Rod Stewart's first solo album, and the first in a tour-de-force of four sublime records, was retitled "The Rod Stewart Album" in the US, apparently because Stewart's American distributors felt that the original title ("An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down") was too quirky and "British".

Opening with an acoustic rendition of the Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man", "The Rod Stewart Album" presented a raw combination of primarily acoustic folk, rock, blues and country which rocked harder than any other folk-rock or country-rock, and Stewart would continue in the same vein for another three albums. Three albums which, along with this one, remain the best in his career: "Gasoline Alley", "Every Picture Tells A Story", and "Never A Dull Moment".

The sound is very good, and the musicianship is never less than excellent. Michael Waller pounds the drums. Ron Wood plays bass and guitar (including some excellent slide work) alongside guitarists Martin Pugh and longtime Stewart-ally Martin Quittenton. And another Faces member, the great Ian MacLagan, lends a hand (or two), adding his sublime piano playing to several songs.

It's hard to point out any particular highlights, because almost everything is great. With this album, Rod Stewart established that rock can sound as rich and timeless as folk, and that folk music can be just as vigorous as rock. And he did this not only as an interpreter, breathing new life into the traditional "Man Of Constant Sorrow", Ewan MacColl's "Dirty Old Town", and Mike D'Abo's "Handbags And Gladrags", but also as a songwriter, penning the tough rockers "An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down" and "Cindy's Lament".

Did you see (or hear) Rod Stewart's "unplugged" session? If you did, and if you liked it, pick up this album right away.
4 ½ stars - highly recommended.

There are a few artists of brilliant natural talent who seem unable to manage their careers after their initial success. I'm not talking about one-hit wonders, but genuine talents who get sidetracked somehow. Elvis is definitely one of them, and so is Rod Stewart. Rod's 80s stuff might be terrible (some of it is at least as bad as Elvis's "movies") but maybe the intelligence and emotion in "Handbags" or the self-awareness and humor of "Every picture tells a story" are still there somewhere. So I find myself continually defending Rod to my friends: "You just don't understand, he used to be SO good." I still predict a late-career comeback for Rod, a la Solomon Burke's "Don't Give up on Me."

Maybe Rod's early succes had something to do with his supporting cast. After all, Mick always had Keith to keep him musically focused. Ron Wood could have played that part for Stewart, but that did not come to pass. For whatever reason, Rod opted for superstardom, and oh the difference to us. (For a five-star album, check out "Every Picture Tells a Story").

This is an amazing solo debut by Rod Stewart, released in 1969 in England as "AN OLD RAINCOAT WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN" (in the US, it received the title "The Rod Stewart Album" - go figure why...).

The band here is tight and focused, Rod sings like never, it blends some very good originals by Rod with some covers. The singing here is full of passion a spontainety, something Rod would come to lose along the way...

Highly recommended.

Once upon a time in Merrie Englande, there was an ordinary young bloke who did what most ordinary young blokes do - raved about popular music, went to football matches, tried it on with the birds and, together with his best mates, had a few scoops and got wrecked most Saturday nights. Then lo!, he became a rock superstar - joined the jet-set, fled from the clutches of the taxman, dated an assortment of actresses/models, went a bit camp and started wearing Spandex tights (an ordinary bloke no more). Alas and alack, the fairy tale finally ended and, to make matters worse, with his attempts to re-invent himself, he succeeded only in becoming a caricature of himself (a phrase borrowed from another reviewer because it is so very apt). He now seems content to release endless albums of popular American music dredged up from the 30s and 40s. I can almost see him now - sitting in his rocking (no pun intended) chair, with his pipe and slippers.

Yes, Rod Stewart was an ordinary bloke, except for one thing - he had an extraordinary voice; and on this album, you can hear that voice, with its velvety rasp (a slight contradiction in terms, I know) and its unmitigated raw energy and soul. When I first bought it, it was called 'An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down', but for reasons best known to themselves, his record company execs decided to rename it (in an obvious fit of brain-storming originality) 'The Rod Stewart Album'. The music is a combination of folk, blues, soul and rock - semi-acoustic in parts, but beefed up with some gutsy playing from his band.

There's no filler on this album, not only did Rod have an ear for a good song, but he was a pretty decent songwriter himself (5 of the songs are written by him). There's a great mix of songs also : two 'in yer face' rockers given a slight folksy twist ('Street Fighting Man' and 'An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down'); a traditional folk-blues ('Man of Constant Sorrow'); a majestic pop ballad ('Handbags and Gladrags'); a heavy blues-rocker ('Cindy's Lament'); an almost prog-rocker ('I Wouldn't Ever Change A Thing'); a contemporary English folk song (written by a Scot!) ('Dirty Old Town') and last, but by no means least, the cathartic, soul drenched 'Blind Prayer' - my favourite track.

It isn't just Rod's voice that makes this album remarkable, it's also the playing by the band and the sound that they produce. Moreover, the sound is very raw (but the playing is very focused) - there is no slick production behind this album; and to be honest, had the sound been over-polished, I think the album would have been ruined. Rod doesn't hog the limelight with his vocals either, each of the musicians get plenty of opportunity to show their mettle - including : snarling bottleneck slide from Ronnie Wood (electric bass also), Martin Pugh (electric lead guitar), Martin Quittenton (acoustic lead guitar), Ian McLagan (piano), Keith Emerson (organ on 'I Wouldn't Ever Change A Thing'), and some heavy duty drumming from Mick Waller.

If you like spontaneous rootsy rock music - buy this album; if you prefer Rod's pop/disco confections - listen to this album (there may be hope for you yet); if you're a fan of Rod's 'American Song Book' stuff - proceed with extreme caution; and, for those who bought 'Still The Same : Great Rock Classics of Our Time', expecting the Rod Stewart of old - you have my heart-felt commiserations.

'The Rod Stewart Album', together with Rod's next three, are essential purchases for any fan of classic rock music - thereafter, the rot began to set in. It's unlikely that Rod (or anyone else, for that matter) will ever recapture the unique musical blend and raw edge to found on these early albums; a seminal album from the man who brought us 'Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?' - 4.5 stars.

The Rod Stewart Album, one of Rod's early solo efforts, is indicative of his work at that time. Strong songs, delivered with a one-of-a-kind voice and Stewart's enthusiasm all add up to great stuff.
Stewart sticks to his playbook of the period, penning some of the songs (Blind Prayer, An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down) and borrowing from some famous mates. In this case, he puts his spin on the Richards and Jagger tune "Street Fighting Man." Stewart does it justice.
Handbags and Gladrags, which received kudos when included on the Unplugged and Seated CD, appears for the first time here and remains a signature song in the Stewart catalogue.
For Stewart Fans, no collection is thorough enough without this album.