Rod Stewart really started to come into his own after 1966, and while the recordings collected here -- his 1967 vocal duet with P.P. Arnold on "Come Home Baby," his third Columbia single "Shake," and a series of poorly recorded live demos with Long John Baldry from 1964 that feature Stewart delivering serviceable vocals to blues standards by the likes of Jimmy Reed and Willie Dixon -- are certainly listenable and even revealing at times (Stewart's vocal influences, from Sam Cooke to Motown, are clearly on display), they don't come close to the level of his later Mercury Records recordings. This set (these early tracks have been repackaged and reissued in countless variations over the years) does make a nice introduction to the pre-fame Stewart, though, and die-hard fans may well find it interesting. ~ Steve Leggett
