Forget the old guy with the challenged voice singing standards and marrying women half his age. Once upon a time, Rod Stewart was a god, our most riveting live performer, if you ever saw him with the Faces, you’ll never forget it.

But I’m getting ahead of myself…

SHAPES OF THINGS

Forget the Yardbirds take, upon which Jeff Beck also played guitar, this version is a mind-bending adventure that will have you leaning into the speaker just to get closer the sound. And that’s what it’s all about, the sound. Back when there was no production, maybe a light show at best.

And sure, Jeff is wailing.

But who’s that guy singing?

We didn’t know.

If this act had stayed together, they could have been as big as Led Zeppelin, well, close, but Jeff has a hard time getting along with people, and the group splintered.

HANDBAGS AND GLADRAGS

From the initial solo album.

If this doesn’t close you, stop reading right now.

Yes, written by Mike D’Abo of Manfred Mann fame, it was already a hit by Chris Farlowe, but Stewart made it his own.

AN OLD RAINCOAT WON’T EVER LET YOU DOWN

All the press was about Stewart’s reworking of the Stones’ “Street Fighting Man,” which opened his debut solo LP, entitled “The Rod Stewart Album” in the U.S., but it was called “An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down” in the U.K., after this cut. And I include it primarily because Stewart wrote it. However when he sings the “la’s” around 1:45, you’ll melt. But the point is Stewart was not only a singer, but a writer, and even though most of the tracks he’s recorded have not been originals, the best are.

MAN OF CONSTANT SORROW

What the hell, another from the debut, because it’s so haunting you’ll truly believe you’re in Colorado. The sparse instrumentation, Rod’s vocal…it’s pure magic.

WICKED MESSENGER

The opening cut from the first Small Faces album with Stewart (it said “Small Faces” on initial pressings, it was changed to “Faces” thereafter.) A Dylan cover, it was more than that. “First Step” was not only the initial Stewart Faces album, it was the best!

THREE BUTTON HAND ME DOWN

An entrancing ditty that you won’t be able to get out of your head.

FLYING

The BEST cut off “First Step,” it’s a magic elixir of Ron Wood’s guitar, Ian McLagan’s organ and Rod’s vocal. Absolutely incredible, if you don’t know it, you’re in for a treat.

GASOLINE ALLEY

You could feel it!

The album cover was embossed… Rod’s rooster hair, the manhole cover, you ran your fingers over them and…

This is how I discovered Stewart, the reviews on this album were so damn good I had to purchase it without hearing it first. And when I dropped the needle I said…HUH?

Because Stewart’s voice is an acquired taste, and at this point we’d heard nothing like it.

The title track is still my favorite….

Going home
Running home
Down to gasoline alley where I started from

IT’S ALL OVER NOW

We rockers were enamored of the Stones’ version, but Stewart made the song his own. And his radiated JOY!

ONLY A HOBO

Bob Dylan wrote it, but unless you’re old and gray and a Dylanologist, you probably don’t know it.

It’s got the same feel as “Man Of Constant Sorrow,” and that’s a good thing!

Only a hobo, but one more is gone
Leavin’ nobody to sing his sad song
Leavin’ nobody to carry him home
Only a hobo, but one more is gone

Everybody’s a human being, never forget that.

MY WAY OF GIVING

It’s the organ, it’s the bass, the electric guitar…back when what was in the grooves was all that mattered.

It’s all part of my way of giving
And I’m giving it all to you

It’s subtle, but it’s incredible, it’s the album track you think is a throwaway and then come to love the most.

COUNTRY COMFORT

Yes, the Elton/Bernie song, but before we’d heard the original. And to tell you the truth, I prefer Elton’s take, but this demonstrates Rod’s exquisite taste.

CUT ACROSS SHORTY

Originally done by Eddie Cochran, this will make your hair stand on end and have you scurrying down the rabbit hole, forsaking pop and just following this SOUND!

YOU’RE MY GIRL (I DON’T WANT TO DISCUSS IT)

Originally done by Little Richard, with a fantastic take by Rhinoceros being played on the radio, this was a complete reworking, it’s a revelation.

And there you have it, seven cuts from “Gasoline Alley”… You’ve got to understand, this was the kind of album that had you poring over the credits…WHO ARE THESE GUYS! You felt they were virtuosos, you were interested in everything they had to say and do.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED

“Long Player” is deficient, but this live take of the McCartney classic is the best cut, especially when Rod comes in…

I saw the band at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. The band started without Rod, and then he sauntered in from the wings with a peacock walk I’ll never forget.

