Great Rock Albums of 1982: Rod Stewart- Tonight I'm Yours

Balance has been restored in the world now. Rod Stewart's "Tonight I'm Yours" is the first piece of new music I heard in 1982. It wasn't the entire album but the second single from the album "Young Turks" which I heard several times on the AM radio of my beat up Chevy Nova during my journey home on my final weekend pass before going overseas. Like many of the Rod Stewart songs I heard throughout the 1970s, minus the two albums previous to this one because I thought they were too disco. Then again, I did like the song "Ain't Love a Bitch" off the "Blondes Have More Fun" album but I digress. That single did stick in my mind like many of his other singles although I am glad I didn't have MTV at that time so I was spared the cheesy video of the song where everyone is dancing on the roofs of cars. That experience would come in the April when I discovered that "Young Turks" was number three in the Israeli charts.

Abandoning the disco feel of the previous albums, Rod went a little more new wave with "Tonight I'm Yours" while at the same time, not venturing too far from his rock roots. The new wave part is obvious on the first two singles from the album: The title track and the already mentioned one with the cheesy video. Both are done well and I like Rod's personal spin on his cover of "How Long?" which was his third single. He does get down to some more serious rock after that. On "Tora Tora Tora (Out With the Boys)" Rod truly rocks out. The guitar breaks in the song are great and the way it interlinks with the sax is nicely done. I don't know which of the guitarists on the album played the solo here but he should step forward and receive his accolades. A pleasant surprise comes right on the heels of "Tora Tora Tora" in the form of "Tear It Up," which begins with a piano intro that could rival that of "Piano Man" of Billy Joel fame. However, as far as piano intros go, it still doesn't quite measure up to the best of all time: "Joan Crawford" by Blue Oyster Cult. Rod continues his rock tradition with the next few songs pausing in the middle to belt out the ballad, "Just Like a Woman," originally a Bob Dylan tune. The album returns to new wave, with "Young Turks" before going out very nicely with the suitable closer "Never Give Up On a Dream." This album certainly proves that Stewart's voice is far more versatile than what some people give him credit for.

Track Listing:

1. Tonight I'm Yours

2. How Long?

3. Tora Tora Tora (Out With the Boys)

4. Tear It Up

5. Only a Boy

6. Just Like a Woman

7. Jealous

8. Sonny

9. Young Turks

10. Never Give Up On a Dream

[caption id="attachment_2485" align="aligncenter" width="259" class=" "] Rod Stewart[/caption]

Rod Stewart- vocals

Jim Cregan- guitars, backing vocals

Robin LeMesurier- guitars

Jeff Baxter- guitar on "Tonight I'm Yours," pedal steel guitar on "Just Like a Woman"

Danny Johnson- guitar on "Jealous"

Byron Berline- fiddle

Jimmy "Z" Zavala- harmonica, saxophone

Kevin Savigar- keyboards

Duane Hutchins- keyboards on "Tonight I'm Yours" and "Young Turks"

Jay Davis- bass

Tony Brock- drums

Carmine Appice- drums on "Tonight I'm Yours" and "Young Turks"

Paulinho De Costa- percussion

Tommy Vig- tubular bells

Penny Jones- soloist on "Never Give Up On a Dream"

Linda Lewis, The Penetcostal Community Choir- backing vocals

I'm going to come out of the closet here, no not that way, but I am going to admit that I actually like a lot of Rod Stewart's music. Something I would have never admitted to in male heavy metal circles. True, he's not hard rocker or metal singer but his vocals and the music behind them is usually quite good. The album "Tonight I'm Yours" is proof.

Next post: U2- October

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Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Great Rock Albums of 1982: The Police- Ghost in the Machine

Normally, I start each year with the very first album or song from an album I heard at the beginning of said year. But my brain isn't what it used to be and I only realised this mistake after this album was announced. So, you'll get that one next post. I can't even blame being caught in massive amounts of traffic and roadworks today while going to and from a supply teaching assignment that was miles away where my "Iron Man 2" soundtrack got scratched. Maybe it was all for the best because "Ghost in the Machine" by The Police might be a good place to start.

Tempting as it may be to once again mention my suspicion about albums whose hit single is the opening track being a ploy by one hit wonders, I won't. True, the very first two tracks on "Ghost in the Machine" are the two singles from the album but I get a different impression here. "Spirits of the Material World" and "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" are both good songs in their own right and worthy of being singles, my impression is that the idea behind putting them first was to say, "Now, you've heard the singles, now listen to the rest of our album."

The rest of the album is no less inferior, in fact, I only like it more. "Invisible Sun" gives me a dark brooding feeling while I listen to it but I like it. Then things go the complete opposite way with the next two songs. "Hungry for You" and "Demolition Man" are almost party atmosphere songs and definitely make things come alive. With the latter, I hear a bit of fingerboard smoking from Andy Summers which is probably why it's my favourite track on the album. So once again I ask, why did they not just give him one song to just shred? Answers on a post card please. "Too Much Information" sums me up perfectly at times and is an enjoyable song and "One World" sticks out as well. With "Ghost in the Machine," The Police stick with the standard reggae-rock roots but at the same time weren't afraid to venture out of their comfort zone a little. The result is a great album.

Track Listing:

1. Spirits in the Material World

2. Every Little Thing She Does is Magic

3. Invisible Sun

4. Hungry For You (J'aurais toujours faim de toi)

5. Demolition Man

6. Too Much Information

7. Rehumanizer

8. One World (Not Three)

9. Omegaman

10. Secret Journey

11. Darkness

[caption id="attachment_1358" align="aligncenter" width="300" class=" "] The Police[/caption]

Sting- vocals, bass, saxophone, keyboards

Andy Summers- guitar, guitar synth, keyboards

Stewart Copeland- drums, percussion, keyboards

It might not actually have opened 1982 for me musically but I think that perhaps "Ghost in the Machine" by The Police was a good place to begin the journey through the year.

Next post: The actual first album I heard in 1982, actually it was a couple of songs.

Rod Stewart- Tonight I'm Yours

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html
Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London