Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time
Studio Album by Rod Stewart released in 2006Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time review
Rod Stewart sings rock again
Legendary English rock singer Rod Stewart decided to get back to his musical roots and dive into rock’n’roll again. At least that is what the title of his new album Still the Same…Great Rock Classics of Our Time suggests. After releasing a pretty successful sequel of albums joined by a common name The Great American Songbook where he has offered to his listeners cover versions of old standards from the forties and fifties, Rod Stewart decided to set himself to remaking some classic rock legacy and sing the bygone hits from sixties and seventies. On this album Stewart continued working with Clive Davis, a record producer and label executive who was by the way that very person who suggested few years ago to make a record of popular oldies. Evidently Stewart liked the result so much that after squeezing every last drop from The Great American Songbook series he gladly devoted himself to working with the material of his classic rock colleagues.
Stewart has picked best classic rock hits for his new album
Still the Same…Great Rock Classics of Our Time includes thirteen tracks, each represented by a song that in its time became a milestone in the history of formation of such a style as classic rock. It is worth reminding that Rod Stewart himself has also contributed his big share in world rock music developing and though there are no original songs of his on this album, the unique style and talent of one of the best 20th century rock singers has left its trace on each song for sure. The first track of the album is a version of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s classic Have You Ever Seen The Rain. It is also very interesting to listen Rod Stewart’s performance of once so popular rock anthem Love Hurts from Nazareth. Among other musicians who’s songs Stewart has chosen for this record you can find Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Cat Stevens, The Eagles, Bob Seger, Bonny Tyler and many others. It is hard to say that Rod Stewart has offered something special with this songs, he has scarcely strived to achieve such a result. The main thing is that after letting these songs through himself he has managed to breathe in a new life into them and add some new colors.
Stewart says he loves doing such records
It is quite possible that some of old rock fans will dispute the expediency of such a record and will try to declare that fact that this songs are already exist in the original and nothing can’t make them better. But still one can contest this. Still the Same…Great Rock Classics of Our Time is Rod Stewart’s view upon the whole layer of music history, upon the songs which have been giving people joy during decades. And Stewart himself is also belonging to this music layer, he is at home here. And he has all rights to express his opinion about it in any way. There is nothing wrong in the wish of the most well-known rock singers to give people a chance to recollect that special air of seventies. However Stewart will be the best person to comment this situation, this is what he said about the album in his interview for Billboard: “There’s not many songwriters at my age still trying to release albums of their own music, and I’m not planning on it myself. Paul Simon, Elton John, the Rolling Stones have all penned their new records, and all the critics loved them, but they just didn’t sell. When you get too old, people don’t want to play your songs on the radio, so you have to go about it in a different way ... I love doing these concept records. Love it. There’s not many like me”.