This came out in 2002 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Like all rock stars, Rod Stewart will undoubtedly tell you his new album is his best yet. But deep down in his heart of hearts, I bet even he knows the truth — it’s all been downhill since the early ’70s.
Think about it: Which would you rather listen to, your scratchy old copy of Every Picture Tells A Story or that shiny CD of It Had to Be You? Well, good news — now you can replace all those ancient Rod albums with the new Reason to Believe: The Complete Mercury Studio Recordings. Like the title sez, this three-CD set has everything Rod the Mod put down on tape between 1969 and 1974 — all the tracks from The Rod Stewart Album, Gasoline Alley, Every Picture, Never a Dull Moment and Smiler, along with various compilation tracks, singles and leftovers. That’s 56 tracks in all, including Maggie May, Mandolin Wind, You Wear it Well, (I Know I’m) Losing You, I’d Rather Go Blind and about 50 other vintage cuts from the heyday of the raspy-throated, rooster-coiffed rocker. Even Rod couldn’t claim his new album is better than this.
