Rod Stewart: His Best Songs From 1968-1972

• 35. Rod Stewart - “Tomorrow Is A Long Time” from 'Every Picture Tells A Story' (1971)

  One of a handful of Bob Dylan songs that Rod Stewart has covered. Besides being an incredible singer, Rod knows how to make great records: he’s an amazing songwriter (as this list attests to) but he cares more about the song than the songwriter, royalties be damned. He wants to make the best records with the best songs. Dylan wrote “Tomorrow Is A Long Time” in the early ‘60s; a 1962 demo was released on 2010’s The Bootleg Series Vol 9. Folk singer Odetta covered it; Elvis Presley heard that version and decided to cover it as well. It was later recorded by folk duo Ian and Sylvia, Judy Collins and the Kingston Trio. Dylan finally released his own version on 1971’s Greatest Hits Vol. II. But for our money, Rod Stewart’s “Tomorrow Is A Long Time” is the best one. He was a master ot sounding weary, even as a young guy, and that fits this song (and many of his other ballads).

• 34. Faces - “Bad ‘N’ Ruin” from 'A Nod Is As Good As A Wink… To A Blind Horse' (1971)

  The lead song from Faces’ second album, it was co-written by Rod Stewart and keyboardist Ian McLagan. It kind of encompasses the band’s swagger: Rod starts the song off by asking, “Mother, don’t you recognize your son?” He’s left on an adventure but it hasn’t worked out well and he wants to move back home: “I’ll be there in the morning if you’ll have me back/The rent up here is much too high for a room without a tap… I’ll be early in the morning and I’ll find my way back home/Back from bad ‘n’ ruin with my tail between my legs.” Of course, pretty soon Rod would be one of the biggest rock stars in the world, and could afford any room, and wouldn’t have to worry about the plumbing.

• 33. Rod Stewart - “Country Comfort” from 'Gasoline Alley' (1970)

  A cover of a song by Rod’s future “frenemy,” Elton John. Elton’s version is from his classic (and underrated) Tumbleweed Connection, which wasn’t released in the U.S. until January of 1971; it probably irked Elton that Rod’s version was out first. Maybe the rivalry started there, although Elton and Bernie Taupin later wrote “Let Me Be Your Car” for Rod’s 1974 album Smiler.

  But it was a pretty hip choice to cover Elton in 1970; at that point, he was an up-and-coming new artist, not a well-known superstar. Decades later, Rod covered “Your Song,” but this is his best Elton cover.

• 32. Rod Stewart - “Mama, You Been On My Mind” from 'Never A Dull Moment' (1972)

  Another Dylan cover. Like “Tomorrow Is A Long Time,” Dylan sat on this song for a while (he didn’t release his studio version until 1991). Joan Baez covered it as “Daddy, You Been On My Mind,” and Judy Collins covered her version. The Kingston Trio and Johnny Cash covered it as well, but again, Rod’s version is the best one. There’s something about the warmth in his voice that makes his take on it the definitive one. This happens often: Rod does the definitive version of other people’s songs.

• 31. Faces - “Sweet Lady Mary” from 'Long Player' (1971)

  Co-written by Rod Stewart with Ronnie Lane and Ronnie Wood. A lot of songs from this era, in retrospect, feel like they could have landed on either a Faces album or a Rod Stewart solo LP, and this is one of them. A stripped-down acoustic song, it tells the tale of sad breakup. Rod sings softly, “I tried to help her but I did not know how/I tried to love her but it’s all over now.” But, it seems the relationship was doomed from the start: “The lady lied with every breath.” He even apologizes to the listener: “Anyway now I better not waste any more of your time.” It’s one of Rod’s most vulnerable moments. He drops his usual swagger and puts his heart on his sleeve here, and it really works.

