As the 1970s gave way to the ’80s any number of venerable rock acts had seen their latest releases subject to critical disparagement.
Through 1979 new albums from The Kinks, ELO, Led Zeppelin and the Eagles all met with a tepid response from the music press (not that bad reviews had any effect on sales), the trend of sticking it to the old guard continuing through 1980 when Bob Seger, Elton John and John Lennon had highly anticipated L.P’s dismissed out of hand.
In the autumn of that year it remained to be seen if Rod Stewart could buck the trend when it was announced he had an album ready for release. There was encouragement as recent offerings from Pete Townshend and Bruce Springsteen had been warmly received, but alas for Stewart such goodwill was not forthcoming toward ‘FOOLISH BEHAVIOUR‘ (November 1980) his 10th studio set – the critics every bit as damning in their appraisal as they had been with a host of his contemporaries.
His first collection of fresh material since ‘Blondes Have More Fun‘ two years before (that also attracted negative notices), Stewart was pretty much at the height of his commercial standing. Buoyed by worldwide hit single, the disco-infused ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy‘, its 1978 parent album had outsold early career glories such as ‘Every Picture Tells A Story‘ (1971) and ‘Never A Dull Moment‘ (1972), while also, in sales terms at least, had eclipsed mid-period success stories ‘Atlantic Crossing‘ (1975) and ‘A Night on the Town‘ (1976).
But if ‘Blondes Have More Fun‘, along with the three or four albums that precede it, had lifted Stewart to a new level of global popularity, along the way the music had, for the most part, lost that sense of enthrallment that made his formative records so downright engaging.
On beginning a solo career after leaving the Jeff Beck Group in early 1969, between his debut set ‘An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down‘ and ‘Smiler‘ (1974), Stewart, the most distinctive and believable vocalist in the business, put out a run of albums brimming with warmth and charm. Highly skilled as an interpreter and blessed with an exquisite turn of phrase when it came to writing songs of his own, the five L.P’s bearing just his name were infectious, intuitive and impossible to dislike.
Through this period Stewart had also been front man of ramshackle rockers the Faces whose boozy bonhomie made them a popular concert attraction of the day, Rod in the process of their six year duration going from one-of-the-lads rock and roller to A-list L.A. celebrity. The move from Holloway (Stewart of Scottish origin, born North London 10/1/1945) to Hollywood complete when he took on U.K. tax exile status shortly before the Faces called it a day in December 1975.
Five years and a succession of glamorous blonde-haired girlfriends later, 35-year-old Stewart was now married to actress Alana Hamilton (a blonde) with whom he had two children, the recording arrangements for his latest release also having a steady, if not identical appearance.
Once again he recorded in Los Angeles, although for the first time since ‘Atlantic Crossing‘ five years before it was Stewart rather than revered veteran Tom Dowd who undertook production duties. On the whole musical assistance was provided by an ensemble of Billy Peek, Jim Cregan and Gary Grainger (guitars), Phil Chen (bass), Carmine Appice (drums) and Kevin Savigar (keyboards), most of whom were now in their fifth year of backing service.
Familiarity where the music itself was concerned centered upon ‘Foolish Behaviour‘ containing a recognized mix of up-tempo rockers and soul-tinged ballads, but no out-and-out disco, Stewart for the first time in his career taking a songwriting credit for every track on one of his albums. While that ensures there is the occasional witty or poignant line to be found through the ten tracks, overall there is not much authenticity on offer. The melodies meanwhile, often attributed to the band as an entity, are all too often found lacking in originality.
In their generally dismissive review Rolling Stone, who had warmly embraced his early albums, were of the opinion Stewart had made a record that was ‘Wonderfully trashy.’ In other words Rod had served up a collection that rarely rose above the mediocre, but he could heard having a wonderful time in doing so all the same – the magazine quantifying the comment by awarding a two star (from five) review.
