Every Picture Tells a Story
Greil Marcus' classic bookStrandedasked a number of rock critics to name their "desert island disc;" the one record they would take to the farthest corner of the world. This is mine, hands down. Rod Stewart made such a perfect record with this 1971 classic that he never really recovered. Decades later, it still jumps out of the speakers as fresh as the day it was recorded. He matched his own best songs ("Maggie May") with well-chosen covers (Tim Hardin's "Reason To Believe") that he made every bit his own. He then dressed them up with American roots music played by drunken Brits and something was found in the translation.Picturestands as rock's shining hour--at least in my book.--Michael Ruby