And this duet was the most memorable moment of the show.

You know that special feeling when you experience greatness, stardom, before everybody else…THIS WAS IT!

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

I know, I know, all the press, all the accolades, went to “Maggie May,” but this is the cut.

It’s like Rod the Mod had something to prove, he was gonna show us, “Every Picture Tells A Story” is tour-de-force, right down to Maggie Bell’s “vocal abrasives.”

MAGGIE MAY

Hang in there long enough and you get lucky. You put out good work and nothing happens…and then something does!

And every fall this track goes through my head…it’s late September, should I really be back in school?

(I KNOW) I’M LOSING YOU

Sure, the original was by the Temptations, but I far prefer this. It’s like a freight train runnin’ down the track broadcasting the message for all to hear. Whew!

MANDOLIN WIND

Sounds like the Dylan covers above, and if I didn’t tell you otherwise, you’d think Bob wrote it, but that’s untrue, Rod did, and it’s just as good.

STAY WITH ME

“A Nod is as Good as a Wink… To A Blind Horse” is nearly unlistenable, except for this, the Faces’ classic.

TRUE BLUE

Can I leave “You Wear It Well” off this list?

Yup, I’m gonna do that. Because it’s essentially a reworking of “Maggie May.”

But this is something different.

Never been a millionaire
And I tell you mama I don’t care

There’s all kinds of references to money and products, but here Rod’s not saying he wants and deserves them, but that they’re not what’s important.

Then again, back then money wasn’t everything.

LOST PARAGUAYOS

An acoustic story song, infectious.

ANGEL

My favorite cover of the Jimi Hendrix song, ever.

Most didn’t know the original, it’s become more famous over time, but Rod makes it less about the guitar workout and more about the lyrics and the changes.

THREE TIME LOSER

So Rod finally finishes his Mercury deal and signs with a real record company, Warner.

And disappoints us.

Oh, there was nothing wrong with “Atlantic Crossing,” it’s just that it lost the English feel, maybe because Tom Dowd produced it. Sometimes working with the right guy is the wrong thing.

Funny lyrics here though!

TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT (GONNA BE ALRIGHT)

So Rod’s arguably the biggest rock star in the world, he’s dating Britt Ekland and he releases this mildly-veiled sexual serenade and it was all over the airwaves and…

You just had to love it.

THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST

It was not on the Cat Stevens albums we knew, which were all on A&M, nobody knew this song, but it’s the best on the LP.

Rod Stewart made “The First Cut Is The Deepest” a standard.

And when you listen to it now, it still seems like he means every word. If he’d only done this one cut, he’d still be remembered.

DA YA THINK I’M SEXY

Everybody went disco, from the Stones to the Beach Boys, most looking for the hit they hadn’t had in decades, and still didn’t have.

And “Miss You” is a classic.

But the man who truly triumphed in the disco sphere was Rod Stewart, because “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy” is so damn good.

In other words, if you’re gonna hop genres you can get away with it if you deliver a cut as good as or better than everything else in the genre. Furthermore, wasn’t Rod selling sex anyway?

And for those who say this cut ruined Rod’s career…come on, you’re kidding! If you don’t like “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy” you’ve got no…sex!

And the above are the highlights. I left out some hits and live cuts. But the point is as the landscape changed and there was less need for what he did, Rod became a schlockmeister.

And that’s sad, because he’s messing with our memories, our picture of who he once was.

And that was the coolest, most credible cat out there.

Rhinofy-Rod Stewart Primer

The music business died with Live Aid.

We can debate when it was born, whether it was with Bill Haley, Little Richard or the Beatles, but it was truly done after that July day in 1985, which was a victory lap Woodstock could only dream of. This wasn’t just 400,000 on Max Yasgur’s farm, the whole world was watching.

And that’s the way it used to be, when rock and roll ruled the world.

The best rock documentary ever made is “History Of The Eagles.”

The second best might be the first half of “Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon.”

Shep Gordon, who is that?

That’s just the point. The last time I saw him he and Alice Cooper were getting an award and Shep refused to make a speech, knowing his success was all about putting his acts first. If your manager is famous, telling you how great he is, you’ve got the wrong one.

And that’s what’s wrong with this movie. It’s hagiography. Watching you’d think Shep Gordon is the nicest, most powerful person in the world, friendly with the Dalai Lama and screwing Sharon Stone. Then again, these are the kinds of myths created before Live Aid, when you sat at home, reading the magazines with your jaw dropped in awe, saying to yourself…I WANT TO GET ME SOME OF THAT!

