Release Review: Gasoline Alley (1970)

‘Going home, running home... down to Gasoline Alley where I started from!’ – the melody and raw vocals of this song are likely to be indelibly etched in the memory of every Rod Stewart fan. ‘Gasoline Alley’ is the title track of Sir Rod Stewart's second studio album from 1970 and was released in record stores exactly 55 years ago today.
‘Gasoline Alley’ is a collection of cover versions combined with Stewart's own compositions. Like many of Stewart's solo albums from this period, this album also features significant musical contributions from the other members of his band, Faces.
The album was well received by critics and the media, with Langdon Winner of Rolling Stone saying that Stewart had ‘a rare sensitivity to the subtle moments in a person's life’ and that this second solo album by Stewart was the work of ‘an extraordinarily good artist’. ‘The songs on “Gasoline Alley” were simply strong,’ RS summed up. ‘Rod Stewart covered Dylan's “Only A Hobo” better than anyone else. “Gasoline Alley” marked the consolidation of the alliance between Stewart and Wood – the fusion of slide guitar and hoarse longing is of rare beauty, and when the duo pay homage to the Stones and Eddie Cochran, rock rarely sounds freer or more fun.’
The second LP in Sir Rod Stewart's then still fledgling career reached number 24 in the Australian charts, number 27 in the US, number 32 in Canada and a rather mediocre number 62 in the UK. Nevertheless, the album was very well received by fans, mainly because Stewart still sounded ‘like a rough diamond,’ as one fan from Germany put it. ‘Stewart's second LP from 1970, along with Every Picture Tells A Story, is also one of his best!’ added another fan. ‘A timeless album that I can only recommend to fans of 60s and 70s rock music!’
Pascal from France raved: ‘An indispensable classic rock album. Rod Stewart “spits” exactly what he needs into the microphone, it's stylishly arranged. The kind of album you just want to listen to with a beer in your hand.’

Track list:
1. ‘Gasoline Alley’
2. ‘It's All Over Now’
3. ‘Only a Hobo’
4. ‘My Way of Giving’
5. ‘Country Comfort’
6. ‘Cut Across Shorty’
7. ‘Lady Day’
8. ‘Jo's Lament’
9. ‘You're My Girl (I Don't Want to Discuss It)’
CD bonus track:
10. ‘It's All Over Now (single version)’