A Night on the Town is Rod Stewart's seventh album, released in 1976. The cover art is based on Pierre-Auguste Renoir's painting Bal du moulin de la Galette, with Stewart inserted in the centre in period costume. On 30 June 2009, Rhino reissued the album as a two-disc CD with bonus tracks. Stewart performed "Big Bayou" regularly with The Faces during their final US tour the previous year, although that version was based on the one Ronnie Wood released on his solo album, Now Look. A Night on the Town was Stewart's last UK number-one studio album until Time in 2013.
The album is regarded as one of Stewart's finest hours, with many songs still on rotation at Classic Rock radio stations. "The Killing Of Georgie" is one of Stewart's most hard hitting set of lyrics, a melancholic tale of a gay friend who is cast out by his family and becomes a sensation in the New York nightlife, only to be mugged and beaten to death by a New Jersey gang in New York City. Controversial "Tonight's the Night" was a No. 1 hit but was banned by some radio stations due to the very obvious lyrics about sex and loss of virginity. A cover of Cat Stevens' "The First Cut Is The Deepest" was also a success and has since become one of Stewart's signature songs. Another controversial song, The Balltrap, again had explicit sexual references in its lyrics as well as a touch of racism towards a trashy woman.
Track listing
2009 re-release
|
|
| 1. | "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" | 3:56 |
| 2. | "The First Cut Is the Deepest" | 4:28 |
| 3. | "Fool for You" | 3:47 |
| 4. | "The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II)" | 6:22 |
| 5. | "The Balltrap" | 4:41 |
| 6. | "Pretty Flamingo" | 3:32 |
| 7. | "Big Bayou" | 3:55 |
| 8. | "The Wild Side of Life" | 5:10 |
| 9. | "Trade Winds" | 5:28 |
| 10. | "Rosie" | 3:50 |
|
|
| 1. | "Share" (Studio Outtake) | 4:19 |
| 2. | "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" (Early version) | 3:51 |
| 3. | "The First Cut Is the Deepest" (Early version) | 3:48 |
| 4. | "Fool for You" (Early version) | 3:40 |
| 5. | "The Killing of Georgie (Part I)" (Early version) | 4:22 |
| 6. | "The Balltrap" (Early version) | 4:40 |
| 7. | "Pretty Flamingo" (Early version) | 3:26 |
| 8. | "Big Bayou" (Early version) | 4:13 |
| 9. | "The Wild Side of Life" (Early version) | 4:47 |
| 10. | "Trade Winds" (Early version) | 4:44 |
| 11. | "Rosie" (Early version) | 4:21 |
| 12. | "Get Back" (From the soundtrack All This and World War II) | 4:05 |
| 13. | "The Killing Of Georgie [Part II]" ([Alternate Vocals]) | |
| 14. | "Tonight's The Night [Gonna Be Alright]" ([Spoken Excerpt]) | |
Personnel
- Bass: Donald Dunn, Bob Glaub, David Hood, Willie Weeks, Lee Sklar
- Guitars: Steve Cropper, Billy Peek, Joe Walsh, Jesse Ed Davis, David Lindley, Fred Tackett, Rod Stewart
- Keyboards: John Jarvis, David Foster, Barry Beckett, J. Smith, Booker T. Jones
- Drums: Roger Hawkins, Andy Newmark, Al Jackson, Rick Shlosser
- Percussion: Tommy Vig, Joe Lala
- String Arrangements: Jimmy Horowitz, Mel Lewis, Arif Mardin
- Horns: Tower of Power horn section
- Tenor saxophone solos: Jerry Jumonville, Plas Johnson
Charts
Singles
| Year |
Single |
Chart |
Position |
| 1976 |
"Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" |
Billboard – Pop Singles |
1 |
| 1977 |
"The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II)" |
Billboard – Pop Singles |
30 |
| 1977 |
"The First Cut Is the Deepest" |
Billboard – Pop Singles |
21 |
References
|
|---|
|
| Studio albums | |
|---|
| Live albums | |
|---|
| Compilation albums | |
|---|
| Concert tours | |
|---|
| Related articles | |
|---|
