Rod Stewart The Story So Far: The Very Best of Rod Stewart

Personnel includes: Rod Stewart, Ronald Isley, Ronnie Wood.

Producers include: Trevor Horn, Rod Stewart, Patrick Leonard, Bernard Edwards, Tom Dowd.

Compilation producer: Gregg Geller.

Recorded between 1971 and 1998.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

Ever since making the leap from Jeff Beck Group vocalist to a solo sex symbol who split his time fronting the Faces, Rod Stewart has used his trademark rasp as a passport to the halls of blue-eyed soul stardom. Throughout the 16 cuts released between 1971 and 1998 that make up this compilation, Stewart's distinctive singing style allows him to move from sturdy album-rock anthems ("Maggie May") to raunchy disco ("Da Ya Think I'm Sexy"), and New Wave-flavored pop ("Some Guys Have All The Luck"). Along the way, Rod The Mod also matches up with idol Ronald Isley on The Isley Brothers' 1966 hit "This Old Heart Of Mine" as well as masterfully delivering "unplugged" renditions of nuggets by Tim Hardin ("Reason To Believe") and Van Morrison ("Have I Told You Lately").

This collection also points to how Stewart's impressive interpretive skills found him crafting hits out of material by legends like Tom Waits ("Downtown Train") and Bob Dylan ("Forever Young"). Stewart's sentimental side is represented with the classic trifecta of "You're In My Heart (The Final Acclaim)," "You Wear It Well" and "Tonight' The Night (Gonna Be Alright)."