These are prime cuts from the days when Rod was carrying rock's flame high. His gravely voice was unique then (it was long before Tom Waits) and Maggie May was one of the most superb rock songs in 1971. Losing You is a brilliant blend of rockin' funk, Milwaukee is a classic lament when the emotion was still real and Every Picture Tells A Story remains quite a tour de force. His version of Pinball Wizard is packed with power and You Wear It Well has stood the test of time very well. This is great value but to get all of Rod's best, one must invest in Best Of Volume 2 as well, for more masterpieces from those early days like Mandolin Wind and Reason To Believe.

This review is for both volumes of this release..
Well, if you want more than a taste of the classic Mercury years, and you don't want to shell out the cash for all five efforts, this is the only way to go. All the U.S. hits from this period are here; "Maggie May", "You Wear It Well", "(I Know)I'm Losing You", "Handbags And Gladrags", "Twisting The Night Away, "Reason To Believe", and more.. There's also plenty of classic album tracks; "Every Picture Tells A Story", "Gasoline Alley", and "Mandolin Wind", just to name a few..
The label certainly didn't shortchange us on the number of tracks, it's amazing just how many obsucrities made their way on here, and for the most part, songs like "Lady Day", "Man Of Constant Sorrow", "What's Made Milwaukee Famous", and "An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down" are welcome additions, but some tracks, especially from "Smiler", most notably "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Man" stick out like a soar thumb.. In their places, why not the Dylan cover "Only A Hobo" or the U.K. top ten hit "Farewell"?
All in all, great compilation of the early years, extremely comprehensive, all the necessary stuff, and then some..

The review in Stereo Review October 1998 (p.90) says it best. Good value and excellent remastering!

I decided to pick this up on remastered CD and I have to admit, this collection of early Rod Stewart material is simply rocking. I finally see what people are talking about when they RAVE about Rod's early material and how it reaches and touches them inside. So much soul and rock this guy has inside of him I just don't see any current artist doing this depth of work today. The track, "Oh No not My Baby" is worthy of buying this album alone.

This is actually a good representation of some good Rod Stewart! All the songs on here are classic Rod Stewart, well except for 'Pinball Wizard' but that is also because I hate that song so what are you gonna do? From the classic among classics 'Maggie May' to the amazing ballad 'Mine For Me'

The best part about this collection is that for once they actually included Rods best song "Gasoline Alley' I mean that is one ofthe best songs ever recorded and for some reason it gets left off of all of Rods collections and thats just wrong.

If you want a good introduction into one of the greatest artists in rock and roll history from when he was actually good then this is the best thing for you to pick up next to the amazing album Gasoline Alley!