28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth every penny!, August 8, 2001
This review is from: Storyteller: The Complete Anthology 1964-1990 (Audio CD)
An offhand comment from a pal ("you know who's never recorded a song I don't like? Rod Stewart!") and a five-disc carousel CD player with four empty slots inspired me to purchase this anthology eleven years ago. (Jeez, has it really been that long?) I slowly drove my college roommate insane (believe me, it was a short trip for her!) with the music as I fell hopelessly in love all at once with the crisp sound of CD technology, Rod's unbearably sexy, raspy voice and the lively, intelligent and pretty damned catchy lyrics of his songs. I already knew many of the songs on Disc 4 from the MTV years as well as some of his bigger hits from earlier years, but I easily came to enjoy the music that filled in the gaps of my familiarity with Rod's musical history.
A totally unexpected bonus completes the package - a fantastic booklet replete with Rod's reminiscences and opinions of each of the compilation's tracks provides some insight into both the man and his music. In it, Rod recounts the story behind the discovery of 'Maggie May' (it was the B-side of another song, a DJ in Cleveland flipped the single over and its popularity - and Rod's career - took off like a rocket) and reveals that 'Maggie' almost didn't make the album in the first place because "nobody liked it"; describes a song as one he "love(s)...to death, even though [he] wrote it"; attempts to clear up a common and persistent misconception about one of his biggest hits; and explains why you probably won't ever hear him perform 'The Killing of Georgie' in concert again (I wouldn't hold my breath to ever hear 'Love Touch' live, either). (If you want more details, you'll just have to lay hands on a copy of the booklet!) He does this all in such engaging, colorful and colloquial language that one feels as though s/he is discussing his oeuvre with him over a few pints at a pub instead of just reading a box set's liner notes. Maybe these recollections simply demonstrate a typically British charm of speech, but I've never read anything quite like them, and certainly never expected anything so articulate (I mean, clever song lyrics are one thing, but...) and intelligent from a popular recording artist like Rod.
All in all, this remains the best musical investment I've ever made. Well, maybe I should say it ties for first with my CD player.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Box Set, April 27, 2004
This review is from: Storyteller: The Complete Anthology 1964-1990 (Audio CD)
I looked around in record stores to find a greatest hits album by Rod Stewart and could never find a one or two disc set that had all the songs I really wanted on it. Finally I jumped on Amazon and found this outstanding four disc set that has everything any casual fan of Rod Stewart fan would want and then some. And unlike many greatest hits CDs I've purchased, the sound quality is outstanding.
This is definitely a product well worth the price.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well chosen songs; poorly packaged, October 14, 2006
This review is from: Storyteller: The Complete Anthology 1964-1990 (Audio CD)
Box sets always bring up arguments as to what's missing but there is very little missing from this set. Having every one of Rod''s CDs, the only three missing tracks that I would have put on here are "I Feel The Whole World Go Round" from the 60s band Shotgun Express, "Farewell" from Smiler and "The Wild Horse" from Out of Order. (OK and maybe two or three others!) but overall, the selection was excellent. It puts Rod Stewar in context, and much of the 80s stuff holds up every well to the sacred early 70s stuff. (Rod was always a great singles artist, though some of his albums are really terrible.)
The box set was thrown together very quickly though, and the packaging is weak. The book is thin and flimsy and features just one essay by writer Robert Palmer, who does a good job of praising without going overboard. But Warners always treated Rod Stewart like [...] and this box set deserved a better package.
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