Rod Stewart had been struggling to become famous for so long that it must have felt unlikely that it would ever happen.

He started singing and playing harmonica professionally in 1963, meaning that he struggled during the entirety of the British Invasion, a time when it seemed that anybody with an English accent could have a hit record by sneezing into a microphone. Stewart’s path was circuitous, but his solo career started in earnest in 1969 with a debut album that established him as a viable representative of the British working man.

With Sam Cooke providing inspiration for his vocal style, Stewart found a niche that lent him tremendous credibility as a singer of R&B, folk and blues songs. At this time, he balanced his solo career with his position as lead vocalist for the Faces, with both acts releasing albums simultaneously. His second album is where things really started to gel, sounding like a hybrid of both acts.

Featured tracks include;

Gasoline Alley

It’s All Over Now

Only a Hobo

My Way of Giving

Country Comfort

Cut Across Shorty

Lady Day

Jo’s Lament

You’re My Girl (I Don’t Want to Discuss It)

June 1970 – Billboard Charted # 27