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Our High 10 Rod Stewart songs checklist covers the songs the legend launched as a solo artist in the course of the Nineteen Seventies. Rod Stewart has launched a lot materials and has been a member of so many bands that it might be not possible to make an total prime 10 Rod Stewart songs checklist that covers his whole profession. We additionally meant to deal with his rock materials from the Nineteen Seventies. Though Rod Stewart launched solo albums within the 80s and 90s, we narrowed this checklist to his traditional songs recorded in the course of the Nineteen Seventies.
Rod Stewart’s first official solo album was launched in the US in 1969 and is entitled The Rod Stewart Album. The identical album was launched with a special title in the UK in 1970, entitled An Outdated Raincoat Gained’t Ever Let You Down. From 1969 to 1979, Rod Stewart launched 9 solo albums. 9 albums in ten years is a reasonably spectacular physique of labor, contemplating how nice most of these albums have been. The person labored his tail off, and it confirmed that he was a relentless presence on all forms of music charts world wide.
Many individuals gave Rod Stewart lots of flack for all of the requirements albums the singer launched within the 2000s and 2010s. Those that criticized Rod Stewart for masking requirements won’t have realized that Rod Stewart has all the time been one of many biggest track interpreters of all time. A lot of Rod Stewart’s most distinguished rock songs from the Nineteen Seventies have been written by different artists. Nonetheless, Rod Stewart has additionally written many rock classics. Hardly ever is a grasp track interpreter additionally a grasp songwriter.
Our checklist of the highest 10 Rocking Rod Stewart songs is only subjective. This one can also be in regards to the rockers. “Tonight’s the Evening,” “The First Reduce Is the Deepest,” “The Killing of Georgie (Half I and II),” “You’re in My Coronary heart,” and “I Was Solely Joking” have been all nice songs, however we’re sticking to the Rocking Rod Stewart songs for this checklist. It additionally must be on a Rod Stewart album, so no Faces materials is right here except Rod additionally recorded it as a solo observe, which he did with a few of them. Our Rod Stewart songs checklist is only a checklist of Rod Stewart songs that we expect outline a few of his finest moments. He has had many others, nevertheless it’s enjoyable narrowing it down to simply 10.
# 10 – Each Image Tells a Story – Each Image Tells a Story
We open our Rod Stewart songs checklist with the good track “Each Image Tells a Story,” the title observe of Rod Stewart’s third studio album. Recorded in 1971 at Morgan Studios in London, the track epitomizes the mix of people, rock, and nation parts that Stewart so adeptly melded in what many think about his best work. Stewart produced the album, whereas guitarist Ronnie Wooden co-wrote the title observe and performed a big position in shaping the sound that outlined this pivotal interval in Stewart’s profession.
# 9 – Three Time Loser – Atlantic Crossing
“Three Time Loser,” the opening observe of Rod Stewart’s 1975 album Atlantic Crossing, demonstrates Stewart’s adeptness at fusing rock with blues parts, underscored by genuine storytelling in his lyrics. The album was recorded in a number of American studios, together with Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. Tom Dowd produced this observe, just like the album.
The periods featured Barry Beckett on keyboards, Roger Hawkins on drums, David Hood on bass, and Jimmy Johnson on guitar. Some fairly top-notch gamers, I woudl say.
# 8 – Blondes Have Extra Enjoyable – Blondes Have Extra Enjoyable
“Blondes Have Extra Enjoyable,” the title observe of Rod Stewart’s 1978 album Blondes Have Extra Enjoyable, is a straight-ahead rock and roll quantity that stands aside from the album’s huge disco-influenced hit “Da Ya Assume I’m Attractive?” Written by Stewart and guitarist Jim Cregan, the track was produced by Tom Dowd and launched as a single in 1979.
The album periods featured Stewart’s late-Nineteen Seventies band, together with Jim Cregan, Gary Grainger, and Billy Peek on guitars, Phil Chen on bass, and Carmine Appice on drums, together with visitor musicians akin to Nicky Hopkins, Duane Hitchings, Fred Tackett, and Paulinho Da Costa. The title observe’s boogie-driven guitars and piano make it one of many album’s clearest connections to the harder-rocking aspect of Stewart’s catalog.
Whereas “Blondes Have Extra Enjoyable” didn’t method the chart influence of “Da Ya Assume I’m Attractive?,” the album itself grew to become a serious industrial success, reaching primary on the Billboard album chart. For an inventory targeted particularly on Rod Stewart’s Nineteen Seventies rockers, the title observe represents the rock and roll aspect of an album that’s typically remembered first for its embrace of disco.
# 7 – Fairly Flamingo
Rod Stewart’s cowl of “Fairly Flamingo,” a track initially popularized by Manfred Mann within the Nineteen Sixties, is featured on his 1976 album A Evening on the City. The recording periods for the album befell throughout a number of areas, together with Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, and introduced collectively a formidable lineup of musicians, reflecting Stewart’s deep connections within the music trade.
The ensemble for A Evening on the City included a spread of well-known musicians who contributed to the wealthy sound characterizing the album. On bass guitar have been Donald Dunn, Bob Glaub, David Hood, Willie Weeks, and Lee Sklar. Guitarists on the album included Steve Cropper, Billy Peek, Joe Walsh, Jesse Ed Davis, David Lindley, Fred Tackett, and Pete Carr. The keyboard sections have been dealt with by John Barlow Jarvis, David Foster, Barry Beckett, and J. Smith, offering depth and texture to the album.
The percussion and rhythm sections have been no much less star-studded, with Roger Hawkins, Andy Newmark, Al Jackson Jr., and Rick Shlosser on drums, complemented by Tommy Vig and Joe Lala on percussion. String preparations have been credited to Jimmy Horowitz, Mike Lewis, and Arif Mardin. The Tower of Energy horn part added highly effective horn elements, whereas Jerry Jumonville and Plas Johnson contributed tenor saxophone.
