BS: Gasoline Alley

Subject: Gasoline Alley
From: Jim the Bart
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 01:53 PM

They play "easy listening" music over the intercom system where I work and occasionally a song or singer jumps into my consciousness. Today it was Rod Stewart, singing some drivel from the late 70's.

Now Rod has many musical sins to atone for, but he did make two records that I have great respect for - "The Rod Stewart Album" and "Gasoline Alley". They both seem to bridge the gap between English traditional music and rock and roll. The use of mandolins, fiddle and acoustic guitar and the looseness of the ensemble playing is quite unusual. The songwriting is esceptional and the sound of the songs is almost unclassifiable.

Most of Rod the Mod's output over the course of his career has been terribly disappointing to anyone who heard these first albums and realized that this was something different. Am I alone in this admiration for the rooster headed boy?

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: Linda Kelly
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 02:00 PM

Thought at first you were referring to the petrol situation! actually I am a great Rod fan and some of his music is definitely on the folky side. saw Rod about twenty years ago- still amazes me how he managed to sqeeze himslef into his trousers.....

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: MK
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 02:01 PM

I always thought "Every Picture Tells A Story" was the quintessential Rod album. That, and the two albums he did with Jeff Beck (Truth and Beck-Ola.) I've never heard him sound better, than when he was a young man singing blues with Mr. Beck.

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: catspaw49
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 02:18 PM

Sorry Bart......Just dropped by lookin' for Skeezix.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: Irish sergeant
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 03:13 PM

I like Rod Stewart but not enough to know the titles of albums. I like his earlier stuff however.. I don't want to know how he gets into those pants. That would requiore doing a visual I'll pass on thanks.; Neil

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 03:31 PM

I couldn't agree more. Gasoline Alley, Every Picture Tells a Story, his work with The Jeff Beck Group and The Faces stand up to anything that came out at that time. I think he has been a complete disaster since the early seventies. The only exception being his cover of "People Get Ready" but that was with Mr. Beck again.

Rod is high on my list of stars who should have gone with Cat Stevens. If I only had his early stuff to think of him by I would still love the guy.

Others on the list? Elton John and Chicago. Beyond that don't get me started.

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: SINSULL
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 03:39 PM

Yeah, Spaw, I thought he meant the cartoon too. It was dropped years ago I think. I could never get past Rod Stewart's hair. So much for "beauty on the inside".

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: GUEST,Matt_R
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 04:10 PM

I really like Rod Stewart. He recently had a song called "Ooh-La-La" that was a fun folksy French-cafe sort of song. He also recently did a really good cover of "Cigarettes & Alcohol" by Oasis. Love the violin in "Reason To Believe".

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 04:26 PM

Matt,

Ooh Lala was a remake of one that he did in the early seventies. I can't remember what album, but a good tune. Reason to Believe is from Every Picture from the same era.

I think most people who listened to Rock in those days will agree that this was wonderful music, and as Bartholemew said included a lot of trad instruments and styles creating a wonderful new sound.

But "Do You Think I'm Sexy"? Other than providing a great comic bit in "So I Married an Axe Murderer" was drivel and the start of a long, ongoing downhill musical slide.

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: GUEST,Matt_R
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 04:29 PM

I think "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" is a funny song! Has anyone ever heard a song Rod does called "Italian Girls". I've heard reviews that it is a gorgeous song...but I cannie find it!

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: GUEST,Steve Latimer
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 05:56 PM

Matt,

You're too young to remember how big a song this was in the seventies. Yes, it is a funny song. Unfortunately it wasn't meant as one.

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: Jim the Bart
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 06:13 PM

"Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" was pure product - designed to make money to feed Rod's soccer habit.

I love "Maggie May". And "Mandolin Wind". Another song that was just recently released that stands with his best is "Downtown Train" (I think that's the title). It's a Tom Waits tune and Rod sings the sh*t out of it.

'Spaw & Sinsull - You old enough to remember the comic strip? I'm quite surprised. Glad I'm not the only one.

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: RWilhelm
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 06:18 PM

In his 1992 book _The Best Rock'n'Roll Records of All Time_, Jimmie Gutterman gives the No. 1 spot to Rod's "Every Picture Tells a Story"

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: GUEST,Steve Latimer
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 07:35 PM

One of my favourite lines in Rock.

"the women I've known I wouldn't let tie my shoes, They wouldn't give me the time of day"

I don't agree it's number 1, but it's a great album.

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 09:47 PM

"Rod is high on my list of stars who should have gone with Cat Stevens."

I can't quite get my head around the idea of Rod as a strict Muslim.

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 03 Nov 00 - 04:26 AM

I think Marc Bolan would have been a better example then, although, to wish anyone dead is terrible. I know what you mean by early stuff, but if we killed everyone off as soon as the songs started getting bad, then we would lose the possibility of more good stuff to come. If John Lennon had been shot in 1970 instead of 1980, we would have lost out on his later stuff, like the Double Fantasy album, that was so much better than the 1970's screaming and feedback that he was producing then.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: RWilhelm
Date: 03 Nov 00 - 08:16 AM

It's always better to die young like Jesus or James Dean. Marc Bolan did some cool stuff but I could tell he had the potential to do some real crap so maybe were better off. I wouldn't wish Rod Stewart dead but I'll put him on the backslidin' Moslem list.

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 03 Nov 00 - 08:29 AM

Is it my CRS again, or did Rod S play banjo? I have this image of him playing a 5-string on some tv prog. Didn't go with the mullet hair and the eyeliner somehow. HERSELF is a fan, don't know if it's the voice or the legs. I can't compete on voice but...
RtS ("Are those Queen Anne legs?" "No they're all mine")

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: GUEST,Patrish
Date: 03 Nov 00 - 08:39 AM

I loved "Mandolin wind" by Rod, can't remember which album it was from though.........
I loved Cat Stevens and have all his stuff, but have never understood his religious convictions, and tend to think of it as a real loss to music - what the muslims have gained - I really don't know.
Patrish

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 03 Nov 00 - 09:31 AM

Mandolin Wind is from Every Picture Tells a Story. Man, another cassette that i have to replace with CD. I need a part time job I think to support my habit.

Subject: RE: BS: Gasoline Alley
From: Ebbie
Date: 03 Nov 00 - 12:12 PM

The comic strip Gasoline Alley, believe it or not, is still around, at least in some Oregon newspapers. I knew a woman who for more than 50 years kept all the strips in her desk along with a chart giving the relationships of each character to the other. She said that when she dies, her relatives are going to think she was insane. But, she said, she liked the fact that the strip's characters aged in real time, and that they even died when appropriate.

Now back to music...

Ebbie