Customer Reviews

Story So Far

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This 16-track set basically works as a solid sampler for casual fans who want Rod The Mod's biggest hits.He's moved from beloved rootsy rocker(Maggie May,You Wear It Well,Reason To Believe)to rock superstar(Tonights The Night,Hot Legs,You're In My Heart)to dance-pop dilettante(Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?,Young Turks)to adult-contempary pop crooner(My Heart Can't Tell You No,Have I Told You Lately,This Old Heart Of Mine,Downtown Train,Rhythm Of My Heart)in that's challenged and sometimes dismayed fans,paticularly those of the roots-rockin mold."The Very Best Of Rod Stewart" touches on all these bases equally,but it doesn't have his "very best" like "Mandolin Wind","Every Picture Tells A Story","I Don't Want To Talk About It","Sailing","The First Cut Is The Deepest","Passion","People Get Ready","Infatuation" and "Lost In You".For a more complete career-spanner,get the "Storyteller" box set,but this is a good starter for novices.

Rod Stewart has been performing and singing many great songs for over 30 years. From his days with The Faces ("Ooh La La") to his big breakthrough hits (such as "Maggie May"), to his many other well established hits ("My Heart Can't Tell You No", "Forever Young", etc.), The Very Best of Rod Stewart is an album that offers a great deal for casual fans who want a nice overview of Rod Stewart's spectacular career.

Of course, after 30 years of success, there's no way to put all of an artist's memorable hits onto one album. This certainly holds true in this case. Many of Rod's best hits such as "Love Touch," "Lost in You", "Infatuation," "Faith of the Heart," "All For Love", and many others are nowhere to be seen.

But that certainly doesn't mean that the album isn't worth getting. It has everything from timeless Rod Stewart ("Maggie May"), upbeat tracks ("Young Turks"), great low-key songs ("Downtown Train", "Have I Told You Lately") and everything in-between ("Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" and "Hot Legs").

The booklet includes a bunch of photos ranging from Rod's childhood, to his goofy antics, pictures of many of his album covers, and many from concerts. It also tells what album and which year each song came from.

To make it short, The Very Best of Rod Stewart doesn't contain all of his very best, but it is a great overview of his stellar career in the music business. If you're looking for a good collection of some of Rod Stewart's best without buying each of his albums separately and you're not really wanting to shuffle out all the cash for his Storyteller Anthology, then this album is definitely for you!

The CD is the absolute best collection of Rod Stewart's hits out there. The only reason this missed a 5 star rating is due to the ommission of five songs: Passion, Infatuation, People Get Ready, Forever Young and My Heart Can't Tell You No. However, all five of these songs can be found on Downtrain Train: Selections From The Storyteller Anthology.

Yes, there are hits compilations from Stewart available, but all the ones I've seen are limited to the '70's, barring the pricey box set. So we now have a collection that covers Stewart's 30+ year career, and it's a single CD.

With most greatest hits albums, there are one or two songs that seem unjustly omitted. With this one, you're left to wonder, "Is this all they could come up with?" Maybe the title should have been "The Biggest Radio Hits of Rod Stewart". Speaking only for myself, "Infatuation", which was a big hit, is missed. This could have easily become a 2-disc set and still have been honesty called "The Very Best of..."

As for the album it is, it's a wonderful listen. Every song is good, and there are absolutely no surprises (not that that is necessarily good, but expected for a single CD that doesn't try to be anything more than a best-of). A couple of them have become boring thanks to radio overkill.

Rod Stewart's trademark has always been his whiskey-soaked, raspy voice. Whether singing about quitting school for a girl in "Maggie May" or wishing eternal youth for his son in "Forever Young", Mr. Stewart's throaty tones add an all-knowing wisdom to the songs. This is yet another greatest hits package from Mr. Stewart, who has released quite a few, but this one nicely samples his career from his Every Picture Tells A Story days right through his remake of "Ooh La La". The musical journey makes welcome stops at "Young Turks", "Tonight's The Night", "Some Guys Have All The Luck" and "Have I Told You Lately".

As with all "greatest hits" or "very best of" collections, a few favorites are always left out. When you're trying to squeeze 30 years of musical genius into 16 cuts, it's inevitable. Still this is a must-have for all Rod Stewart fans and a great introduction to him for the uninitiated. From his breakthrough hit, "Maggie May" to the controversial "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" this album rocks with good feelings, nostalgic ballads, and Rod's wonderfully raspy and unique voice. Any album that gives us "This Old Heart of Mine," "Reason To Believe," and "Hot Legs" has to be great. And this one is. A special bonus is the enclosed booklet with photo after photo of the many faces and diverse looks of Rod Stewart.

For fans (like me) who shelled out for the Storyteller box set a decade ago, there's not much new here. Only three additions: 1991's "Rhythm of My Heart," 1993's "Have I Told You Lately," and the nod to Stewart's old Faces' bandmate Ronnie Lane with a remake of "Ooh La La." But for the casual fan, this single-disc anthology hits most of the highlights from one of rock's most distinctive voices. Sure, his cheesy disco hit "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" is here. But give the man his due. He put out some of the best albums of the Seventies (Every Picture Tells a Story, Never a Dull Moment) and continues to make viable music. This set is not, however, complete. There are a handful of top ten singles missing. Biggest disappointment? Where's "Infatuation" which had Stewart's old boss Jeff Beck handling lead guitar? [With more than a dozen top 40 songs omitted, this could easily have been a two-disc set with the added bonus of some well chosen album tracks like "I'd Rather Go Blind" and "Mandolin Wind."] Otherwise, this collection gives you the best bang for your buck. A great introduction to one of the great voices in rock. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Double disc set of 34 tracks, digitally remastered. Disc One is titled "A Night Out" and contains uptempo and Rock tracks such as "Maggie May" (complete version), "Rhythm of My Heart", the Faces' classic "Stay With Me", and the playful raunch of "Hot Legs" & "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy".

Disc Two - "A Night In" - focuses on Rod the balladeer with his haunting versions of other peoples' songs: "Sailing" (Gavin Sutherland), "Have I Told You Lately" (Van Morrison), "I Don't Want To Talk About It" (Danny Whitten - Crazy Horse); plus his own compositions such as "The Killing of Georgie Pts 1 & 2" and "You're In my Heart (The Final Acclaim)". Best of all is the hard-to-get Python Lee Jackson classic "In a Broken Dream".

Well worth the money.

One thing is for sure, we have our choice of collections, including the "Greatest Hits", "Best Of", "Downtown Train", "Very Best", "Very Best 2", etc. You get the point. Of them all, this is arguably the best of the best. It covers his entire career anyway. But with someone like "Rod Stewart" who's been around for decades, it's hard to narrow it down to 16 tracks. Plus his style has changed in that time, from his classic songs, to his disco flavored and 80's tunes, to his recent mellower work. So, obviously this is missing even more than it includes. But there's no doubt that what's on this cd is great. This has his huge hits like "Maggie May", "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?", and "Forever Young", as well as my favorites "Young Turks", "Reason To Believe", and "Some Guys Have All The Luck", among others. If you find that you're missing alot of songs, they're probably on "Encore: Very Best Of 2".

Finally, a career spanning greatest hits disc for Mod Rod. Of course as with just about every "Best Of", some key tracks are missing. However with the limitations of a single disc, this proves to be a very good sampler of his music; ballads, rockers, and a few live cuts from Unplugged and Seated. I reccomend it for the fan or the casual listener. THE VOICE!!!