• 30. Rod Stewart - “Twistin’ The Night Away” from 'Never A Dull Moment' (1972)

  As we noted, lots of songs sounded like they could fit on either a Faces or Rod Stewart album and this is another one of them. Ron Wood played guitar and bass on much of the Never A Dull Moment album, and Ian McLagan played keyboards on a number of songs as well. This cover of the all time classic by Sam Cooke feels very “Faces,” and in fact, the band played it in concert. (And by the way, this isn’t one of those songs where Rod does a better version than the original. We don’t feel badly saying it: even someone as confidenent as Rod Stewart doens’t think he’s a better singer than Sam Cooke.

• 29. Faces - “Shake, Shudder, Shiver” from 'First Step' (1970)

  Written by Ronnie Lane and Ronnie Wood and featuring lead vocals by Stewart and Lane. Rod clearly is the better singer than Ronnie Lane, but there’s something cool about the way the two of them sounded together. Such is the magic of a great band: it’s about the amazing combination of talents working together. And Faces was surely a great band, At this point, they were just getting to know each other and they still had something to prove. It’s an exciting era for any band, and it can’t really be recaptured.

• 28. Rod Stewart - “Only A Hobo” from 'Gasoline Alley' (1970)

  Another cover of a semi-obscure Dylan song. Dylan performed the song once, in 1963, and didn’t release it until 1991. It’s a bit more topical than most songs that Stewart covered (although he has gotten a bit more politcally outspoken as of late). and Stewart sounds filled with sorrow when he sings “Does it take much of a man to see his whole life go down/To look up on the world from a hole in the ground/To wait for your future like a horse that’s gone lame/To lie in the gutter and die with no name?”

• 27. Rod Stewart - “Angel” from 'Never A Dull Moment' (1972)

  Sometimes, Rod went for the huge hits with his covers, as with “Twistin’ The Night Away” or “Street Fighting Man,” but also found lesser-known gems in artists’ catalogs. Jimi Hendrix recorded this song for his planned fourth album just months before he died in September of 1970. It’s one of Hendrix’s loveliest ballads – apparently, he wrote it about his mother – and Rod Stewart more than did it justice.

• 26. Faces - “Three Button Hand Me Down” from 'First Step' (1970)

  A rocker written by Rod Stewart and Ian McLagan, but it starts with a funky bassline from Ronnie Lane. Written from the perspective of an American who didn’t know much about fashion, but did know the value of a timeless garment. “I’ve never been a tidy dresser,” Rod sings. “And the fold in my trousers ain’t straight/Still, I know a good cloth when I see one/That’s why I’m clad in this gray flannel suit.” When he wonders if he should get something more trendy, he recalls his father’s sartorial advice: “Others may come and others may go/But that suit will be around wherever you go: three button hand me down!”

• 25. Rod Stewart - “I’d Rather Go Blind” from 'Never A Dull Moment' (1972)

  One thing that you can say about Rod Stewart is that he’s confident in himself as a singer. It’s one thing to cover a Bob Dylan song: with all due respect to the man, he’s not generally thought of as a great vocalist. It’s quite another to record a song made famous by one of the greatest blues singers of all time. “I’d Rather Go Blind” was first recorded by Etta James (who co-wrote the song) in 1967 and it was an instant classic. But Rod did a good job on his version. So much so that James said his version was her favorite cover.

• 24. Faces - “Memphis” from 'A Nod Is As Good As A Wink… To A Blind Horse' (1971)

  A cover of Chuck Berry’s 1959 classic. The band had its way with the song, extending the original version’s 2:12 run time to nearly five and a half minutes. The lyrics are another example of Berry’s great songwriting, by the way. Through most of the song, you’re thinking that the narrator is trying to get in touch with a girlfriend: “Help me, information, get in touch with my Marie/She’s the only one who’d call me here from Memphis, Tennessee.” But the kicker comes at the end: Marie is his daughter, and it seems that she lives with his ex-. “I miss her and all the fun we had/Marie is only six years old, information please!” You can hear Rod winking as he sings it. By this point, Rod already had a daughter with an ex-, so he might have related to the lyrics.

