Downtown Train / Selections From The Storyteller Anthology

by Rod Stewart

Product Description:

Personnel includes: Rod Stewart, Ronald Isley (vocals); Jeff Beck (guitar).

Producers include: Michael Omartian, Andy Taylor, Bernard Edwards, Glyn Johns, Trevor Horn.

Contains select tracks from the "Storyteller" box set.

Taken from the Storyteller Anthology, DOWNTOWN TRAIN takes on the seemingly impossible task of representing Rod Stewart's best on one CD. And the job is admirably done, with samplings of every stage of Stewart's lengthy, widely-varied career. Each track is a testament to Stewart's importance within his time--he has come to define so many different sounds that each track on the album is a trip to a another distinct era.

DOWNTOWN TRAIN moves from the bare-faced bravado of the opener "Stay With Me" to the once-sensational "The Killing Of Georgie," the tender narrative centered around a fatal gay-bashing. Stewart's embrace of recording technology bursts into view with the discofied throb of "Passion," reaching a peak with the squeaky-clean, synth-driven anthem "Young Turks." Stewart's gift with a cover is handily displayed with the tender, slow pulse he gives his modern-sounding take on "People Get Ready," and on the album's four closing cuts, most notably the Tom Waits-penned title tune.