Which is why everybody moved to L.A. and Sweet Connie and the rest of the groupies wanted to get close. Because up through Live Aid, rock was where it was at.

And that’s where the first half of this documentary is, before it devolves into chefs and actors and Hawaii and all the stuff we think we care about but really don’t, because rock music, when done right, is life itself. Actors play a role, rock stars are the role.

So Shep graduates from the University of Buffalo. The media tells you you need to go to an Ivy, but neither Irving nor Geffen graduated from college, because what it takes to succeed is never taught in school, it’s in your DNA, it’s who you are.

And Shep Gordon is a stoner graduating with a sociology degree who wants to save the world. But after ten minutes as a probation officer, he turns to rock and roll. No, that’s not true, he turns to dope dealing.

The fact that it’s illegal? Everybody who made it in the rock era did something illegal.

So he hooks up with Alice Cooper and…

They’re broke. They’re running out on the bill. Frank Zappa doesn’t even want to put out their record.

Obstacles, it’s worse than “Survivor” making it in the music business.

So Shep and the boys lie, cheat and steal, utilize leverage and luck to make it.

They have a truck carrying a picture of Alice and his snake break down in Piccadilly Circus. They manipulate the media. And we bought it.

Furthermore, they were breaking rules all the time, standing up to the label, oh how different it is today.

They were flying by the seat of their pants, drinking and drugging, screwing and swallowing, having fun all the while.

And what will you learn?

The three rules of rock and roll.

1. Get the money.

2. Think about getting the money.

3. Remember to always think about getting the money.

That’s what a manager does.

They don’t unpack so they can roll out quickly.

They’ve got a checklist because they can’t think clearly.

They’re flying private and meeting every famous person and if you didn’t want to be a rock star back when, you were deaf.

No one wants to be a rock star today.

Oh, there are the bankers and techies who call themselves that, but they’re not cool.

And the people in music are only doing it their way if they think it will pay dividends. No one’s got a backbone, at least no one with any talent and success.

But as Shep says… If he does his job really well, it’ll probably kill you.

Because being a rock star is hard work. Without a safety net. Hell, the bassist from the Atlanta Rhythm Section died the other day, Robert Nix is already six feet under, ever wonder why our rockers don’t live?

So you’ll watch this movie and buy it or if you’re sophisticated you won’t.

Shep is convinced he saw Pablo Picasso, but the artist died years before.

You see rockers’ memories are imperfect. And they know that fiction makes a better story than truth. Which is why most of what you read before Live Aid was half true or made up, it was part of the act, part of the magic.

But after Live Aid…

MTV realized it was big business. They squeezed the original VJs out, they added a game show and scripted programming to hold viewers and garner advertising.

But once upon a time, the music was enough.

Because it drove the culture. It was where the kids who didn’t fit in went to not only get rich, but change the world.

At a price.

The one price that is constantly emphasized in this film is Shep Gordon’s personal life. Married twice, his first betrothal was annulled and the second fizzled when his wife refused to employ artificial means to have a child.

And if you believe that, you’re wet behind the ears.

You see Shep Gordon was fueled by the action, doing for others made him feel good. That drug left room for no one else, and still doesn’t. He surrounds himself with friends, but those friends go home to their spouses, he sleeps alone.

So beware the life of famous stardom.

Shep says fame doesn’t make you happy.

But neither does wealth.

They both just temporarily fill an endless hole.

But we can’t stop watching. Those of us who color inside the lines, who are afraid to take a risk and marvel at those who do. Which is why we’re now enamored of extreme sports icons like Shaun White more than musicians.

But once upon a time, “Rolling Stone” was the Bible. You had to go to the gig to feel included. Youth drove the world, our parents weren’t wearing designer jeans, they were completely clueless.

We ruled.

Our musicians led.

And not a single one made it without a manager, a handler, an entourage.

Because being a good performer/writer/musician is one thing. Doing business is another.

Was Shep Gordon the best ever? Is he as good as he’s portrayed in this movie?

It doesn’t matter.

What does is if you lived through this era, the early seventies, when Alice Cooper was the biggest band in the land, you’ll see yourself in this movie, reading the rock rags, bothering your parents with the music, believing that inside the grooves of these records was truth and a path forward.

If only those days would come back.

“Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon”

THE TRANSITION

We’re in the midst of the greatest transition in the music business since the Beatles, and I’m not talking about files to streaming, ownership to rental, but the transition from baby boomers to the younger generation.

