Rod Stewart [Mass Market Paperback]

Tim Ewbank (Author), Stafford Hildred (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 28, 2005

A new, very frank and revealing biography of rock's most enduring legend. Rod Stewart will be 60 in less than two years' time - yet his popularity (and his determination to continue living the rock-star life to the full) is undimmed by the passing years. Since turning 50, life has been as turbulent as ever for him; marriage to Rachel, two children, divorce, a serious cancer scare, more albums released and concerts given, singing for the Queen at the Jubilee concert - and, naturally, a new blonde on his arm, Penny Lancaster. Tim Ewbank and Stafford Hildred have been tracking Rod's life for many years, right from the early days of the Faces. For this book they have spoken to many of the most important influences in his life, including past loves like Bebe Ruell, Britt Ekland and Rachel Hunter. This new book is the most complete and intimate account of the life and career of the ultimate rock-star.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Rod Stewart remains our best-loved rock-star; for many decades, he has been a brilliant thread in the tapestry of British pop music. (Daily Telegraph) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Tim Ewbank and Stafford Hildred are the authors of a previous bestselling biography of Rod Stewart, published by Headline in 1991. Tim Ewbank lives in London, and Stafford Hildred in Derbyshire. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Citadel (June 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806526440
• ISBN-13: 978-0806526447
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,582,797 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Passable Bio, November 18, 2004

By 

Shaun Tatarka "rodstewartblogcom" (Montana) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rod Stewart: The New Biography (Hardcover)

A little too much gossip in this one but the authors do make attempts to capture the real Rod Stewart. A few stories about Rod's early days in music are here (since some of them are unique to this book, I can't say wether they are true) but too much is made of his love life--we can read about all that in People if we wanted to. But overall this is not a bad book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars up to date look at rod stewart & his career, February 14, 2011

By 

Konrad Baumeister - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rod Stewart (Paperback)

Note in headline I write Rod AND his career. The authors are long-time journalists, not major biographers, and the book comes across as a breezy romp through some juicy stories, puff pieces, society cuttings, and general gossip. There is also a bit in there on his music, but nothing like the emphasis placed on his homes, his family, his sometimes buddies, and, of course, women. There is a lot about his women, and there are a lot of women.

Now, Stewart has always made good copy for gossip journalists, and like so many huge stars has always employed people whose job it was to make sure he got the columns, following the Andrew Loog Oldham principle that there is really no such thing as bad publicity. And since, let's face it, people love to read about this stuff, and there has been a lot of it over the last 40 years to draw on, one can't blame the authors for covering it in their biography, to the tune of about half of the book. Let's just say that Rod has been able to make the most of his success, and despite the occasional heartbreak, part of the cost of doing business on this scale, his personal life has been full and complete.

Regarding the career per se, the authors do some good spade work on his very early days, including some material that appears to be new (to me) or little covered in the past. The time with Jeff Beck is covered all too quickly, as is his time with the unforgettable and sublime Faces, and we rush into his solo career in earnest. Of course the irony is that by the time the Faces broke up, in this reviewer's opinion, Stewart's very best solo work was also done. Oh, there would be many, many millions of albums sold in the next 35 years, yes, but not one as good as Gasoline Alley or Every Picture Tells A Story. His work on Warner and subsequently has been well done, slickly produced stuff, some of it quite good, but the poetry, the lyrics, the genuine feel has left him, and what's more, it's hard to see that Stewart himself cared.

An interesting time is briefly explored where, following Do Ya Think I'm Sexy his image critically had cratered (although sales were outstanding, thank you); his reaction was not really to write stuff that was much better, but instead to deal with it through image building in the press and through essentially propaganda. Oh Rod! Listen to the old Faces catalog and get a clue! Oh well.

The book is a quick read, good on the family, strong on early career, weak on dealing with the music itself, and very strong on juicy gossip. It's an extended magazine essay, not especially deep or questioning, very short on analysis, but a fun and enjoyable read all the same, one that Stewart fans will be certain to like. There are plenty of good pix of various personages attached to Rod at various points, and it can be recommended as up to date and generally a good read.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars rod is great, July 13, 2007

By 

Gails Entrekin "love of music and books" (greenbrier ar) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rod Stewart: The New Biography (Hardcover)

YOU CAN TELL FROM ALL THAT I HAVE PURCHASED THAT I AM RALLY A BIG BIG ROD STEWART FAN. I CAN'T GET ENOUGH. WOULD LOVE TO MEET HIM. THE BOOK IS REALLY GOOD