Smiler

About Smiler

Smiler is Rod Stewart's fifth album, fifth solo album and final album for Mercury Records, released in 1974. It became the first album by Rod Stewart as a solo artist to become critically panned. Although it reached number 1 in the UK album chart, it stalled at number 13 in the US. The album was largely considered to be an unadventurous retread of what he had done before, including covers of Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke and Bob Dylan songs, as well as a duet with Elton John of John's song "Let Me Be Your Car". Stewart's one attempt at adventurousness was a cover of Carole King's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" where 'Woman' is switched to 'Man'. This track was selected for special derision by critics. [1] The release of the album itself was held up for five months due to legal problems between Mercury Records and Warner Bros. Records.[2] This album sold 1 million copies worldwide. Musicians appearing on the album included members of Stewart's band Faces, as well as frequent collaborators Martin Quittenton (guitars), Pete Sears (bass & keyboards), and Mickey Waller (drums), who had become something of a second band for Stewart more »