A Night on the Town

Coming on the heels of his departure from The Faces, A NIGHT ON THE TOWN was Rod Stewart's first solo album. With his usual collaborator Ron Wood now a member of the Rolling Stones, Stewart gathered together an impressive group of backing musicians that included Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn and Al Jackson of Booker T & The MG's, Joe Walsh, the Tower Of Power horn section and multi-instrumentalist David Lindley. Dividing the album up into fast and slow sides, Stewart chose an interesting batch of songs, included some notable self-penned compositions. These include the tragic "The Killing Of Georgie (Part I And II)", about the murder of a gay friend, and the ultra-sexy ballad "Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright)". Along with a delicate rendering of Cat Stevens' "The First Cut Is The Deepest", these songs provided a perfect springboard for the more sprightly fast side. "The Balltrap" is a clever Stewart composition about a sinister femme fatale. "The Wild Side Of Life" and Gib Gilbeau's "Big Bayou" make for a perfect marriage of Chuck Berry stomp and country twang.|