A VINYL KERFUFFLE?
IF YOU EVER WANT to cause a kerfuffle in a room full of Rod Stewart fans (and you should; it’s always fun), just ask them which of his ’70s albums are the superior ones: the first five, which the rock crowd will inevitably go for, or the next four, which are the ones which monster crowd-pleasing disco fans adore.
It should be an easy contest. The earlier discs, cut while still a member of the Faces, are the ones that showcase the bluesman, the rocker, the sensitive folk fan. The later ones, cut as a solo supernova, include “Tonight’s the Night,” “The First Cut is the Deepest” and “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?”
And yet... (Warner Records) is a 5-LP box set that zeroes in on this latter phase. Pristine new pressings of and (plus a bonus disc of outtakes, ) are presented with no additional frills
