Gold (CD - 2005)

Personnel: Rod Stewart (vocals, guitar); Ron Wood (guitar, bottleneck guitar, bass guitar); Martin Quittenton, Martin Pugh (guitar); Gordon Huntley (steel guitar); Roy Jackson (mandolin); Dick Powell (violin); Pete Sears (piano, organ, bass guitar); Ian McLagan (piano, organ); Michael d'Abo (piano); Keith Emerson (organ); Spike Heatley (double bass); Ronnie Lane (bass guitar); Kenney Jones , Mickey Waller (drums); Neemoi Acquaye (congas); Ray Cooper (percussion); Long John Baldry, Madeline Bell, Maggie Bell (background vocals).

Rod Stewart built much of his career on bold, distinctive cover tunes, a point driven home by 2005's two-disc GOLD collection, which showcases Stewart's interpretive skills during his initial solo years of 1969-1974. More than half of the tracks here are penned by some of the finest pop/rock songwriters of the time, including Bob Dylan (the spare, somber "Only a Hobo" and the lilting "Tomorrow Is a Long Time"), Paul McCartney (the steel-drum-enhanced "Mine for Me"), Elton John & Bernie Taupin (the nostalgic "Country Comforts" and the rollicking "Let Me Be Your Car," the latter featuring John himself), and Tim Hardin (the timelessly soulful "[Find a] Reason to Believe").

During this time, Stewart became an excellent songwriter in his own right, penning (or co-penning) a number of tunes here, including the transcendent "Maggie May" and the surging "Every Picture Tells a Story." More extensive than 1976's THE BEST OF ROD STEWART and slightly outshining '92's THE MERCURY ANTHOLOGY, GOLD is ideal for anyone seeking a thorough sampler of Stewart's early solo work. minimize