Release Review: Camouflage (1984)

Camouflage is Sir Rod Stewart's 13th studio album and was released on June 8, 1984, by Warner Bros. The two songs “Infatuation” and “Some Guys Have All the Luck,” both of which were also released as singles, stand out and are still featured in the set lists of almost every Rod Stewart concert today.
The album Camouflage was the follow-up to the long-player Body Wishes (number two), which was particularly successful in Germany and shot to the top of the charts thanks to the chart-topping hit Baby Jane. Camouflage had a much harder time, especially since this album lacked a mega-single like Baby Jane. “Infatuation” and ‘Some Guys’ were and still are strong live songs, but when they were released as singles in 1984, they only reached the middle of the charts and were nowhere near as successful as ‘Baby Jane.’ The other singles, ‘All Right Now’ and ‘Trouble,’ were also unable to change this.
Other songs such as “Heart Is On The Line” and “Bad For You” are typical songs of the 1980s and evidence of Stewart's musical development during this period. Producer Michael Omartian relied on electronic drums and synthesizers, which gave the album a modern but also artificial sound. And this new sound did not go down well with everyone.
“'Infatuation' and 'Some Guys Have All the Luck' are good, polished pop hits, but they wear thin after a few plays, and they're the best thing on the record,” wrote the online portal AllMusic in a review. Fans weren't exactly thrilled with this album either. “I think that only the two hits ‘Infatuation’ and ‘Some Guys’ save the album from the total shipwreck of yet another artist who was virtually overwhelmed by synths and 80s fashion. A boring and listless album,” was the harsh criticism from Gabriele, a fan from Italy.