Malcolm Young’s illness is evidence.

Voices change. Arthritis sets in. In other words, no one lives forever, and no one can do it forever. Sure, you might see ancient warriors still treading the boards, but so many of your favorite classic acts are not only over sixty, they’re seventy. In other words, if you want to see the Stones, go now, this is truly the last time.

And what this means is the legacy of the business is being wiped out, everything boomers were married to will be gone. Traditional radio, physical product, getting a good seat at a fair price, the music and everything attendant to it will be wiped out and we’ll end up with a clean slate.

So, if you’re waiting for the past to come back, sayonara!

The younger generation grew up in a pop world. Will there be a revolt against said pop music, will its “Sgt. Pepper” follow its “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” otherwise known as “My Humps”? Possibly, we’ll have to wait and see, but the people making the music will find the path themselves, they will not see themselves as part of a legacy business, but a whole new thing.

BLOCKBUSTERS AND MONEY

It only gets better from here, if you’re a winner. Income is only going up. Musicians have always had cultural power, they’re just leaving so much of it on the table. We live in a society of winners and losers, and music is the same. If you’re looking at your royalty statement or your touring income and you’re not happy, don’t keep doing what you’re doing, you ain’t goin’ nowhere. You’ve got to double down, change… Lemmings die, smart innovators live. That may mean you glom on to the sound of the day, that may mean you get a big investor, but it’s always been a hits business and it still is today, only we are not interested in B material, we need nothing to fill out the char…great, and only great, wins, and very little is great, but that which is is ubiquitous, and very profitable.

FREQUENCY

There’s been a big change in music in the last ten years. Used to be an act put out new music every three to five years. If you do that now, unless you’re Justin Timberlake, you’re forgotten.

Album cycles have sped up.

Acts put covers and live material on YouTube.

In other words, we are in an era of creation as opposed to marketing. It’s an artist’s wet dream. You have a ready and willing audience that wants to eat up everything you have to say. Feed them. Constantly. Singles may take longer than ever to happen on radio, but if you don’t think radio is losing its influence, you’re in it.

Furthermore, the tail of almost anything is not very long. Is anybody listening to “Gangnam Style” now? “Blurred Lines”? Beyonce’s latest?

Baby boomer thinking is that you make an impact and last.

Youngster thinking is what have you done for me lately?

If you haven’t done anything lately, you’re on the way to extinction.

MERGER OF SOUNDS

Country artists rap, some don’t even include banjos and fiddles in their music anymore. If you believe there’s a separation in sound, you’re unaware of the audience. Kids consume everything. All the influences. Don’t be surprised to hear EDM elements in country music soon. The younger generation thinks this is de rigueur, the same way they’ve got no problem with gay marriage. Times change. And they have.

RECORD LABELS

Everybody needs money. And leverage comes from catalog. Major labels have catalog, as long as they proffer fair deals, they will survive. Someone else could swoop in and replace them, but they’d have to have very deep pockets, because they don’t have that catalog cash cow.

INTERNET RADIO

Will not look like terrestrial radio. Despite all of its publicity, its festival, its awards show, Clear Channel has still not penetrated the new paradigm, which is personalization, or I hear what I want to on demand. iTunes Radio has put not a dent into Pandora’s mindshare, Apple’s only hope is to expand internationally before Westergren’s company. There is a first mover advantage, and Clear Channel/iHeart does not have it, no matter what they say.

FACEBOOK

Zuckerberg is smarter than everybody. Because he realizes Facebook is not forever. That’s what his recent acquisitions have been all about…tomorrow. In other words, Fleetwood Mac was right, don’t stop thinking about tomorrow, but the music business is famous for this. Expect further disruption by those not married to the past, this business leaves itself wide open for it.

SPOTIFY

Signed, sealed, delivered, it’s done, Spotify won. Why? Because it was a good idea, executed well at the right time. And the company had deep pockets and was willing to lose money. It’s the free tier that made Spotify win. Beats has no chance. Rdio and Deezer have already been forgotten. Only YouTube can compete with Spotify. There’s only one winner online, and if you think otherwise, tell me who competes with Amazon, which keeps getting bigger a la Zuckerberg, having just made a deal for HBO’s content.

CONCERT PROMOTION

The dream was with the decline of the labels, the promoters would step in and break acts, this has not happened, because promoters don’t want to invest, they don’t have the vision, if you sell tickets, they’ll book you, but if you can’t, they don’t want you. Artist development will continue to come from outside sources.

