Customer Reviews

Still the Same...Great Rock Classics Of Our Time

5 star:		(73)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(44)

 

 

It may well be that Rod Stewart is becoming the Frank Sinatra of his generation, and who could've guessed it way back when he was a skinny young punk with the Faces? The fact is, Rod has always been a superb interpreter of lyrics, melodies, and moods, and with this collection, he takes on some of rock's greatest classics and...well, if he doesn't make them his own, he certainly at least does them proud.

Truthfully, I can remember thinking back in the day when some of these songs were released, "Hey, Rod Stewart could do a great job with this tune." I mean, when I first heard Bonnie Tyler singing, "It's A Heartache," I thought it WAS Rod. Well, he finally gets his chance here to cover these classics, and--as Michael McDonald did with his Motown CDs--he brings a lot of love and energy to the material.

I won't say that Rod's versions exceed the originals, but it's a joy to hear him put his soulful stamp on "I'll Stand By You," "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," and "Everything I Own." The title track is a superb choice for Rod. I love Bob Seger's original, but I was surprised how appropriate it is for Rod to sing as well--it's almost autobiographical at times, and the song packs a lot of emotion and pathos.

"Father & Son" is a very moving song, and as a George Harrison fan, I appreciated the Stewart-ized "If Not for You." Rod's stirring cover of "Everything I Own" is not an obvious choice, but the more I listen to it, the more I think it just may...MAY...mind you...top the original.

In my opinion, there are really no weak moments here. Some reviewers have criticized the arranging, the instrumentation, or the production, but it seems the producer, maestro Clive Davis, was really deliberately (and wisely) aiming to put Rod's voice up front and center, where it belongs. And, it must be said, that the musicianship throughout is topnotch and well done by a very stellar supporting cast.

Overall, it's a great collection of tunes, rendered by a rock legend and master interpreter. While these versions may not, in general, always top the originals, they do make for excellent listening, and also serve to preserve some classic tunes for a whole new generation. (And, believe me, this is not just "music for old people." A lot of teens are getting turned onto vintage rock and soul because they are sick of the tuneless sameness of today's hip hop or prefab girly schlock or thrash metal.)

Good job, Rod, and happy listening everyone!

A Brief History:
In the 60s, I liked Rod the Mod's single Good Morning Little Schoolgirl. He was great when he fronted The Jeff Beck Group and also with Python Lee Jackson as a session singer. Shucks, Maggie May is still one of my favorite songs. In the 70s, he entered the next phase of his career with those pseudo disco sex anthems like Do You Think I'm Sexy and Hotlegs which still make me want to hurl chunks of undigested bile. In the 80's, he teamed up with Jeff Beck again for People Get Ready and I was hoping they would record an entire album together, but things didn't work out. Amazingly, he's had unbelievable success with two CDs of standards. "Still The Same" uses the same formula, except these rock classics sound like lounge music to me. What's even worse is that on the CD cover he looks like Tammy Faye Bakker (RIP) on a bad hair day.

I didn't think Rod could stoop lower to make a buck than his mangling of the Great American Songbook, but guess what? He did! He should perform these songs on kareoke night at a local bar. I realize he looks at his bank account and could care less but his credability account is empty. What's next? Will Rod join The Wiggles or release "Barnery's Best" to tap into the kids market. How about a duet with Hannah Montana? I will now listen to my classic Rod CD's and cry.

Why on Earth, given the hundreds of songs Rod could record from this era....did he choose certain songs that he cannot possibly enhance?

"Love Hurts?" So do my ears after hearing Rod soil a perfect Nazareth song.

"Everything I Own?" By Bread? Rod, could you not gain access to the Partridge Family catalog?

"If Not For You?" Rod, Olivia Newton-John did a better interpretation of Dylan....35 years ago!

"Still The Same?" What a sad, fitting title for this collection.

The sad part is, thousands of sheeple are buying this dreck, giving Rod a license to steal yet again.

I gave it 2 stars. There are two songs that aren't that bad. The first single, "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," is a note-for-note remake of a CCR song that can't be topped, but Rod's version is safe and listenable...perfect for today's AC radio.

