ROD STEWART

The Studio Albums 1975-2001

WARNER BROTHERS 7/10

A quarter century captured on 14 long-players

The initial thinking behind Stewart’s move from Mercury to Warners was to bring his solo career under the same corporate umbrella as the Faces, but as it transpired the band fell apart with ink barely dry on the new contract. The change of paymasters also signalled a shift in his operational base from London to Los Angeles, as chronicled with great fanfare by the soulful AOR of Atlantic Crossing (Tom Dowd production, Arif Mardin string arrangements, Booker T & The MG’S along for the ride). The subsequent, broader picture of his next 25 years at the label might seem to be one of diminishing returns, first truly evident on the cartoonish misogyny and late-to-the-party disco hues of Blondes Have More Fun and Foolish Behaviour,

but there were intermittent spikes in quality along the way. The Tom Waits, Van Morrison and Robbie Robertson covers on Vagabond Heart (1991) served his maturing, mellowing voice well, while hitching a ride on familiar songs by Oasis and Primal Scream plus pub-rock figureheads Nick Lowe and Graham Parker on 1998’s When We Were The New Boys (not to mention revisiting Faces favourite “Ooh La La”) brought him a modicum of renewed cred, albeit temporarily.

Extras: None.