FESTIVALS

Are not where you break acts. Don’t believe otherwise.

But festivals work primarily because of the camaraderie of the audience, it’s very different from the traditional concert experience where you’re married to your seat, at the festival you get to interact with others, and we do live in a social network.

MOBILE

Desktop? Done. Tablet? Done.

Last quarter’s iPad sales were not spectacular, Tim Cook says it’s an inventory thing. But pundits believe otherwise. It’s all about the mobile handset, which keeps getting bigger. Mobile is going to be where you listen to music, buy stuff and get information. And if you’re not making it easier for consumers to do this on their handsets, you’re missing out. If anything, America is behind the curve on this. In India, in developing nations, in Europe…mobile already rules.

FOOD

Hot dogs and popcorn will not do. Even kids know good food. The whole country has gone upscale. This is the blockbuster syndrome in action. If your venue or festival is not serving gourmet fare, you’re losing money and disappointing your audience.

COKE

Is dying. That’s not my opinion, check the statistics, kids don’t want it. So everything you thought was forever might not be, everything is up for grabs, the future will be owned by those not married to the past, who are disrupting on a regular basis.

As for music and creativity…that’s king, because few can do it and it affects us so. How it will come to be will always be a gray area. Right now, tracks are massaged by many over a long period of time. Tomorrow individuals might write them in an hour. That’s the magic, never underestimate magic.

AMATEURS

Have tons of ideas, are excited about all of them and see none to fruition.

PROFESSIONALS

Have tons of ideas, pick one and do their best to make it happen.

AMATEURS

Think they can do everything.

PROFESSIONALS

Know it’s almost impossible to achieve one thing.

AMATEURS

Think they know everything.

PROFESSIONALS

Are always learning.

AMATEURS

Start with no preparation.

PROFESSIONALS

Do research, they want to know where the bodies are buried, what the landscape holds. Better to take all these factors into account before you start, because trying to adjust on the fly is so much more difficult, it wastes time and energy and it’s hard to put a fourth wheel on a car you designed with three.

AMATEURS

Don’t finish.

PROFESSIONALS

Are all about execution. Sure, they occasionally abandon a project when they see further effort is fruitless, but the mark of a pro is someone who begins and ends. If you notice someone can’t complete a task, run from them!

AMATEURS

Are worried about image.

PROFESSIONALS

Let their work do the talking.

AMATEURS

Demonstrate insecurity.

PROFESSIONALS

Are extremely confident.

AMATEURS

Can only see what’s in front of them.

PROFESSIONALS

Are all about the big picture.

AMATEURS

Hold those above them in contempt.

PROFESSIONALS

Hold no one in contempt, but they haven’t got much time for losers. If you’re an amateur trying to graduate to professional status and you have the good fortune to encounter a pro, DON’T WASTE THEIR TIME! Give just one or two compliments and ask your question. But most amateurs are so busy being sycophants the professional tunes out, or goes on at such length that the professional excuses himself.

AMATEURS

Have no idea what dues are.

PROFESSIONALS

Have paid their dues, and are still paying them.

AMATEURS

Believe in instant success.

PROFESSIONALS

Know anything worth accomplishing takes a long time, and what might look like overnight success is rarely such.

AMATEURS

Boast.

PROFESSIONALS

Never slap their own backs, and are oftentimes uncomfortable with others slapping their backs.

AMATEURS

Get nervous.

PROFESSIONALS

May be anxious, but they’ve performed the task so many times they let instinct take over, they go on their experience, nervousness never comes into the equation.

AMATEURS

Are looking for their one big break.

PROFESSIONALS

Know that life is about a series of breaks.

AMATEURS

Are afraid to fail.

PROFESSIONALS

Don’t like to fail, but when they do they pick themselves up, dust themselves off and get back in the game.

AMATEURS

Interrupt.

PROFESSIONALS

Listen.

AMATEURS

Demonstrate their bile, they get frustrated or angry and it’s easy to see.

PROFESSIONALS

Are cool, calm and collected. You may read about the crazy owner/operator/entrepreneur, but if they’re truly nuts, they don’t last, their board replaces them, and the truth is most are not that nuts, it just makes a better story in the press to portray them as such.

AMATEURS

Bristle.

PROFESSIONALS

Show empathy.

AMATEURS

Are always telling you how busy they are and how hard they’re working.

PROFESSIONALS

Show up and stay as long as it’s interesting and profitable, bitching gains them nothing, so they don’t.

AMATEURS

Believe what people say.

PROFESSIONALS

Believe what people do.