Search - Ron Wood :: Not for Beginners

Ron Wood: An Underrated Gem

J P Ryan | Waltham, Massachusetts United States | 08/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ron Wood is best known for his membership in several important and famous British bands - The Birds (1963 - 67), Creation (for a few months in 1968), The Jeff Beck Group (1967 - 69), Faces (1969 - 75), and since 1975, of course, The Rolling Stones. For the past thirty years Wood has also been making solo albums, a varied assortment that tend to receive rather patronizing and vaguely favorable reviews (i.e. Wood and famous friends make a loose-but-likeable, rag-tag set that Stones/Faces fans might like) when noticed at all, but the commercial and critical indifference is not fair.

Not that Ron Wood has always been his own best advocate, and the lame cover paintings that adorn front and back of this CD (Wood has done decent artwork for Nickelbag, Eric Clapton, and John Baldry) is unlikely to sell any copies.

Ron Wood's solo albums are as varied as the bands he he's been in. His 1974 debut ("I've Got My Own Album To Do") featured three Rolling Stones (Jagger, Richards, and the man Ron soon replaced, Mick Taylor), three Faces, a Beatle, and Sly Stone's brilliant drummer (Andy Newmark). It was likeable indeed, and noteable for having turned into a collaboration with Keith Richards a few weeks into the sessions (at a time when Keith was doing hardly anything outside of the Stones). Roughly, a stylistic marriage between the Stones and Faces, in hindsight the album contains several remarkable tracks - the beautiful and haunting collaboration with George Harrison, 'Far East Man,' some fine ballads, and two otherwise unrecorded Jagger/Richards songs - it is however occasionally marred by unnecessary and dated synthesizer on some tracks and equally unnecessary backing vocals by I & D Chanter and Liza Strike, which are screechy rather than soulful. "Now Look" ('75) is better - a collaboration with soul legend and Stones compadre Bobby Womack that mines the funk grooves and r&b Faces were starting to explore after Ronnie Lane left. The production is superb, with Womack adding some of the funky, chunky and underrated guitar he played on Sly & The Family Stone's "There's A Riot Goin On" (and during the '60s, classic albums by Aretha, Wilson Pickett, Box Tops, and others). "Now Look" also contained some truly classic material ("Breathe On Me") and made plain what was already evident from Rod Stewart's best ever solo work - that Ron Wood is a very gifted collaborator. That role served him well on 1976's "Mahoney's Last Stand" (with ex-Face Ronnie Lane), a terrific folk/country/blues/rock 'n' roll soundtrack with lots of acoustics, fiddles, and mandolins that evoke Rod's classic "Gasoline Alley." "Gimme Some Neck" ('79) was marred by uneven material and an unsympathetic mix/production by (of all people) Roy Thomas Baker. Wood's '80s abums, despite fine moments, show the effects of his years free-basing in L.A., but in 1992 Ron found another superb collaborator in Bernard Fowler, and they made the polished but strong "Slide On This" followed by a terrific 1992-93 tour (much tighter and more focused than the all star New Barbarians tour of 1979) that produced a decent live album. A decade later, "Not For Beginners" has Wood clearly in control, a very personal work that gets better with time. Deliberately stripped to basics, the production is nevertheless layered in shimmering electric, acoustic, and steel guitars, dobros, mandolins, electric and standup bass, all in the service of deep yet casual grooves, a pace that fits the mood of this album. "Not For Beginners" is fueled by a depth of emotion heard only rarely from anyone, and even if by inferance, one is made aware of the endless cycle of rehabs and detoxes, ambivilance about stardom, heartache, and the awarness, as the artis approaches 60, of what is truly important to Wood's emotional survival - his music and the love of family and friends (including guest roles by Ron's kids Jesse and Leah, and longtime associates Newmark, Ian McLagan, Bob Dylan, Elvis' legendary support team Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana, and others). The songs are raw and blunt, soulful and romantic and sexy. And Wood steps back to his earliest days with a cover of (hiss first band) The Birds' 1965 single "Leaving Here" and the (U.S.) Byrds' "Rock 'n' Roll Star" that is somehow angry, playful, and musically compelling with its stark vocal intro and swirl of dense guitars. The ballads are gorgeous, fragile and vulnerable, and two instrumentals recorded during sessions for Dylan's "Time Out Of Mind" are gently swinging and lilting - masterful in a way that seems effortless, as if they'd been recorde on the porch.

I remembered half the songs after two plays. Wood hasn't been writing much with the Stones in recent years, but this wonderful album proves his talent is intact, and evolving."

Not The Same Guy...

"The Woj" | Downers Grove, IL | 12/10/2002

(2 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard to believe this is the same guy who played the opening guitar riffs on one of the greatest rock songs of all-time, The Faces "Stay With Me". There is nothing on this record that comes close to the energy of that song or any other of Ronnie's best work ("I've Got My Own Album To Do" or "Gimme Some Neck"). The album label boasts guest artists Bob Dylan and Scottie Moore (Elvis), but all we get is one track that's an short, informal acoustic jam with no vocals from Dylan,(Considering Ronnie sounds alot like Dylan, I was looking forward to a rockin's duet from the two). The album is mostly acoustic. Other than some sub-par raspy vocals from Woody, you'd never know this was a Ron Wood album. I quess there is a chance this album can grow on you if you enjoy acoustic, demo quality songs; but if you really want to see what Wood is (was) all about pick up "I've Got My Own Album To Do", "Gimme Some Neck" or "The Best Of Faces"."