, they are easy to respect. Stewart’s a great singer and it is only natural that a great singer would want to try his hand at some of the greatest tunes ever written. In its way, it’s an extension of the public rehabilitation project upon which he’s been embroiled these past 20 odd years. Only a curmudgeon would begrudge him this last shot at respectability, even if it’s only his own personal estimation that he’s improving.

Like “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy,” the standards albums have found a large audience. For some people even today Rod Stewart still delivers. For the rest of us, there’s hope, a realization and appreciation. There’s hope that, just as he’s done before, he could find that great singer again and deliver yet another of those spine tingling moments. There’s the realization that he’s given us more than we’d ever thought he did. He was often much better than our opinion of him, even if we didn’t always know it then. And there’s an appreciation for the joy he often made for us in listening to the radio. Maybe if it’s a joy that should have been there, if we weren’t caught up in our preconceptions and aspirations to hipness to hear the best of what he has doing. But even if we were, there’s nothing to stop us from enjoying it now. The glorious sublimity that the singer found all those decades ago in “Maggie May” was there all along in bits and pieces spread across a frustrating but ultimately rewarding career. “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright),” “You’re in My Heart (the Final Acclaim),” “Have I Told You Lately,” “Young Turks,” “The First Cut is the Deepest,” “Infatuation.” This guy did not lose “it.”

Most of the songs discussed in this article are available on “The Definitive Rod Stewart” which is available in standard (2-CD) and deluxe (2CD/DVD) editions. The DVD features 14 music videos.

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The Small Faces/the Faces, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Guns ‘N Roses will be among the 2012 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next spring.

The full list of inductees in the Performance category is as follows:

• The Small Faces/The Faces
• Donovan
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Guns ‘N Roses
• Beastie Boys
• Laura Nyro

Donovan, the Beastie Boys and Laura Nyro make it in after missing out in last year’s nomination process.

Faces member, Rod Stewart, has welcomed the induction news:

A Guns ‘N Roses reunion is likely to be far more complicated. The band’s former drummer, Steven Adler, told Rolling Stone that he wants the band to reunite, but doesn’t think it will happen due to the rift between Axl Rose and Slash.

Guitarist Freddie King will be inducted in the Early Influence category. Guitarists who have acknowledged their debt to King include Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana and Peter Green.

The Award for Musical Excellence (previously the sideman category) goes to Cosino Matassa, Glyn Johns and Tom Dowd. Matassa recorded artists such as Fats Domino, Little Richard and Lloyd Price at his J&M Recording Studios in New Orleans. As an engineeer/producer, Glyn Johns worked with some of the biggest names in popular music, including the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Kinks, the Eagles and the Clash. Tom Dowd was a physicist who turned his hand to engineering and occasionally producing music for Atlantic Records. Dowd worked with great names such as Ray Charles, Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding.

The annual Ahmet Ertegun Award for influential record executives will go to Don Kirshner who was a highly successful music publisher, producer, record company owner and television host/producer. Kirshner was instrumental in kick starting the careers of Bobby Darin, Neil Diamond, the Monkees, Carole King and many more.

The following artists were on the final ballot but missed out this year:

• The Cure
• Eric B. & Rakim
• Heart
• Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
• Rufus with Chaka Khan
• The Spinners
• Donna Summer
• War.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2012 induction ceremony will take place on April 14, 2012 in Cleveland and premiere on HBO in early May.

The Rolling Stones have opened their archives to fans with the launch of a new website – www.StonesArchive.com.

The site includes unheard music, unseen photographs and films, and rare merchandise.

The band celebrate the launch of the site with the release on download of “The Brussels Affair,” which features a legendary 1973 concert recorded at the Forest National in Belgium. The show has previously been released on a number of bootlegs, but is now available from the original multi-track masters. The download is only available to those outside the US, but it can be purchased via Google Music in the US.

For those who want to see the band on stage in their prime, next week sees the release of “The Rolling Stones: Some Girls Live In Texas ’78″ on DVD and Blu-ray. Also out next week are deluxe and super deluxe reissues of the Rolling Stones’ classic 1978 album “Some Girls.”

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