Rod Stewart - Reason To Believe: The Complete (3CD BoxSet, 2002)⭐

Rod Stewart – Reason To Believe: The Complete Mercury Studio Recordings

Label: Mercury – 440 063 422-2
Format: 3 x CD, Compilation, Remastered, Digipak
Disc manufacturer: US
Released: 2002
Genre: Folk Rock, Rock & Roll, Pop Rock, Soul, Country
Audio codec: FLAC (*.flac)
Rip type: tracks+.cue
Audio bitrate: lossless
Duration: 3 h 46 min

DISC ONE
THE ROD STEWART ALBUM (Mercury SR-61237) 1969
01. Street Fighting Man (Mick Jagger / Keith Richards) 5:06
02. Man Of Constant Sorrow (Rod Stewart) 2:31
03. Blind Prayer (Rod Stewart) 4:36
04. Handbags And Gladrags (Mike D'Abo) 4:24
05. An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down (Rod Stewart) 3:04
06. I Woulgn't Ever Change A Thing (Rod Stewart) 4:43
07. Cindy's Lament (Rod Stewart) 4:25
08. Dirty Old Town (Ewan MacColl) 3:37
GASOLINE ALLEY (Mercury SR-61264) 1970
09. Gasoline Alley (Rod Stewart/Ron Wood) 4:02
10. It's All Over Now (Bobby & Shirley Womack) 6:21
11. Only A Hobo (Bob Dylan) 4:16
12. My Way Of Giving (Steve Mariott / Ronnie Lane) 3:57
13. Country Comforts (Elton John / Bernie Taupin) 4:43
14. Cut Across Shortly (Marijohn Wilkin / Wayne P. Walker) 6:30
15. Lady Day (Rod Stewart) 4:12
16. Jo's Lament (Rod Stewart) 3:25
17. You're My Girl (I Don't Wan't To Discuss It) (D. Cooper / B. Beatty / E. Shelby) 4:30
Bonus track:
18. It's All Over Now single version (Bobby & Shirley Womack) 3:35
issued as single, Vertigo 6086 002 (UK) 1970

DISC TWO
EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY (Mercury SRM-1-609) 1971
01. Every Picture Tells a Story (Rod Stewart/Ron Wood) 5:57
02. Seems Like A Long Time (Theodore Anderson) 4:00
03. That's All Right / Amazing Grace (Arthur Crudup) /
(Traditional; arranged by Rod Stewart/Sam Mitchell) 5:59
04. Tomorrow Is A Long Time (Bob Dylan) 3:46
05. Maggie Mae (Rod Stewart/Martin Quittenton) 5:46
06. Mandolin Wind (Rod Stewart) 5:32
07. (I Know) I Losing You (N. Whitfield / E. Holland / C. Grant) 5:20
08. (Find A) Reason To Believe (Tim Hardin) 4:09
NEVER A DULL MOMENT (Mercury SRM-10646) 1972
09. True Blue (Rod Stewart/Ron Wood) 3:32
10. Lost Paraguayos (Rod Stewart/Ron Wood) 3:57
11. Mama You Been On My Mind (Bob Dylan) 4:30
12. Italian Girls (Rod Stewart / Ron Wood) 4:55
13. Angel (Jimi Hendrix) 4:04
14. Inteludings (A. Wood) 0:41
15. You Wear It Well (Rod Stewart/Martin Quittenton) 4:22
16. I'd Rather Go Blind (Billy Foster/Ellington Jordan) 3:53
17. Twistin' The Night Away (Sam Cooke) 3:16
Bonus track:
18. What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made A Loser Out Of Me) (Glenn Sutton) 2:51
issued as te b-side of ANGEL, Mercury 6052 198 (UK) 1972