• 23. Rod Stewart - “Street Fighting Man” from 'The Rod Stewart Album' (1969)

  Again: Rod was pretty bold. Leading off his very first solo album with a cover of a song by the Rolling Stones– a year after the Stones released the original — was a ballsy move. Stewart and Mick Jagger have been considered rivals over the decades (and they both have long histories with Ron Wood). Interestingly, Wood was one of the guitar players on the album; he’d go on to perform “Street Fighting Man” with the Stones hundreds of times. But Stewart proved himself a great artist with this song. It’s not just that he sang it well; the fact that he imagined this version of the song shows that he was also a visionary.

• 22. Rod Stewart - “You Wear It Well” from 'Never A Dull Moment' (1972)

  Co-written by Rod with guitar player Martin Quittenton, it bears more than a little resemblance to his then-recent hit, “Maggie May.” That said, it’s still a classic. And like “Maggie May,” it’s about a former lover. This one is pretty far in the rear view mirror… but he still thinks of her. And he wants her to know it. “I ain’t forgettin’ that you were once mine,” he reminisces. “But I blew it without even tryin’/Now I’m eatin’ my heart out/Tryin’ to get a letter through.” How special was she? According to Rod, pretty special: “Madame Onassis got nothing on you.” Most of the time trying to repeat a hit formula doesn’t work: here, however, it did.

• 21. Python Lee Jackson - “In A Broken Dream” (1970)

  Before Rod had huge success, a friend asked him to sing on a demo of “In A Broken Dream.” But, as Rod explains in this interview,there was no money involved. He was paid in car mats! Nothing really happened with the song until after Stewart had his first big hit with “Maggie May.” After that, “In A Broken Dream” was re-released as a single,  (“Wisely,” as Stewart points out). At that point, it became a #3 hit in England and #56 here in the States. It was something of a footnote to Stewart’s career. But it was sampled by rapper A$AP Rocky in 2015 for his song “Everyday,” which credited Stewart as a featured artist. That led to a fun meeting between Rod and Rocky in this episode of “Carpool Karaoke.”

  
  
  

• 20. The Jeff Beck Group -”Let Me Love You” from 'Truth' (1968)

  Did you know that when Led Zeppelin debuted, some referred to them as “the next Jeff Beck Group?” You can hear why on this track (and really, on nearly all of the band’s debut album, Truth). They were incredible: Beck, the guitar god who had recently been fired from the Yardbirds and really had something to prove, was joined by three lesser-known musicians: Rod Stewart, bass player Ronnie Wood and drummer Mick Waller. This song, co-written by Beck and Stewart, who split the lead vocals, is as powerful as any rock music that was being made in 1968. And it still sounds amazing. Jeff Beck mostly shied away from the mic over the decades, but his voice works here, and the song really spotlights the vibe between Jeff and Rod.

• 19. Rod Stewart - “It’s All Over Now” from 'Gasoline Alley' (1970)

  Another song from the Rolling Stones’ songbook; this was a cover though. Written by the late, great Bobby Womack for the band he was in at the time, the Valetinos, it was released in 1964. The Stones quickly recorded their cover later that year; it was their first #1 in the U.K. Rod’s version featured Ron Wood on guitar and bass; he’d go on to play this one, like “Street Fighting Man,” when he joined the Rolling Stones a few years later. Rod’s version is a blast though. It’s no surprise that this one made the Faces’ sets as well.

• 18. The Jeff Beck Group - “Spanish Boots” from 'Truth' (1969)

  Co-written by Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, this song likely spoke to their collective experience of leaving their old lives behind for a cooler future. We don’t necessarily think of Rod Stewart as a voice for the working class today – he’s kind of come to define what a rock and roll millionaire looks and acts like. But in 1969, he could definitely credibly sing lines like, “I used to work and take a salary/In a hole up near a foundry/But it did not take me too long/To get my boots: ‘So Long!’”

