Lunch bag, book bag, laptop bag and my exercise bag—these are the only four bags that I carry around with me on a regular basis. And while I'm glad I didn't have to lug any of them around with me tonight, I am feeling glad that I can offer more music tonight by the British rocker, though this time, it comes in the form of a special double-disc release commemorating his hits from the 60's and 70's called "Gladbags & Handrags". My friend Kim had been feverishly searching for this one for a very long time; it's as much of a fulfilled request for her as it is a gift for me, as I love Rod Stewart very much myself. She'd technically already had this album except for four missing tracks—"Missed You" on the second disc coincidentally being among them—so now she gets the complete collection while I myself get another chance to hear some of Rod's earliest recordings.....and it's gonna take me a while to get through all of them, too. I've only gotten partway through the first disc, skipping around a bit and playing some songs at random. A hint of that straining voice I've gotten so accustomed to from the 80's was obviously still existent on these songs, but that rollicking rocker's voice from his younger years also has a big-time presence here as well. One of my choices, "Mandolin Wind", was a very touching song, I thought, but whenever you hear Rod's voice, doesn't everything feel that way? Then there's several tunes I liked that traversed the border of folk country, like "Street Fighting Man" and the calming mellow guitar number, "Only A Hobo"; they're like old-fashioned country rock (almost slipped up there and wrote 'Country Crock' instead, as in the brand name of that spreadable margarine), though "Only A Hobo" has a touch of that classical Irish or Celtic folk sound that I always find so pleasant to the ears. Of course, I'll be coming back to hear this double-disc album in its entirety, as any true fan should. But I was especially curious about the lyrics to the title track—what would a song called "Handbags & Gladrags" be about?—so I ended up making that one like the fifth or sixth of the group of songs I'd heard yesterday before heading off to work. Long, long way to go before I declare myself done with this one—about an hour's worth of music long, plus however long it'll take to get though playing my favorite songs, of which "Only A Hobo" has already become:
DISC #1
1. Every Picture Tells A Story
2. [Interludings]
3. You Wear It Well
4. You Put Something Better Inside Of Me
5. Only A Hobo
6. Reason To Believe
7. It's All Over Now [Single Version]
8. Cut Across Shortly
9. Lost Paraguayos
10. Mandolin Wind
11. Crying Laughing Loving Lying
12. Street Fighting Man
13. Man Of Constant Sorrow
14. [I Know] I'm Losing You
15. Lady Day
16. So Tired
17. Oh No Not My Baby
18. What Made Milwaukee Famous [Made A Loser Out Of Me]
19. Handbags And Gladrags
DISC #2
1. Henry
2. Maggie May
3. Gasoline Alley
4. Dixie Toot
5. Every Time We Say Goodbye
6. Twistin' The Night Away [Original Version]
7. True Blue
8. Lochinvar
9. Farewell
10. Italian Girls
11. Mama You Been On My Mind
12. Country Comfort
13. I Wouldn't Change A Thing
14. Sweet Little Rock 'N' Roller
15. I'd Rather Go Blind
16. Angel
17. Missed You
18. Dirty Old Town
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