DISC THREE
From SING IT AGAIN ROD, (Mercury SRM-1-680) 1973
01. Pinball Wizard (From the Rock Opera "Tommy" (1914-1984)
(Pete Townshend) 3:09
02. Oh! No Not My Baby (Carole King/Gerry Goffin) 3:38
03. Jodie (Rod Stewart / Ron Wood / Ian McLagan) 3:09
SMILER (Mercury SRM-1-1017) 1973
04. Sweet Little Rock 'N Roller (Chuck Berry) 3:44
05. Lochinvar (Pete Sears) 0:25
06. Farewell (Rod Stewart/Martin Quittenton) 4:34
07. Sailor (Rod Stewart/Ron Wood) 3:35
08. Bring It On Home To Me / You Send Me (Sam Cooke) 3:59
09. Let Me Be Your Car (Elton John / Bernie Taupin) 4:58
10. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Man
(Gerry Goffin/Carole King/Jerry Wexler) 3:54
11. Dixie Toot (Rod Stewart/Ron Wood) 3:27
12. Hard Road (Harry Vanda / George Young) 4:27
13. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face (Instrumental)
(Alan Lerner/Frederick Lowe) 1:32
14. Girl From Eru North Country (Bob Dylan) 3:52
15. Mine For Me (Paul & Linda McCartney) 4:01
From the HANDBAGS & GLADRAGS collection (Mercury (UK) 528 82 3-2) 1995
16. Missed You (Rod Stewart) 3:59
17. You Put Something Better Inside Me (Gerry Raffery / Joe Egan) 3:49
18. Crying Laughing Loving Lying (Labi Siffre) 2:52
19. Every Time We Say Goodbye (Cole Porter) 3:34
20. So Tired (Rod Stewart) 3:41

Personnel
Rod Stewart - vocals, acoustic guitar
Ian McLagan - piano, organ ;
Pete Sears - piano, organ, bass
Ronnie Lane - vocals, bass
Gordon Huntley - steel guitar
Martin Quittenton - acoustic guitar
Dick Powell - violin
Ray Jackson - mandolin
Dennis O'Flynn
Martin Pugh - guitar
Stanley Matthews
William Gaffy - whistle
Also: Elton John, London Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Horns, Ron Wood

INFO
This nicely packaged 2002 collection gathers every track Rod Stewart recorded for Mercury Records between 1969 and 1974.
The 56 songs include remastered versions of all 46 songs from his first five solo albums, as well as ten outtakes (half of which previously appeared on the excellent double-disc "Handbags And Gladrags" retrospective). Ten non-LP songs isn't all that much if you already has all five studio albums ("The Rod Stewart Album", "Gasoline Alley", the fabulous "Every Picture Tells A Story", "Never A Dull Moment" and "Smiler"), but if you don't, this is an excellent way to acquire all of Rod Stewart's very best material in one fell swoop.
The non-LP songs include a good take on "Pinball Wizard", a heartfelt "Every Time We Say Goodbye", and Rod Stewart at his most "country", doing a really great "What Made Milwaukee Famous".
Stewart's first four studio albums went from great to sublime, after which "Smiler" was a bit of disappointment, but it too brings several fine songs to the party.
There are almost too many highlights to mention; originals like "Lost Paraguayos", "Gasoline Alley", "Every Picture Tells A Story", the beautiful "Mandolin Wind", and the classic "Maggie May", and some of the best cover songs ever, courtesy of the greatest interpretive singer of the last 40 years:
"Street Fighting Man", "Only A Hobo", "Country Comforts", an incredible "Cut Across Shorty", and the best ever rendition of "That's All Right".
To me, this tough, superbly melodious, and extremely well-arranged folk-rock ranks among the best music of the seventies.
The only drawback is that the flow of the original albums has been disturbed, but that is a minor complaint. Rarely has this much excellent music been gathered on one album.

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Collection of recordings made for Mercury in 1969-1974.

The Rod Stewart Album was recorded at Landsdowne & Olympic Studios, London, and released in September 1969 as Mercury SR-61237.

Gasoline Alley was recorded at Morgan Studios, London, and released in May 1970 as Mercury SR-61264. It's All Over Now (Single Version) was issued as single, Vertigo 6086 002 (UK), September 1970.

Every Picture Tells A Story was recorded at Morgan Studios, London, and released in May 1971 as Mercury SRM-1-609.

Never A Dull Moment was recorded at Morgan Studios & Olympic Studios, London, and released in July 1972 as Mercury SRM-1-646. What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made A Loser Out Of Me) was issued as the b-side of Angel in November 1972 (Mercury 6052 198 (UK)).

Pinball Wizard (from the Rock Opera Tommy [1914-1984]) was recorded at Olympic Studios, London. Taken from Sing It Again Rod compilation, Mercury SRM-1-680, released June 1973.

Oh! No Not My Baby and Jodie were issued as single Mercury 73426, September 1973.

Smiler was recorded at Morgan Studios, London, and released in September 1974 as Mercury SRM-1-1017.

You Put Something Better Inside Me and Crying Laughing Loving Lying were recorded during the Smiler sessions. Every Time We Say Goodbye was recorded summer of 1973. So Tired and Missed You were recorded circa 1973/1974. Taken from Handbags & Gladrags compilation, Mercury (UK) 528 823-2, released in 1995