Every Picture Tells a Story – Rod Stewart (1971)

“… When Rod Stewart utters these words in October 1971 Maggie May, the hit he cannot understand and which a friend will tell him to leave off the album (‘because it’s not commercial’) is stuck to the top spot on the British and US charts. Every Picture Tells A Story will match that feat at the same time – elevating Stewart from a respected journeyman into rock’s new superstar elite. In a year dominated by George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord, John Lennon’s Imagine and Middle Of The Road’s bubblegum Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep, Rod Stewart becomes a household name. … The days when Ian McLagan recalled, ‘we were five blokes who shared the same haircut but only one hairdryer’ won’t return. But the meteoric rise of Rod Stewart involves a great deal of luck. Consider that when Archway Road-born Roderick David Stewart turned 26 in January ’71 he had very vague ideas about his future. ‘I’m looking for a song that’s probably been forgotten, that no one’s done for a time. Something that can fit my voice so I can sing it right, and something with a particularly strong melody.’ He felt confident about that soon to be famous throat. ‘It’s become more sandpapery, that’s an improvement in itself. I learned a lot from playing with Jeff Beck, which really helped a lot. I learned how to fit in with a guitar – how to be a lead vocalist. I think I phrase very well.’ Having produced half of old pal and mentor Long John Baldry’s It Ain’t Easy album (Elton John did second-side honours) Stewart used many of that album’s motley cast of characters for his own, Every Picture and the same Morgan Sound Studios in Willesden, complete with trusted engineer Mike Bobak.  Morgan was favoured because it boasted a mock pub, an establishment that saw major action when Rod’s merry men were around. Also part of the team was Rod’s Faces/Jeff Beck Group buddy Ron Wood. ‘I turned up promptly at each session with my guitars, a shoelace and a small wireless,’ recalled reliable Ronald. …”
The chaotic story behind Rod Stewart’s classic Every Picture Tells A Story (Video)
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YouTube: Every Picture Tells A Story 8 videos
YouTube: Maggie May (Live)