And the Eagles' "Best of My Love," which like most songs on this collection, is way overplayed already, is a good arrangement.

The rest is either awful, or background noise. Rod should be embarassed. But of course he isn't.

I can only assume, after suffering through this CD,that it must be Rod's attempt at a comedy album. He simply can't be serious. First,whoever was in charge of song selection should be"drawn and quartered". These are rock classics but simply not worthy of Rod's interpretations. Yes, they were commercial successes in their day but most of them have not aged well.
There are a few exceptions,e.g. the tunes penned by Bob Seager,Bob Dylan,etc, but Rod's delivery of this material must be driving the composers"up the wall". The band,if there actually was one, sounds as if they're working with the same arrangement(with minor modifications) for each tune. Finally, Rod's singing is completely uninspired. I don't think he left home for this one,just"phoned it in".
It's truly sad to see a legendary performer fall to this depth.I don't understand it,he's made a zillion dollars on the endless American songbook Cds. You'd think he'd be up for some artistic challenges.What makes it even more a tragedy is when you compare this CD to what his contemporaries such as Dylan, The Who,etc, are doing these days.What could be possibly next? Rod singing Mitch Miller's greatest hits? One can only hope that the rumours of a one time Faces abbreviated tour and possible CD will come true.I'm convinced that project will recharge Rod's creative battery. Until then,I suggest the only use for this CD is to be played endlessly at GITMO to gain needed confessions from potential terrorist detainees. Although, on second thought, the use of this CD may violate the Geneva conventions!!

THIS IS A GREAT SELECTION OF SONGS THAT ROD SINGS TO PERFECTION. THIS COLLECTION DOES NOT HAVE A LOUD MUSIC SCORE THAT DROWNS OUT ROD'S WONDERFUL SINGING. HE IS SUCH A VERSATILE SINGER AND I AM THRILLED THAT HE IS GOING IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION BY SINGING HIS SAME SOULFUL, SEXY STYLE ONLY WITH A GENTLER SOUND.

I remember reading several of the reviews of this album prior to its release, and alot of people had a problem with Rod not doing some new material of his own again. Well, as I've always felt, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but actually, I find this album quite refreshing. Refreshing because I'm hearing great Rock n' Roll for a change, instead of the junk that is shoved down radio listeners throats nowadays. I really thought Rod did a fantastic job on his American Songbook series of albums, doing justice to all the 40's tunes that I didn't think any Rock and Roller could achieve. My main man, Bruce Springsteen, in doing his We Shall Overcome The Seeger Sessions songs gave a real kick in the butt to songs a hundred or more years old. Willie Nelson's last two albums have been mainly songs written by other writers, but have been two of the best things that Willie has done in years.

Now, Rod comes along and decides to pay tribute to 13 songs that he feels are some of Rock's Great Classics.And, in my opinion, Rod nailed every one of them. This album will probably be one of my favorite Rod Stewart albums since the days of The Faces. I don't want to seem like I am putting down some of Rock's greatest artists of our time, but there are three songs that I'd like to mention a distinct thing that stands out for me on each song. These aren't nesessarily my favorites on the album, but one thing had the same effect for me. The first is John Fogerty's "Have You Ever Seen The Rain". The second is Bob Dylan's "If Not For You", and the third is Van Morrison's "Crazy Love". There are several phrases in each one of these songs that I never could quite understand what words were being sung. With Rod's great enunciation I am finally able to understand every word. His voice has always been referred to as being on the gritty side, but he also has the ability to enunciate better than alot of others. Some of the slow, romantic numbers are classic Rod Stewart. Different than alot of the other reviewers, I highly recommend this album, especially to Rod's fans. I don't think you will be disappointed. Thanks!