Opening cut ‘Better Off Dead‘ epitomizes the buoyant bluster Rolling Stone alluded to, this boisterous number quick to incorporate freneticism rather than finesse. Framed by riffing guitars, a wailing sax and frantic piano work, the track could be the work of any superior Stones-styled bar band. The lyrics, while no great shakes, contain just enough aplomb to pass muster (‘Turn the music up nice and loud/Cheer me up don’t bring me down/Gonna lose my job next week/Getting replaced by a silicone chip‘), Rod, not for the first time on this often contrived album, forcing home his point with the help of raucous backing vocals:
‘I might have been a hero/But I chose to stay in bed/I might have been prime minister/But right now honey I’m better off dead.’
While agreeable enough as a retread of several such pieces with Chuck Berry motifs at their core (Stewart by no means alone in drawing from this well), there is more intent to be found in the music and lyricism of ‘Passion‘.
Built upon softly creeping piano chords, the snatched electric guitar lines add to the atmospherics as Rod conjures clandestine love affairs being conducted in the cover of darkness:
‘In the bars and the cafés, passion/In the streets and the alleys, passion/A lot of pretending, passion/Everybody searching, passion/Once in love you’re never out of danger/One hot night spent with a stranger/All you wanted was somebody to hold on to‘.
With the band contributing a concerted performance, Rod delivers the lyric in suitably impassioned manner and in time honoured fashion namechecks cities across the world (‘New York, Moscow, passion/Hong Kong, Tokyo, passion/Paris and Bangkok, passion/A lotta people ain’t got passion‘), in evoking the worldwide desire to feel such an emotion – these references also doing no harm in helping ‘Passion‘ reach a top five position on chart listings around the globe.
For all its merits, however, the song cut no ice close to home, as Stewart recalled in his highly readable 2013 autobiography:
‘Passion has the distinction of being my mum’s least favourite song that I ever wrote. In other words it was a song not even a mother could love.’
After mustering a pleasing degree of purpose for that cut, Rod is found with tongue back in his cheek for the ‘Foolish Behaviour‘ title track. This a somewhat flippant tale of a man who imagines killing his wife, the circumstances as the song unfolds revealed to have come to him in a dream.
The accoutrements, (dobro, harmonica – the latter played by Stewart himself) of a country-blues offering by the Rolling Stones circa 1968-71 are evident, right down to the opening line of ‘Can I introduce myself/I’m a man of panache and wealth.’
But despite phrases such as ‘Should I string her up or strangle her in bed/Suffocate that little venomous head’ there is nothing like the comparable fear Mick and Keith once summoned, the twice-used bridge, sung by backing vocalists in an affected Cockney accent, inducing more in the way of mirth than menace:
‘He’ll escape down into Mexico/Sell the house and find a nice young girl/He’ll laugh and sing and he won’t work anymore.’
Adopting the pop-reggae overtones recently brought to the fore by U.K. hitmakers The Police, ‘So Soon We Change‘, while providing a degree of musical variety offers little in the way of insight, tracing as it does a relationship where the protagonists feel differently about each other as the end approaches than they once did. In contrast, however, side one closer ‘Oh God I Wish I Was Home Tonight‘ is an absolute delight, serving as an overlooked gem in his songwriting repertoire.
Set against a cross ply of acoustic guitar and the folk-flavoured violin contribution of Sid Page, Rod, expressing himself in couplets that are both poignant and pithy, is found in the guise of a homesick emigre longing to be reunited with his lady love:
‘The rain poured down the windswept avenue/On another dark wet December afternoon/All my cherished memories are of you/All my warmth and comfort stayed with you/I would have wrote you a letter/But the telephone calls are free/’Cause the boys in the next apartment/Are working all day/They’re a great bunch of guys/But I think they’re all gay/What am I doing/Avoiding what I’m trying to say/Oh God I wish I was home tonight.’
That Rod was capable of such engaging lines and of sounding so delightfully resonant came as no surprise to anyone aware of just how compelling he could be (as a writer) when the mood arose. Few vocalists of the rock era, if any, were quite so convincing when it came to conveying heartfelt sentiment in such a way, although at this stage of the game there was already a sense of him failing to write strong lyrics as often as he should.