• 17. Faces - “Maybe I’m Amazed (live)” from 'Long Player' (1971)

  This Paul McCartney classic was only about a year old when the Faces tackled it in concert, as a Ronnie Lane/Rod Stewart duet. They also recorded a studio version that was released as a stand-alone single, but this live version, recorded at the Fillmore East in New York on November 10, 1970, included on the studio album Long Player, is the better version. Paul’s original version is on his 1970 solo debut, McCartney, which was a true solo album: Paul played all of the instruments on the album. His definitive version, though, came on the Wings Over America live album, and it shows how a band really add to the vibe of a song. And no band had more of a vibe than the Faces: their version is incredible and rivals that of Wings.

• 16. Rod Stewart - “Gasoline Alley” from 'Gasoline Alley' (1970)

  It needs to be said: besides being a great musician, Ron Wood seems to be a good and loyal friend. Frequently, band members don’t support their singers on their solo endeavors. Not only does Ron Wood play guitar and bass on many of Stewart’s early albums, he also co-wrote this classic. One might have thought that he’d want to keep such an obvious gem for the Faces. Regardless, this is a classic. It’s a sweet and nostalgic look back at a simpler time for Rod (and presumably, Ron). But this was only 1970: life would soon get much wilder for both of them.

• 15. The Jeff Beck Group - “You Shook Me” from 'Truth' (1968)

  Remember how we mentioned that Led Zeppelin were referred to as “the next Jeff Beck Group” early on? Well, the Jeff Beck Group covered this Muddy Waters classic a year before Zeppelin did it for their debut album. Interestingly, John Paul Jones (still a session musician in 1968) played organ on the Jeff Beck Group’s version. But the stars here are Beck’s guitar and Stewart’s singing, and the interplay between the two of them. They’re building the template that Zeppelin would run with, just months later.

• 14. The Jeff Beck Group - “All Shook Up” from 'Beck-Ola' (1969)

  The song is credited to Otis Blackwell and Elvis Presley. We can assume that Blackwell did most of the work, but in the book Last Train To Memphis, author Peter Guralnick wrote that Presley came up with the phrase “All Shook Up,” and he got a songwriting credit for that. And while we won’t say that the Jeff Beck Group’s version tops the original, it certainly turned it on its head and heralded a new era of flashier guitar heroes that were coming into vogue in the late ‘60s. Rod’s vocals, meanwhile, seem to set a template for other soulful rock singers, from Steven Tyler to Chris Robinson.

• 13. Rod Stewart - “Mandolin Wind” from 'Every Picture Tells A Story' (1971)

  A rare example of a song that Rod Stewart wrote with no collaborators, and it’s one of his finest moments. Through his sometimes schmaltzy ‘80s era, it was sometimes hard to remember that Rod was the guy who wrote and sang this lovely song. “I never was good with romantic words,” Rod sings. “So the next few lines come really hard/Don’t have much, but what I’ve got is yours/Except of course, my steel guitar/Ha, ’cause I know you don’t play/But I’ll teach you one day/Because I love ya.” He doesn’t lose his swagger or sense of humor, even in these sweet moments. Interestingly, he didn’t seem to remember who actually played the mandolin on the song. In the album’s liner notes, he writes, “The mandolin was played by the mandolin player in Lindisfarne. The name slips my mind.” Lindisfarne was a British folk band from that era.  But whoever played it, did a great job.

  
  
  

• 12. Faces - “Had Me A Real Good Time” from 'Long Player' (1971)

  A rare example of a song that Rod Stewart wrote with no collaborators, and it’s one of his finest moments. Through his sometimes schmaltzy ‘80s era, it was sometimes hard to remember that Rod was the guy who wrote and sang this lovely song. “I never was good with romantic words,” Rod sings. “So the next few lines come really hard/Don’t have much, but what I’ve got is yours/Except of course, my steel guitar/Ha, ’cause I know you don’t play/But I’ll teach you one day/Because I love ya.” He doesn’t lose his swagger or sense of humor, even in these sweet moments. Interestingly, he didn’t seem to remember who actually played the mandolin on the song. In the album’s liner notes, he writes, “The mandolin was played by the mandolin player in Lindisfarne. The name slips my mind.” Lindisfarne was a British folk band from that era. But whoever played it, did a great job.