# 6 – Reduce Throughout Shorty – Gasoline Alley
Featured on Rod Stewart’s 1970 album Gasoline Alley, “Reduce Throughout Shorty” was recorded at Morgan Studios in London below the manufacturing of Rod Stewart and Lou Reizner, a mixture that lent a uncooked, genuine texture to the observe, encapsulating the gritty essence of Stewart’s vocal model and the country allure of the instrumental backing.
The musicians on this recording embrace Ronnie Wooden and Martin Quittenton on acoustic guitars, Pete Sears on bass, Micky Waller on drums, and Dick Powell on violin.
# 5 – You Put on It Effectively – By no means a Boring Second
“You Put on It Effectively,” from Rod Stewart’s 1972 album By no means a Boring Second, adeptly combines heartfelt lyrics with folk-rock instrumentation, showcasing Stewart’s distinctive raspy vocal model. Recorded at Morgan Studios in London in 1972, the observe options Stewart as producer, additional establishing his position not simply as a performer however as a craftsman within the studio.
The track encompasses a lineup of achieved musicians who helped form its distinctive sound. Ron Wooden performed guitar and bass, whereas Martin Quittenton contributed acoustic guitar. Ian McLagan performed organ, Micky Waller dealt with the drums, and Dick Powell’s violin launched a particular texture that enhances the track’s rustic really feel.
# 4 – Sizzling Legs – Foot Unfastened & Fancy Free
“Sizzling Legs,” a standout observe from Rod Stewart’s 1977 album Foot Unfastened & Fancy Free, epitomizes the high-energy, rock-and-roll vibe that Stewart was well-known for within the late Nineteen Seventies. The recording periods highlighted the cohesive power of The Rod Stewart Group, with notable contributions from Gary Grainger, Jim Cregan, and Billy Peek on guitars, Phil Chen on bass, Carmine Appice on drums, and John Barlow Jarvis on keyboards.
Critically, “Sizzling Legs” was well-received for its easy rock sound and have become a staple of Stewart’s stay performances. The track achieved appreciable chart success, additional solidifying Rod Stewart’s place within the rock and roll hierarchy. The accompanying music video, which featured Stewart performing together with his band interspersed with footage of varied girls’s legs, performed into the period’s burgeoning music video development that all of us couldn’t cease watching. Sure, responsible I’m.
# 3 – Let Me Be Your Automotive – Smiler
“Let Me Be Your Automotive,” a notable observe from Rod Stewart’s 1974 album Smiler, showcases a singular collaboration between Stewart and Elton John. This track, crafted by Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin, combines Stewart’s raspy vocal model with John’s distinctive piano enjoying and vocals, leading to a high-energy rock observe enriched by its intelligent automotive metaphors. The track was recorded in the course of the periods for Smiler, and Stewart produced the observe.
The recording options Ronnie Wooden on guitar, Martin Quittenton on acoustic guitar, Elton John on piano and vocals, Ian McLagan and Pete Sears on piano, Ray Cooper on percussion, Spike Heatley and Willie Weeks on bass, and Andy Newmark, Kenney Jones, and Micky Waller on drums. Dick Powell and Ric Grech contributed violin, whereas The Memphis Horns added horn elements and the Chanter sisters contributed backing vocals.
# 2 – Maggie Might – Each Image Tells a Story
“Maggie Might” broke the mould for Rod Stewart, catapulting him from rising star to rock icon with its launch on his 1971 album Each Image Tells a Story. Not initially deliberate because the hit aspect of the one, the observe grew to become an anthem of the period, capturing the essence of youthful longing and romantic disillusionment. Recorded at Morgan Studios in London and produced by Stewart, the track paired his voice with a unfastened, intimate association that resonated with audiences worldwide.
Upon its launch, “Maggie Might” soared to the highest of the charts, hitting primary in each the UK and the US. It grew to become one in every of Stewart’s signature songs, defining his profession as a lot because it defied the usual expectations of a chart-topping single on the time. The track’s success was bolstered by in depth radio play and Stewart’s charismatic stay performances, which regularly featured prolonged sing-alongs that resonated together with his viewers’s experiences and feelings.
# 1 – “(I Know) I’m Dropping You” – Each Image Tells a Story
“(I Know) I’m Dropping You” stands as a strong testomony to Rod Stewart’s uncooked vocal depth and skill to infuse a rock sensibility into rhythm and blues roots. Featured on his seminal 1971 album Each Image Tells a Story, this observe exemplifies Stewart’s gritty method to rock that outlined a lot of his early profession. The track, a canopy of The Temptations’ traditional, was recorded at Morgan Studios in London and produced by Rod Stewart. This model diverges sharply from its Motown origins, showcasing a heavier, extra guitar-centric sound that underscored Stewart’s raspy and emotionally charged vocal supply.
The musicians on this observe embrace Stewart’s Faces bandmates Ronnie Wooden on guitar, Ronnie Lane on bass and backing vocals, Ian McLagan on piano, and Kenney Jones on drums. The session’s spontaneity is clear within the energetic drumming by Jones, which propels the track ahead with a relentless urgency. This ensemble of musicians helped rework the unique Motown smoothness right into a rock anthem that resonated with the rebellious spirit of the early Nineteen Seventies. Stewart’s interpretation not solely paid homage to the roots of the track but in addition marked it indelibly together with his distinctive model.
Up to date September 3, 2026.
High 10 Rocking Rod Stewart Songs From The Nineteen Seventies article revealed on ClassicRockHistory.com © 2026
