Rod Stewart, The #28 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Three

 

(Continued from Part Two)

In an effort to rebound, Stewart's album Camouflage in 1983 was much better.    "Infatuation", with friend Jeff Beck on guitar,  jumped to #6.

 "Some Guys Have All The Luck" hit #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #10 overall.

"People Get Ready" with friend Jeff Beck on Beck's album Flash moved to #5 on the Rock chart in the U.S.  The song was written by Curtis Mayfield, lead singer with the Impressions, and became a civil rights anthem.  

After a light rig fell on Mayfield in 1990, he was paralyzed with three crushed vertebrae.  Royalties from this song, especially Stewart's version, helped keep Mayfield afloat financially.  Mayfield credits Stewart for helping him fend off depression and able to remain active as a songwriter and singer despite his condition.

Stewart released the album Every Beat of My Heart in 1986. "Love Touch" from the movie Legal Eagles with Robert Redford, Debra Winger and Darryl Hannah, reached #5 in the United States, #6 in Switzerland, #7 in Canada and #8 in Ireland. Stewart had a great run with something of a comeback.

 

In 1988, Stewart released the album Out of Order, produced by Andy Taylor of Duran Duran and Bernard Edwards of Chic. "Lost In You" roared to #3 on the Rock chart and #12 overall in the U.S. and #6 in Canada.

 

Rod considers "Forever Young" one of the songs he's the proudest of.  "I love 'Forever Young', because that was a real heartfelt song about my kids," Stewart told Mojo in 1995.  "I suddenly realized I'd missed a good five years of Sean and Kimberly's life because I was so busy touring all the time," he continued.  "With these kids now I don't make that mistake  - I take them on tour with me, so I can watch them grow up."  "Forever Young" landed at #3 on the Adult chart and #12 overall and #9 in Canada.    

 

Rod earned a Grammy nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Forever Young".  Rod's tour of South America in 1989 was a huge success, with 80,000 fans at his concert in  Querétaro, Mexico, 50,000 at Guadalajara, Jalisco, and another 90,000 in Buenos Aires.   "My Heart Can't Tell You No" hit #3 Adult and #4 overall in the U.S.,  #1 in New Zealand and #2 in Ireland.

                "Crazy About Her" reached #1 in Sweden, #2 AC and #11 in U.S., #3 in New Zealand and #4 in Switzerland and Ireland.

 

Rod released the four-CD compilation Storyteller - The Complete Anthology:  1964-1990. Stewart recorded a new version of "This Old Heart Of Mine" (which he originally recorded in 1975), this time with Ronald Isley,  which shot up to #1 among adults and #10 overall.  It was the first Motown hit for the Isley Brothers in 1966.

        Folk singer Tom Waits wrote this song and recorded it on his 1985 album Rain Dogs.  "Tom's 'Downtown Train', Rod told The Guardian in 2013, "I realized there was a melody there in the chorus, and it's beautiful, but he barely gets up and barely gets down to the lower notes, so I took it to the extreme," he explained.  "That was a case where I brought the chorus alive and there have been a couple like that."

Stewart's remake of "Downtown Train" #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #3 Popular in the U.S. and #10 in the U.K.

 

Rod originally recorded "I Don't Want To Talk About It" in 1975 for his Atlantic Crossing album.  A re-recording on Storytellers helped propel it to #2 on the AC chart.

Stewart was back on track, and his comeback continues on Part Four!