• 11. Rod Stewart - “(Find A) Reason To Believe” from 'Every Picture Tells A Story' (1971)

  A cover of a song by folk singer Tim Hardin (he also wrote “If I Were A Carpenter”). Rod’s version was the first single from Every Picture Tells A Story; “Maggie May” was the B-side, if you can believe that. “Maggie May” soon became a bigger hit, but that doesn’t take away from how amazing Rod’s take on this song is. A genius moment here is at about 2:40 in where it goes silent: you might have thought the song was over. Then, after two seconds, we hear Rod’s voice, with no instrumentation, sing, “Someone like you, makes it hard to live without somebody else…” And then the piano and the rest of the band comes back in. It’s not just great singing by Rod, it’s great production and arrangement. 

  
  
  

• 10. Faces - “Flying” from 'First Step' (1970)

  A lovely ballad co-written by Rod Stewart, Ronnie Lane and Ronnie Wood, it was the band’s first single. The song spotlighted the band’s strengths: first off, they were great songwriters. Wood – at that time, mostly known for being the bass player of the Jeff Beck Group  – turned out to be a great guitar player. Ian McLagan’s organ playing was beautiful and Ronnie Lane and Kenney Jones were an amazing rhythm section (as they had been in the Small Faces). But it’s Rod’s lead vocals that really make this song soar.

  
  
  

• 9. The Jeff Beck Group - “Morning Dew” from 'Truth' (1968)

  A folk song by an artist named Bonnie Dobson, which she first released in 1962. The lyrics tell the tale of two people having a conversation in a world after a nuclear attack. Which is a very ‘60s theme, but it probably (and sadly) is just as relevant today. The song has been covered often, but it was probably folk singer Tim Hardin’s version that led to the Jeff Beck Group’s cover. Gregg and Duane Allman covered it, as did Robert Plant, and it was a part of the Grateful Dead’s repertoire. But Rod Stewart is just on another level; this is the best version of it. One of the best things about listening to the early Jeff Beck Group songs was hearing Rod Stewart when he still had something to prove: he was really going for it.

  
  
  

• 8. The Jeff Beck Group - “Jailhouse Rock” from 'Beck-Ola' (1969)

  The second of two songs from the Elvis Presley songbook on Truth. We’ll take another “Ron Wood appreciation moment” here to give a shout out to his monster bass line on this song. And again, we’ll say that it’s hard to do a “definitive” version of an Elvis song. Like him or not, his early songs shaped the genre that we all know and love. But damn: Jeff, Rod, Ron and then-new-drummer Tony Newman really put their stamp on a classic here. 1950s rock and roll was not necessarily considered cool by the late 1960s, but the boys really updated these classics for a new generation.

• 7. Rod Stewart - “Every Picture Tells A Story” from 'Every Picture Tells A Story' (1971)

  The title track and first song on Rod’s second – and best – solo album. Rod co-wrote this one with Ronnie Wood. And surely the other members of the Faces probably would have loved to have had this one on one of their albums. Indeed, they all appear on the song: Ian McLagan plays organ, and McLagan, Kenney Jones and Ronnie Lane all sing backing vocals towards the end of the song.

  In the song, the narrator tells of his adventures and conquests all over the world, following his Daddy’s advice (“Son, you better see the world… But remember one thing, don’t lose your head/to a woman that’ll spend your bread!”). He tells us about his days in Paris, Rome and Peking (where he describes an Asian woman in a way that would – rightfully – never fly today). He concludes that “The women I’ve known I wouldn’t let tie my shoe.” But he also realizes that he’s not a total loner: “I firmly believed that I didn’t need anyone but me/I sincerely thought I was so complete/Look how wrong you can be.” We’d respectfully suggest that we wished he took those lyrics to heart over the past few decades: it would have been great if the long rumored reunions with Jeff Beck or the Faces would have come to fruition.

