Atlantic Crossing was Rod Stewart's first release on the Warner Brothers labeland he recorded most of it at the famous Muscle Schoals Studio in Alabama. The album has a gritty, R&B edge, but is balanced out nicely by some ballads. "Three Time Loser", "Alright For Another" & "Stone Cold Sober" has a delta blues sound to them, while his cover of Dobie Gray's "Drift Away" has a Stax Records vibe. He does his original take on The Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart Of Mine" here and he does a heartbreakingly beautiful rendition of Danny Whitten of Crazy Horse's "I Don't Want To Talk About It". "Sailing" was not a hit in America, but was absolutely humongous in the UK. It is his biggest hit by far over there. Atlantic Crossing was a nice bounce back after the disappointing Smiler and a great start to his warner Brothers career.

Stewart's first recording for Warner Brothers, this set is satisfying but no match to his finest Mercury output (most notably "Every Picture Tells A Story").

That said, for those who bought the original CD (which was extremely hissy and flat), this remastering is a *revelation*! 24-bit audio (not listed on the outside of the packaging) and a very obvious attention to detail make the upgrade a no-brainer (the other Stewart remasters are similarly striking).

Hear Rod's Muscle Shoals effort like you've never heard it before. Musically, it's above par. Sonically, it's never been better.

The title refers to Stewart's abandonment of England for the USA, and the music followed suit. Produced by Tom Dowd and backed by a number of Muscle Shoals musicians, Stewart moved to a more polished pop sound, yet maintained much of the energy found in his earlier recordings.

The song selection is well matched to Stewart's emotional, raspy voice, including several bluesy originals ("Three Time Loser" "Stone Cold Sober") and a host of well done covers ("Drift Away" "I Don't Want to Talk About It" "Sailing").

A surprisingly touching LP that still plays very well.

When taken as a whole, this probably is the best recording that Rod did for Warner. Personally, I think all of the albums have their moments, but this one stands out a bit more as a completely solid effort.
For starters, who can resist the catchy surrender of "Three Time Loser"; the classic rock & roll of "Stone Cold Sober", and Rod's soothing version of "Drift Away"(even if it is an incredibly overplayed song).
Then there's the slow half...
"I Don't Want To Talk About It" features one of the most convincing vocals ever.. Then when you listen to the next track, "It's Not The Spotlight", it's confirmed that almost no one can bring home the emotion of a sad song like Rod. For someone who supposedly never had his heart broken(until recent years), Rod certainly does a good job of convincing us otherwise..
The album closes with "Sailing", another heartfelt track, that expresses a certain amount of desperation..
There were no big U.S. hits here, but Rod's version of "I Don't Want To Talk About It" has become somewhat of a staple. In 1990, Rod had a hit with a newer version of "This Old Heart Of Mine", so it's kind of interesting to hear his different approach here..
With this album, Rod began to display a somewhat more explicit approach lyrically, most notably in "Three Time Loser", and it only gets worse from here.. Check out some of the lyrics in songs from "Foot Loose & Fancy Free" & "Blondes Have More Fun". While this maybe true, and some people maybe somewhat turned off by this, it's rock & roll, and there are no limits, and let's face it, it's fun. It's too bad newer music almost never comes close to being this much fun, and rocking this freely, and speaking of some of the offensive lyrics, I guess you could say Rod was the Eminem of the '70s...

"Atlantic Crossing" is one of the best post-Ron Wood solo albums from Rod Stewart. That said...the unavoidable fact that Stewart's work with Wood and MacLagen and Lane and Jones was what put him on the map...there are a few solid tracks on this album worth your attention. "Drift Away" isn't half bad, but Dobie Gray did it to perfection, so why do we need another version? "Stone Cold Sober" is the kind of rock and roll that Stewart should still record, refreshingly free the leering, adolescent and ignorant sexism of "Hot Legs" (The Faces were an aural porno flick, but they were adults). The Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart Of Mine" is the song that really taps into Rod's rock and roll heart, and there lies the problem in his recent career...crass commercialism forms the foundation for Rod Stewart Y2K and beyond. Stewart could sing the phone book if he put his HEART into it, but in modern times he seems perfectly happy with being a fourth-rate Barry Manilow. C'est La Vie...or Ooh La La, depending on your viewpoint. "Unplugged...and Seated" was the long-overdue reunion with Woody. "When We Were The New Boys" was the final parting shot from the Rod we all knew and loved. Then Elvis left the building. The King is dead. Long live the King.