Track Listing

1. Every Picture Tells A Story - Rod Stewart, Maggie Bell
2. Seems Like A Long Time
3. That's All Right
4. Tomorrow Is A Long Time
5. Maggie May
6. Mandolin Wind
7. (I Know) I'm Losing You - Rod Stewart, Martin Quittenton, Andy Pyle, Danny Thompson, Mick Waller, Ron Wood, Ian McLagan, Peter Sears, Dick Powell
8. Reason To Believe

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2158 in Music
• Released on: 1998-08-17
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .21 pounds
• Running time: 40 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Once upon a time, Rod Stewart was not vamping indiscriminately about "Hot Legs" and asking "D'ya Think I'm Sexy?" He was a singer with a gravel-voice approximation of Sam Cooke and excellent taste in cover material. Here, he's toned down with folksy covers of Tim Hardin ("Reason to Believe"), Bob Dylan ("Tomorrow is Such a Long Time"), and Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup (via Elvis, "That's All Right Mama"). He tops his interpretive abilities with two originals that have since become standards ("Maggie May", "Every Picture Tells A Story"). Quite a different Rod from the one the world has come to know. --Rob O'Connor

CD Description
The aesthetic Rod Stewart had been honing over his first three solo albums--an aesthetic that combined folk, hard rock,and R&B swagger--was perfected on EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY. The album's combination of strong, original songs and plum cover versions reveal the artist's range and versatility as he simultaneously paid tribute to mentors and declared his own craft. Members of Stewart's regular group, the Faces, provide intuitive support, making nearly every track shine with passion and edge.
Stewart's take-no-prisoners interpretation of the Temptations' "(I Know I'm) Losing You" brought new dimensions to a Tamla/Motown classic. "Maggie May", one of the great pop anthems, is the obvious standout, but theremaining selections, such as "Mandolin Wind" and Tim Hardin's beautiful "Reason To Believe", have a similar sense of purpose. Through it all, of course, is Stewart's soulful, beautifully textured singing, which reaches its pinnacle on these performances, ensuring the artist's standing as one of rock's all-time greatest vocalists. If you buy only one Rod Stewart album, EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY should be it.

Customer Reviews

Mod-ern day classic
The impact made by Rod Stewart on the music scene of 1971 should never be underestimated. When "Maggie May" rang out from radios all across the world you just knew that something special had happened. For those of us too young and unaware at that point of "An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down","Gasoline Alley" or work with the Faces and Jeff Beck Group, the voice of Rod Stewart rang straight and true. It spoke to you and for you. It was a voice of integrity. You knew Rod and he knew you. Here was a translator of songs who made them his own ("Seems Like A Long Time", "(I Know) I'm Losing You", "Reason To Believe"); a creator of songs to rank with the most critically aclaimed ("Every Picture Tells A Story", "Maggie May","Mandolin Wind") and here was an album so perfectly crafted that 30 years on, you would not even want to imagine changes. Rod at the height of his abilities, with all components (and Ronnie Wood!) in place. There is no question that Rod Stewart should be recognised as one of the greatest vocalists ever recorded, if only on the basis of this one album - but what an album! Look at the front cover, it states "Classic Edition" and "Every Picture Tells A Story" was, is and always will be. Buy it!

Unexpectedly good
OK everyone knows Rod Stewart from "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" and all theother rubbish he's churned out over the last couple of decades. But thisalbum stands out as a reminder that once he really was very good. Thetrack most will know is "Maggie May", and it is rightfully a classic, butthere are more nearly forgotten gems here: the title track, a reworking ofDylan's "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" and the rawkous "(I know)I'm Losing" youin particular. This album is full of great tunes, a laid back style andsome decent song writing. What's even more surprising is that Stewarthimself was involved in the writing of them.
It makes you wonder what happened to him between the early albums and suchabominations as the 80s ablums "Foolish Behaviour", "Body Wishes","Camouflage" and "Love Touch". You should get a copy of "Every PictureTells a Story", listen to it and enjoy it. But if anyone ever offers you acopy of 1986's "Rod Stewart" - run screaming.

THE ONE "MUST HAVE" ROCK STEWART CD...
If you could only have one Rod Stewart album, this would be the one to have. It is quintessential Rod Stewart: brash and raucous one minute, poignant and mournful another.

This CD contains some terrific songs, and they run the gamut in feeling from the folksy "Maggie May" to the lyrical" Mandolin Wind" to the pure, Motown/rock refrains of "I'm Losing You". It also contains one of the greatest songs ever written by Tim Hardin, "Reason To Believe". As sung by Rod Stewart that alone, in and of itself, is reason enough to have this CD.