• 6. The Jeff Beck Group - “Shapes Of Things” from 'Truth' (1968)

  Jeff Beck had something to prove with his new band: he had just been thrown out of the Yardbirds. So he covered one of their best songs, which was defined by his guitar playing. Yardbirds singer Keith Relf was amazing but Rod Stewart was just in another league, and the Jeff Beck Group’s version was way heavier than the original. That said, both versions are classic. And a shout out here to original Jeff Beck Group drummer Mick Waller, who Jeff sacked after the first album (Rod used him on some of his early solo records). His powerhouse playing is the song’s secret sauce. It’s a shame that the Jeff Beck Group didn’t stay together longer; they were incredible.

• 5. Faces - “Wicked Messenger” from 'First Step' (1970)

  This Bob Dylan cover kicked off the first Faces album; it was a relatively recent song, having been released on 1967’s John Wesley Harding. But where Dylan’s version was a stripped down acoustic song with an upright bass and lightly tapped drums, the Faces turned it into a heavy rock jam showcasing the power of all five members. The Faces only lasted four albums (surely due to Stewart’s rising star as a solo act), but it’s too bad they didn’t have a longer lifespan. They were truly a great band.

• 4. Rod Stewart - “(I Know) I’m Losing You” from 'Every Picture Tells A Story' (1971)

  This Temptations cover really should have been credited to the Faces, since that’s who is playing on the song (that’s Kenney Jones on the drum solo in the middle). As Rod wrote in the liner notes, “I’d like to drink a toast to my old associates and colleagues The Faces (Jones, McLagan Lane and Wood) for being patient in giving me the time to ake this recording and for the musically development on ‘Losing You.’” Calling guys who he had been bandmates with for about a year “my old associates and colleagues” was a weird choice. Also, “musical development” was a strange way to say, “Thanks for playing on the track on my solo album!” The Faces, however, included it in their sets, and it does feel like it belong to the band, not just Rod.

• 3. The Jeff Beck Group - “I Ain’t Superstitious” from 'Truth' (1968)

  The second song written by the legendary Willie Dixon on Truth: “You Shook Me” was a song he wrote for Muddy Waters. “I Ain’t Superstitious,” meanwhile, was written for Howlin’ Wolf. Back then, you had to be able to do credible and fresh takes on blues classics to really be considered great, and the bands that did that are still legendary today: Led Zeppelin, Cream, the JimI Hendrix Expereince, the Rolling Stones… and this version of the Jeff Beck Group holds their own with those other bands. And a shout out here to drummer Mick Waller for his dramatic song-ending drum solo, which proved him to be a peer of some of the most exciting drummers of the era: Mitch Mitchell, John Bonham and Keith Moon.

• 2. Rod Stewart - “Maggie May” from 'Every Picture Tells A Story' (1971)

  Co-written by Rod Stewart and guitar player Martin Quittenton, it’ll always be thought of as Rod’s best moment as a singer/songwriter. And hey, it’s a rare instance of a rock and roller singing about a relationship with an older woman! Apparently, it’s based on a true-ish story, with the woman’s name changed. As mentioned earlier, it was originally the B-side to “Reason To Believe,” but soon overtook it as the bigger hit. Indeed, it’s the hit that launched Rod to stardom and helped him to outshine his current and former bands, despite having contributions from his mates from both groups on the song. Ron Wood plays guitar and bass and Ian McLagan plays Hammond organ, while former Jeff Beck Group member Mick Waller plays the drums.

• 1. Faces - “Stay With Me” from 'A Nod Is As Good As A Wink… To A Blind Horse' (1971)

  The Faces’ biggest hit and the one song from their discography that typically makes Rod’s setlists, decades after the band’s demise. Written by Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, it was their only U.S. hit, reaching #17 on the pop charts. It’s kind of the ultimate party jam, and it’s interesting that it was released in the same year as “Maggie May.” “Maggie May” is about a relationship with another woman just isn’t working out. But with “Stay With Me,” there’s no pretense that there is going to be any relationship at all. “Stay With Me” is a proposition that lasts exactly one night: as Rod sings, “In the morning, don’t say you love me, ‘cause I’ll only kick you out of the door.”