Yet when Stewart came up with scenarios like ‘I could be home in time for Christmas/If you want me to be/There’s a plane leaves here at midnight/Arriving at three/But I’m a bit financially embarrassed/I must admit/To tell you the truth my honey/I haven’t a cent‘, you could forgive him all the mishits – ‘Oh God I Wish I Was Home Tonight‘ containing the best examples of self-deprecating humour in a song since Rod had come up with ‘You Wear It Well‘ eight years before.
Side two opener ‘Gi’ Me Wings‘ exists in the realm of self-despair rather than self-deprecation, the central character besieged by a series of personal setbacks, (‘My best friend disappeared/With the girl I had for years/My life’s going down the drain‘), through a punchy rock number.
Fattened up by the efforts of a strident brass section, the narrator is tired of the daily grind (‘Give me wings I’ll fly away/ Magnificent and free/Far away from the madding crowd/There’s gotta be a place for me‘) and desperate for a change of luck.
The figure in ‘My Girl‘ appears to have everything he wants by virtue of meeting the girl of his dreams. While the sentiments (presumably intended for wife Alana), sound genuine enough, in truth Stewart would have been better advised cutting a version of The Temptations 1965 hit of the same title rather than contrive an instantly forgettable remake. Done no favours by a syrupy string arrangement, it plumbs depths even below those of ‘Last Summer‘ and ‘Attractive Female Wanted‘ from his previous album.
By way of unfortunate irony the best song he was inspired to write in regard to Alana Hamilton was the moving ‘Trouble‘, an impressive track from his otherwise lacklustre ‘Camouflage‘ album of 1984, the record appearing just after an announcement their marriage had ended.
From milking Motown Rod moves back to recycling every Stones trick in the book with ‘She Won’t Dance With Me‘, which, for all the posturing, is hard to dislike.
If little more than ‘Hot Legs‘ (‘Footloose & Fancy Free‘) or ‘Dirty Weekend‘ (‘Blondes Have More Fun‘) rewritten for a different album, Rod once again is happy to laugh at his own expense (‘Here she comes floatin’ down the street/Synthesized eyes wearin’ cellophane jeans/Practicin’ the art of sexuality/My tongue gets tied when I try to speak‘), while at less than three minutes it never has opportunity to outstay its welcome.
With former Cockney Rebel front man Steve Harley assisting with the lyrics it is disappointing they could not come up with something more substantial than ‘Somebody Special‘ a pedestrian affair extolling patience in hoping romance will enter your life. The bland background strings stay around for closing cut ‘Say It Ain’t True‘, which in truth never rises above the level of lukewarm.
Nobody could dispute the conviction in his voice that helps unconvincing lines such as ‘Well you picked a fine time to hesitate/See it my way I’ve nothing left‘ sound durable. But it is hard to escape the notion of complacency when Rod had previously written this song to much better effect, ‘Still Love You‘ and ‘Fool For You‘ the two most recent examples.
While ‘Foolish Behaviour‘ did brisk chart business (U.S. 9/U.K. 5), critics who once admired his work had entered a cooling off period in regard to Stewart’s current output. The New Musical Express found little to enthuse over, describing the record as ‘Complacent and uninspired‘ while noted New York rock scribe Robert Christgau, an early champion of Stewart – reflected in ‘A’ ratings for ‘Gasoline Alley‘ (1970), ‘Every Picture Tells A Story‘ and ‘Never A Dull Moment‘, this at a time when he was generally saving such grades for The Who and Van Morrison – could not hide his dislike of Rod’s latest release in bestowing a C+ mark.
As for Rod he later attributed the malaise now affecting his music to ‘Too much partying, too much booze and too many dabs of recreational cocaine.’
Not that he was quite ready to pull back on the good times for the sake of his art.
Dedicating the record to (among others), ‘Those who enjoy a good laugh and a drink and who do not take like too seriously‘, it was quickly a contender for the most threadbare album he had so far made – yet as the 1980s rolled on, ‘Foolish Behaviour‘ would have competition for his nadir of the decade……
ROD STEWART – FOOLISH BEHAVIOUR (Released November 21 1980):
Better Off Dead/Passion/Foolish Behaviour/So Soon We Change/Oh God I Wish I Was Home Tonight/Gi’ Me Wings/My Girl/She Won’t Dance With Me/Someone Special/Say It Ain’t True;
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