Day 3814 - Rod Stewart's "Gasoline Alley" Album Jacket Inside - 10.29.21

Today on the 1001 list we listened to Rod Stewart's "Gasoline Alley."  This is the inside of the album jacket.  This is what I wrote about the album to my friends.

I really love this period in Rod Stewart's career. The work with Jeff Beck and the Faces and his solo work was all top notch. When I was young, my introduction to Rod Stewart was unfortunately during the "Do You Think i"m Sexy" period and I kind of thought he was a cheese ball joke. So it wasn't until many years later when I started collecting records that I stepped back in his catalog and became a fan. This is Rod's second solo album. HIs first record is okay, but this is where I think things really settled in. I think this record and his next three albums are all great. The albums after that have their moments for sure, and I am actually a fan of his Great American songbook albums from the early 2000s. "Gasoline Alley" is a solid opener penned by Rod and Ronnie Wood, but to me things really get great with "Its All Over Now" which is probably my favorite track on the album. Next is "Only A Hobo" and I gotta love a song with "Hobo" in the title. "My Way Of Giving" is another super solid track. I love the opening with the organ and the drums. It settles into a good groove. Side to starts with an Elton John and Bernie Taupin composition "Country Comforts" which starts off with a nice piano piece and reminds me of "Handbags And Gladrags" which is on Rod' debut record and is an absolute classic. This song feels like he was trying to capture some of that same vibe and magic. "Cut Across Shorty" sounds like it could be an Fleetwood Mac song at the beginning. By that I mean the band sounds like Fleetwood Mac, because Rod's vocal of course doesn't sound anything like Fleetwood Mac. "Lady Day" is good, but not great. This one is one that Rod wrote. "Jo's Lament" is another more subdued number by Rod. I like this one more than "Lady Day" and has a nice folk rock feel to it. The melody kind of reminds me of "Knoxville Girl" which we heard the Louvin Brothers do way back at the start of this challenge. The album closes out with "You're My Girl (I Don't Want To Discuss It)" which is kind of a blues number, but it leans more toward funk, especially with that bass line. If I were to point someone to a deep cut on this album that I think may be kind of a discovery or revelation, I think I might point them to this song. It just sounds surprising and different than everything else and in a very good way.
 

So that was something I saw today.