The period 1969-1974 is for some the era when Rock peaked. An incredibly fertile period, featuring genres such as glam, singer/songwriter, Californian country rock, Southern rock, jam band, hard rock and progressive, it saw many artists come out from under the long shadow of the Beatles and the 60s and, inspired by the Fab Four, reach their primes. Artists like Elton John, Led Zep, Cat Stevens, The Grateful Dead, James Taylor, David Bowie, and not least the Rolling Stones hit amazing strides and levels of artistry, ambition, and creativity. This was the time when artists were still forced by the very nature of the biz to be prolific--albums were due preferably twice a year. The pressure was intense but for the best of the best, it spurred them to new heights.

Rod Stewart was no exception. Starting out in the mid-60s in various soul/rnb/blues outfits, Rod The Mod was a "face" about the scene, just under the star radar but already known as much for his raspy vocals as his stylish clothes and hair. When he hooked up in 1967 with guitar wizard Jeff Beck, he couldn't have known that the two hard-rocking bluesy albums they made together with Ron Wood on bass and Mick Waller on drums would be considered important milestones in the history of hard rock.

But Rod was more than just a blues, soul, or hard rock singer, more than just a sidekick to a gifted guitarist. He was also an artist with a capital A and it would be the 5 albums he made for Mercury between 1969-1974 that would reveal his true talents. This set brings together for the first time all the solo material he made for Mercury, including the 5 solo albums and various B-sides and other rare tracks. The result is a goldmine of amazing music showcasing a diverse talent who could not only interpret and arrange other's music ingeniously, but could also write timeless original music as well. Folk, blues, rnb/soul, Celtic, pub rock, harder rock- it's all here. Never has Rod's voice sounded so special, so rich, so in control. The seamlessness of the originals and non-originals in this set is a credit to the man who some say would never reach these peaks of creativity again, having eventually succumbed as many artists have to the temptations and distractions of fame, image, money, lovers, and parties, and the natural process of aging that effects us all.

Gathering together his drinking buddies and partners-in-crime from both the Jeff Beck group and the parallel universe of this period that was the Faces (Wood, Waller, Kenny Jones, Martin Quittenton, Ian McLagen and others), Rod created an original, earthy sound, singing close to the mic, producing or co-producing with Lou Reizner. The remastering is sensational, the intimacy palpable.

The first two excellent albums (The Rod Stewart Album and Gasoline Alley) show an artist already sure of the sound and arrangements he wants. The next two shot Rod into the realm of superstardom- Every Picture Tells A Story and Never A Dull Moment remain sensational records in all ways. Smiler offers good music but seems to suffer from various excesses and incertainties- an artist moving perhaps too fast, burning the candle at both ends, tiring of the dual life of solo and leader of the Faces, and running dry on inspiring new material. Trying to find a new direction. It struggles to satisfy, offering generic rockers, covers, and uncomfortable strings. But it still isn't a bad album! The B-sides and rarities are on a whole excellent and add to the set.

Rod would soon move to America, change band members, change record companies, become a Hollywood jetsetter, and mutate into a cash cow hit machine/concert attraction/sex symbol to the point of parody. Sure he would have some good songs after 1974- many of his hits remain guilty pleasures- but it was the Mercury period that marked Rod as an Artist Par Excellence, on level with the best in the album rock biz of the time.

Get this box, it is truly a collection to be cherished. And for an important compliment, showcasing his other persona of the period- the boozy lad- get the best of Faces too!

A great set with sensible programming, beautifully crisp sound, and a price that vastly beats buying the individual albums CD-by-CD. I like the decision to present the original albums in their proper running order : disc 1 is "The Rod Stewart Album" and "Gasoline Alley", disc 2 is "Every Picture Tells a Story" and "Never a Dull Moment", disc 3 is (after "Pinball Wizard" from the LSO Tommy album) "Smiler" followed by non-LP tracks. Most of those LPs were sequenced with great care and effect and this set preserves their integrity. Stewart in those days was a great interpretive singer with folkish leanings and excellent taste in selecting and assembling his albums. This is an essential addition to any classic rock collection.

Awesome to finally see all of these albums compiled into one box set plus some bonus tracks. I recommend going for the complete Early Rod experience and buying the following:
- This box set
- Faces - five guys walk into a bar...box set
- Faces - A Nod is as good as a wink...
- Jeff Beck - Truth & Beck Ola
- Ron Wood - I've got my own album to do

Can't go wrong

Universal Chronicles presents "Reason To Believe:The Complete Mercury Studio Recordings" (Rod Stewart), a gathering of five albums plus bonus tracks---from 1969 - 1974, all of the distinction of being remastered for our listening pleasure. Fell hopelessly under the spell at once with the crisp sound of CD technology---Stewarts raspy voice and the lively, intelligent and uncontrollable catchy lyrics of his songs. He has taken folk, bluegrass, R&B, rock and blues sounds of acoustic guitars and adding mandolins and electric instruments to create a unique sound. Mr. Stewart sings them in that signature whiskey-soaked voice, many have become a staple in his repertoire. His unique flare for composing, arranging and producing is second to none. An example of this is the 56 studio recordings is considered some of his best, if not his best work. So sit back and have an enjoyable listen to this three-cd-set of the "Ultimate" in the illustrious career of one of the legends in music today.

Let's see what stand outs there are ~ "MAGGIE MAY", a classic Stewart rendition ~ "REASON TO BELIEVE", the title tune ~ "YOU WEAR IT WELL", tells it like it is ~ "ANGEL", the big Jimi Hendrix hit ~ "TWISTIN' THE NIGHT AWAY", great arrangement and Stewart's having a ball with the Sam Cooke hit ~ "SWEET LITTLE ROCK 'N' ROLLER", has the St. Louis Chuck Berry beat, and the old rockers style to match. Maybe these recollections simply demonstrate his early days when talent surfaced with signature style on the Mercury label, but I've never heard anything quite like them all under one roof in this fabulous collection---.and certainly never expected clever song lyrics mixed so well from this intelligent popular recording icon Rod Stewart---this is a must have, a keeper for your every growing music collection---you gotta love it!

Total Time: 3 hours & then some ~ Island Def Jam Music 440-063-422-2 ~ (2002)

Mercury packages and repackages songs from Rod's first five albums all the time, usually with little regard for the selections--and they normally come out when he is releasing a new CD (on another label). This set however, is different. This one makes sense, is well packaged and even contains bonus tracks. And at $28 (or so), it's actually a bargain. If you are looking back and want to know about early solo Rod Stewart, this is all you need--it contains his first five solo CDs plus a few singles. Great Stuff. Rod's career went up and down and up and down after this but this is consistently great music. Even the much harassed at the time SMILER sounds good today. Highly recommended.