When We Were The New Boys

Rod Stewart

This is Rod's latest album, and although it hasn't been out very long, it has quickly become my favorite of his albums. It has many of the same elements as his early-70's stuff, a mix between slow songs and fast songs, covers of recent songs, some folk influence. Some of the stuff on the album has a similar sound to it as his early stuff did.

But A Spanner In The Works (1995) had all of these things, so why is WWWTNB a better album? Simply put, Rod produced it. Because of this, the songs are, for the most part, how Rod wants them to sound. He produced his early-70's albums, so this album has a similar flair to it. The same guitar players and drummers are used throughout all of the songs, and most songs are simply guitars and Rod's voice. That's it. No strings, no noticeable synthesizers, just plain old music. This is the closest Rod has come to recapturing his roots.

This may sound a lot like his old albums, yet I personally think this one surpasses many of his earliest albums. Why? Because the sound is much more refined, updated, and Rod's voice is absolutely superb. He explores much higher notes than he ever has before, pretty gutsy for a 53-year-old. Rod has grown older and wiser and in a sense so has his music…Rod puts much more into this album than he did into his older albums, and his newest effort is essentially the culmination of his entire thirty year career. He explores so many musical avenues on this album that, really, any of his other albums just don't compare. As Rod has said, WWTNB "reaches every emotion rock 'n' roll tracks have, and the personal touch is on there."

Now for a song-by-song review (click on song title for WAV):

Cigarettes and Alcohol (298k) - A great rock track, it has the same kind of feel as any good Rod Stewart rock song has. Two big guitars, drums, and a touch of horns are all it takes to make this one a winner. It feels a lot some of his newer rockers, like "Delicious" (1995), "Shock to the System" (1995), or "Almost Illegal" (1988). Compared to the original Oasis version, this one is cleaned up considerably, the distortion is removed, less guitars, some horns are added, and of course Rod is singing it.

Ooh La La (306k) - This one seriously could pass for one of his early-70's songs. Instruments? Acoustic guitar, fiddle, penny whistle, drums, you get the picture. It has a very folksy, Scottish feel to it, very similar to his old stuff. It has the same kind of feel as a "Maggie May" (1971) or a "Mama You've Been on My Mind" (1972), and that definitely is a good thing. It might have something to do with the fact that this is a cover of an old Faces track (which was not written or sung by Rod originally). BTW, this was Rod's first single from the album and became his first Top-40 song since 1994.

Rocks (246k) - This is a very catchy rock song with a great dance beat. Again, like "C&A", the only instruments are guitars, drums, and horns. The words are somewhat lacking, and the vocals are somewhat repetitive. Still, Rod sings it magnificently and that brings a lot to the lyrics. The best part is the ending, with a type of breakdown of the instruments.

Superstar (380k) - Probably the most beautiful song on the album, with some very nice guitar work. A strong-sounding electric guitar is used as well as an acoustic guitar and a country-sounding guitar. They all work very well together and make this one a very emotional song, and Rod's singing only adds to the effect. He sings it as if the lyrics made him cry, and the result is outstanding. This song has the most synthesizer on it, but it is not very noticeable and works well.

Secret Heart (389k) - The only instruments are an acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and a touch of organ. One of very few Rod songs that have no percussion, but again that adds to the folksy feel of the song. The guitars are beautiful and Rod's voice is stupendous, as he goes into falsetto a few times. Previous to this, the only other song where he actually sung in falsetto was "For The First Time" (1996), and it works just as well here. His voice just keeps getting better and better. One of my faves on the album.

Hotel Chambermaid (263k) - Absolutely awesome song, sounds a lot like Rod's mid-70's rock songs, like "Balltrap" (1976). This one has much more varying vocals than the other two rock songs on the album, and this song includes a fiddle with the guitars (no horns here). This is another of my favorites.

Shelly My Love (294k) - One of the prettiest songs on the album, this song also features Rod going into falsetto, and it sounds even better here than it did in "Secret Heart", and it makes the song that much more powerful. This one has a bit more of a pop-feel with a programmed drum track, similar to "If We Fall In Love Tonight" (1996), but it isn't overused and thus sounds appropriate.

When We Were The New Boys (290k) - Probably my favorite on the album (and coincidentally the only one written by Rod), this is one of Rod's best set of lyrics ever. As I have graduated high school and am moving on to college, this is exactly the time in life that Rod is referring to in the song, which gives it that much more meaning for me. This is an upbeat song with a sound similar to "Forever Young" (1988), though with a more Scottish feel (i.e. the use of a low whistle). It uses acoustic and electric guitars mainly.

Weak (291k) - This one has a very alternative feel to it, as Rod sings a minor note progression in the refrain. He sings this one very well considering the difficulty of this song to sing. It starts off slow but then progresses into a more rock-type song - this one could be referred to as a power ballad. Rod's voice does sound a little strange in this song, but as this is a departure from the style of his other songs, it is a welcome addition to his library of songs.

What Do You Want Me Do (309k) - A very nice song, using only an acoustic guitar, harmonica and piano, this is a folksy, campfire type song, kind of like a Dylan song. It ends the album very well. The lyrics are very nice and have a lot of meaning. This is one of the most touching songs on the album. His voice is in fine form here, cracking here and there as he adds a very distinctive, personal touch to the lyrics.

Overall, this is an excellent album. The only real downfalls are that it is short (a mere 42 minutes whereas Spanner was 57 minutes), and that Rod wrote only one song on the album. Considering how good the only one penned by him was, any others would certainly have been welcome. Still, he did produce the whole thing and clearly put a lot of work into it. His efforts were not in vane.

Rating: 9

Verdict: Buy this album now! If you don't like it, then don't buy any Rod album again, because if you don't like this, you won't like any of his stuff.

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Since 8/2/98