This double retrospective was released to coincide with Rod the Mod's recent Australian tour.
Can't really blame him for not making it across the Tasman, can you, what with all those former in-laws? Anyway, the 34 tracks are divided into two CDs entitledA Night Out and A Night In — a division between rockers and ballads, which is a nice idea if only Stewart's songs worked that way.
That Night In would seem to require much waving of a cigarette lighter from the couch with terrace anthems like Sailing (forever sounding like it's dragging its anchor), You're in My Heart or the unnecessary All For Love, his rasp-along with Sting and Bryan Adams for some movie.
Meanwhile, A Night Out does include those songs which just scream "leopard skin pants" (Do Ya Think I'm Sexy and Hot Legs), makes a few nods to his Faces days and his valiant attempts at a latter-day soul revival (The Motown Song, This Old Heart of Mine with Ronald Isley, It Takes Two with Tina Turner) alongside the compulsory Maggie May.
It does give the casual Rod fans everything they could ever want, but also feels a little lumpy in its compilation and shows that some of Rod's recordings haven't aged quite as well as he has.
