posted by ad-vinylrecords
Foot Loose & Fancy Free is the eighth studio album by Rod Stewart, released in November 1977 on Riva Records in the UK and Warner Bros in the US.
The album is the second-to-last album of Stewart's 1970s albums, including the platinum-selling A Night on the Town.
The album contains elements of hard rock ("Hot Legs"), funk rock ("You're Insane"), and progressive rock via Motown ("You Keep Me Hanging On"), as well as Stewart's usual ballads ("You're in My Heart").
"I Was Only Joking" was the third of four singles released from the album.
Following the same formula as Atlantic Crossing and A Night on the Town, but not explicitly breaking the record into fast and slow sides, Foot Loose & Fancy Free was a limp effort from an increasingly complacent Rod Stewart.
With the exception of the dumb, sleazy "Hot Legs," none of the rockers are discernible from each other, and this time he doesn't have a strong set of ballads to save him.
The affectionately sappy acoustic ballad "You're in My Heart" was the big hit, but Stewart sounds completely convincing only on "I Was Only Joking."
Coming at the end of the album, the song seems like a justification for the uninspired, by-the-book record that preceded it.
Yes, “Hot Legs” sounds like a tired country-blues-rock cliché even for 1978, but the rest of the album holds up okay.
It’s not great by any stretch of the imagination (for a great Rod Stewart song, check out “Every Picture Tells a Story”), but it’s not as offensive as I feared.
The second side is mostly slower, ballad material that gets redundant when you hear four of those things in a row.
His interpretation of “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” (probably the Vanilla Fudge version, and yes, that IS Carmine Appice on drums) and “If Loving You Is Wrong” are well done.
As whiny and scratchy as his voice can be, Rod sings rather convincingly on the cover tunes.
But by the time “I Was Only Joking” comes around, I just want to shut the album off.
Most of the first side has meatier rock numbers to it.
I know I’ve ripped it a new one, but to be fair, “Hot Legs” does do a good job at rocking out.
I prefer the next number, “You’re Insane”, because it drifts more into fusion angles (at times, sounding like Pierre Moerlen’s Gong).
Side one
1. Hot Legs - 5:11
2. You're Insane - 4:45
3. You're In My Heart (The Final Acclaim) - 4:42
4. Born Loose - 5:58
Side two
1. You Keep Me Hangin' On (The Supremes cover) - 7:28
2. (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right (Luther Ingram cover) - 5:16
3. You Got A Nerve - 4:57
4. I Was Only Joking - 6:02
3. You're In My Heart (The Final Acclaim) - 4:42
4. Born Loose - 5:58
Side two
1. You Keep Me Hangin' On (The Supremes cover) - 7:28
2. (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right (Luther Ingram cover) - 5:16
3. You Got A Nerve - 4:57
4. I Was Only Joking - 6:02
The Rod Stewart Group
- Rod Stewart – lead and backing vocals
- Gary Grainger – guitar, backing vocals
- Jim Cregan – guitar, backing vocals
- Phil Chen – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Carmine Appice – drums, backing vocals
- Billy Peek – guitar, backing vocals
- John Barlow Jarvis – keyboards, backing vocals
Additional personnel
- Fred Tackett – acoustic guitar
- Steve Cropper – guitar
- David Foster – keyboards
- Nicky Hopkins – synthesizer
- Roger Bethelmy – drums
- Paulinho Da Costa, Tommy Vig – percussion
- John Mayall – harmonica on "Born Loose"
- Phil Kenzie – saxophone
- Richard Greene – violin
- Mark Stein – background vocals on "You Keep Me Hangin' On"
- Andy Johns – background vocals, recording and mixing
- Wally Heider – engineering
- John Naslen – engineering
- Sy Potma – engineering
- Lee Hulko – mastering
- Kosh – art design and direction
Companies, etc.
- Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
- Phonographic Copyright ℗ – WEA Records B.V.
- Copyright © – WEA Records B.V.
- Made By – WEA Musik GmbH
- Published By – Riva Music, Inc.
- Published By – Wb Music Corp.
- Published By – Stone Agate Music Division
- Published By – East/Memphis Music Corp.
- Recorded At – Manta Sound
- Recorded At – Cherokee Studios
- Recorded At – Wally Heider Recording Studio, Los Angeles
- Lacquer Cut At – Sterling Sound
- Plated At – Presswell
Notes
Release: 1977
Format: LP, Vinyl
Genre: Pop, Rock
Label: Warner Bros.
Catalog# WB 56423
Vinyl: Goed (Excellent)
Cover: Goed (Excellent)
Prijs: €10,00









