{"id":10527,"date":"2011-11-29T20:01:57","date_gmt":"2011-11-30T01:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/?p=10527"},"modified":"2011-11-29T21:50:25","modified_gmt":"2011-11-30T02:50:25","slug":"to-the-dark-side-selling-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/to-the-dark-side-selling-out\/","title":{"rendered":"To The Dark Side: Selling Out"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anakin Skywalker<\/strong> never had a chance. Fawned over and treated as something special since a child, he became a somewhat churlish and petty, albeit supremely talented, young man who was vulnerable to the seductive promises of an older and evil mentor. Sure, we were led to believe that Anakin was merely trying to save his wife, but we know the truth\u2014he sold out his principles for wealth, power, and the cool black uniforms and helmets that became his daily garb. So what if it cost a few limbs, most of his skin, and an internal organ or two? It was worth it\u2014he was a superstar for the Dark Side and the ride was great for a while. Stuff like this happens to rock stars too…Few rockers had so much promise around the turn of the 1970s as Rod Stewart<\/strong>. Blessed with an unmistakable voice and real songwriting ability, Rod the Mod began releasing solo albums in 1969 after a couple of acclaimed years as Jeff Beck<\/strong>‘s lead singer. At roughly the same time, he became the lead singer for the Faces <\/strong>(now without Steve Marriott <\/strong>and no longer carrying the Small<\/em> prefix). Rod’s first two albums, An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down<\/em> (The Rod Stewart Album<\/em> in the US) and Gasoline Alley<\/em>, were fine efforts with a enjoyable mix of originals and well-chosen covers. Not only was Rod in fine form vocally, but his backing band (a mix of the Faces and other fine English notables) backed him to the hilt with music that was spirited and just loose enough to be fun. Reviewers gave these records fulsome praise and Rod was on his way.<\/p>\n

The year 1971 was very good for Stewart. His excellent third album\u00a0Every Picture Tells a Story<\/em> became a platinum breakthrough smash and to this day remains very high on “greatest albums” lists. Not only was “Maggie May” a #1 Billboard hit for five weeks (as well as topping the charts in the UK and elsewhere), but several other songs (the title cut, “Reason to Believe”, “Mandolin Wind”, and “I Know I’m Losing You”) quickly became FM staples and even after four decades still get lots of airplay on Classic Rock stations. If all this wasn’t enough, “Stay With Me” from the Faces’ A Nod Is as Good as a Wink… to a Blind Horse<\/em> also became an FM must-play as well as breaking into the Billboard Top 20. Rod’s presence pushed the Faces’ album to #6 on the Billboard album charts.<\/p>\n

After 1972’s Never a Dull Moment<\/em>, something happened. Rod’s records\u2014both solo and with the Faces\u2014became spottier as he immersed himself in the perks of stardom. Over the next few years he became a tax exile in the US, dumped the Faces, began using increasing-faceless (pun intended) backing on his records, and dallied around with the exquisitely-untalented\u00a0erstwhile\u00a0Bond girl Britt Ekland<\/a><\/strong>. That nasty old Dark Side was pulling on Rod and he never really tried to resist. By 1978, his journey into evil was complete. Stewarts’s hit singles were devolving into self-parody. He should never have stooped to being a sad copy of Mick Jagger<\/strong>, but he did so with impunity with the Stones-ish “Hot Legs.”<\/p>\n