Thursday, August 05, 2010

Why (Despite Everything) I Can't Bring Myself to Hate Rod Stewart

And now, newly rescued from the vaults as part of our ongoing project to digitize every loud noise I ever made, please enjoy The Hounds' 1975 cover of the (then obscure) Jeff Beck Group (with Rod the Mod) b-side "Drinking Again."




Not bad for a bunch of bozos from New Jersey, I think, although the vocalist (the lovely and talented Lucinda Albiston) was forced to sing it in an uncomfortable key due to the incompetence of the producer (me). And I recently listened to the original Beck/Stewart version and was rather surprised to find that my guitar solo, which I have been referring to for years as "a note for note recreation of the one on the record," is actually missing a couple of Beck's little flourishes. Oh well.

A true story: A few months after we recorded this, I interviewed Rod Stewart, then flogging Atlantic Crossing (the solo album which turned out to be pretty much the last one before the rot and self-parody set in) and somehow I had the brass to make him listen to our version of "Drinking" in its entirety. Stewart endured it with great patience and grace, and when it was over he completely resisted the urge to tell me to get the fuck out of his hotel room, a kindness that I have always treasured.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cindy's caucasian skull doesn't interfere with her sounding great on the track. But of course she was a "Divoon"!

ROTP(lumber)

Billy B said...

Good story, Steve.

All of Rod's stuff up to "Atlantic Crossing" is good and the Faces are still one of my favorite bands.

Tierra Madre Horse Sanctuary said...

Why, Brother Steven, that was just short of syoo-perb.

Blue Ash Fan said...

I can't bring myself to hate Rod the Mod, either, but after reading the news that he's releasing "The Great American Songbook Vol. 5" this fall, I may have to reconsider.

Wendy said...

1975 cover of the (then obscure) Jeff Beck Group (with Rod the Mod) b-side "Drinking Again."

Oh, I dunno ... I started listening to the Jeff Beck Group in 1968 ... :-)

But it does amaze me that he has basically flown under the radar. Somehow I think he likes it that way.

steve simels said...

Actually, I meant that the the b-side was obscure, not the Beck group.

This is why people need editors.

Wendy said...

That makes more sense. :-)

Anonymous said...

Love your guitar playing on that track. This is the best music blog,I found so mutch cool stuff to listen to here

TMink said...

Well, the key certainly pushes her to the top of her range, but it makes her work hard and sound a little like Janis in that way.