Rod Stewart – Gasoline Alley (1970/2012) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Rod Stewart – Gasoline Alley (1970/2012)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 42:12 minutes | 1,69 GB | Genre: Rock, Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Mercury Records

As one of music’s bestselling artists of all time, Gasoline Alley is everything that Stewart does well. His second solo outing is a masterpiece that features breathtaking covers, rock and roll classics and magnificent originals. Gasoline Alley features a unique mixture of acoustic and electric instruments from mandolins to swift guitar riffs. Stewart’s raspy vocals and authoritative confidence are in full gear. Included is Stewart’s “Jo’s Lament” and scintillating renditions of The Rolling Stones’ “It’s All Over Now,” Elton John’s “Country Comfort” and Bob Dylan’s “Only a Hobo.” Featured as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Gasoline Alley is a vital addition to any music lover’s collection.

Gasoline Alley follows the same formula of Rod Stewart’s first album, intercutting contemporary covers with slightly older rock & roll and folk classics and originals written in the same vein. The difference is in execution. Stewart sounds more confident, claiming Elton John’s “Country Comfort,” the Small Faces’ “My Way of Giving,” and the Rolling Stones’ version of “It’s All Over Now” with a ragged, laddish charm. Like its predecessor, nearly all of Gasoline Alley is played on acoustic instruments — Stewart treats rock & roll songs like folk songs, reinterpreting them in individual, unpredictable ways. For instance, “It’s All Over Now” becomes a shambling, loose-limbed ramble instead of a tight R&B/blues groove, and “Cut Across Shorty” is based around a howling, Mideastern violin instead of a rockabilly riff. Of course, being a rocker at heart, Stewart doesn’t let these songs become limp acoustic numbers — these rock harder than any fuzz-guitar workout. The drums crash and bang, the acoustic guitars are pounded with a vengeance — it’s a wild, careening sound that is positively joyous with its abandon. And on the slow songs, Stewart is nuanced and affecting — his interpretation of Bob Dylan’s “Only a Hobo” is one of the finest Dylan covers, while the original title track is a vivid, loving tribute to his adolescence. And that spirit is carried throughout Gasoline Alley. It’s an album that celebrates tradition while moving it into the present and never once does it disown the past.

Tracklist:
01. Rod Stewart – Gasoline Alley (04:05)
02. Rod Stewart – It’s All Over Now (06:23)
03. Rod Stewart – Only A Hobo (04:16)
04. Rod Stewart – My Way Of Giving (03:58)
05. Rod Stewart – Country Comfort (04:46)
06. Rod Stewart – Cut Across Shorty (06:32)
07. Rod Stewart – Lady Day (04:13)
08. Rod Stewart – Jo’s Lament (03:27)
09. Rod Stewart – You’re My Girl (I Don’t Want To Discuss It) (04:29)

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