There are very few times in my life where I have been speechless, but a listen to this pile of filth left me without the proper words to describe the horror. I've been seeing this girl for a couple months she decided to bust out the Rod Stewart at her place last night. When she said Rod Stewart, I'm thinking "Young Turks" or "Infatuation", but what she put on the cd player has scarred my ears forever. She had these CDs called the great american songbook where Rod sings horrible songs that go beyond cheesy. Realizing I didn't like these songs by the look on my face and the fact I was covering my ears she decided to put this disc on. She told me that these were rock songs and I would like it. Needless to say as of last night we are no longer dating. I could not see myself spending another minute with someone that believed this garbage was music. She was hot, but it's not like I can't find another hot girl that appreciates music.

What in the name of Tesh has happened to Rod Stewart? When I was growing up he was known as a rock singer. His hair looked mildly retarded, but for goodness sakes he was married to Rachel Hunter and made a hot daughter. The last two decades have been an exercise in how not to keep any credibility. It's almost as if his manager told him that he could be the next Clay Aiken or Michael Bubble as a joke, but Rod thought it was a good idea. With several volumes of crap now on the market, it seems Rod is going to keep the poop machine running.

Here's a better album title for this dreck: ROD STEWART SINGS KARAOKE. One listen to this CD and it's clear that the once great Rod Stewart has become a parody of himself. While these performances can hardly be called awful, there's nothing here to celebrate either.

This is what I would expect from a Holiday Inn lounge crooner. Do some CCR ("Have You Ever Seen the Rain"), throw in some Eagles ("The Best of My Love"), add a little Bread ("Everything I Own") and leave everyone with a smile on their face. Unless, of course, you are old enough to remember when Rod Stewart was a serious artist.

Doing covers is nothing new for Stewart. Listen to his classic early albums when he did the Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man," Elton John's "Country Comfort," Tim Hardin's "Reason to Believe," or Hendrix's "Angel." Stewart made these songs his own. On STILL THE SAME, his performances are perfunctory at best. Hell, Bonnie Tyler did a better Rod Stewart vocal on the original "It's a Heartache" than the one Stewart himself turns in here.

My advice? Stick with the originals. Avoid this at all cost; the last thing we need is for this to become the first in a series.

I have been a fan of Rod Stewart since "Hot Legs" in the 1970's. I have always liked his raspy sound and undeniable talent. I have some albums from the 1970's, and I also have all of the cover albums that he has done in the last 5-6 years. I think this cover cd is his best. There are only a few songs on the cd that I do not care for (Love Hurts, Crazy Love, Everything I Own, If Not For You). On the song "If Not For You" it sounds as though Rod could barely reach the notes, like as though his voice was fatigued. That is okay though, because there are enough other tracks on the cd that are much better. I remember all of these songs from the original artists in the 1970's, and it is nice to hear the songs all grouped together on one disk, with Rod putting a new spin on the material. It would have been cool if Rod would have recorded the song "Smoke On The Water" from Deep Purple or the song "House Of The Rising Sun." I also think Rod could have covered any of the songs from Chicago "Will You Still Love Me," "Hard To Say I'm Sorry," "You're The Inspriration," "Hard Habit To Break" and/or any of STYX songs, "Babe," "Lady," "Grand Illusion" and it would have sounded awesome. Oh well, maybe next time.

I absolutely LOVE the songs "Fooled Around And Fell In Love," "Still The Same," "The Best Of My Love," and "I'll Stand By You." My number one favorite track on the disk is the Cat Stevens tune "Father and Son." Even though Cat Stevens wrote the tune, it could easily be the story of Rod's life. He has been on top of the world, been a rock star (don't we all dream of being a rock star!) and now he is an accomplished artist of "standards." Who would have thought it. There are so many rock stars who die prematurely (Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, etc) where the world is robbed of their talent forever. Rod Stewart has survived, and survived well. He is definitely a major star.

I think the producers did a good job of just letting Rod's voice sparkle. So often cd's have that "synthesized" sound, where it is obvious the no-talent person required computer enhancement. That is not the case here. Rod did a great job.

I have enjoyed Rod's concept albums of covers over the last 6 years, but I hope that his next disk has new material. That would be a nice change. Obviously Rod could always return to covers, but putting out some new soft rock songs would be really cool.

Well rock fans, overall I have really enjoyed this disk. I hope you do too.