ROD STEWART – “Leave Virginia Alone” (1995 Warner CD single)
Rod Stewart’s album A Spanner in the Works came out during my first year at the Record Store. I have a lot of fond memories of hearing certain songs. “Leave Virginia Alone” was one of them. Tom Petty penned this acoustic mid-tempo hit. Petty wrote it during the 1994 Wallflowers sessions, though his version was not released until after his passing. Though it has a certain unmistakable Petty quality, Stewart makes it his own song simultaneously. Like an electron caught between two positive charges, “Leave Virginia Alone” is both quintessentially Rod and Tom at once. My preference is to Rod’s rendition.
The B-side is an exclusive non-album song called “Shock To The System”. To my knowledge it’s never been released anywhere else, making this brief single worth owning for fans. It’s a guitar based rocker with funky bass and a nice fat horn section backing Rod. Good song. Sounds like vintage 70s Rod, with 90s production. A bit like “Hot Legs”. Probably considered not commercial enough for a 90s Rod album.
4/5 stars. Good, but too brief.
had no idea Rod covered Petty… today I learned something…
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Yeah he did and both versions are pretty damn good!!
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I got the Wildflowers deluxe set and I give it to Petty, but that’s only because I find Rod all sounds the same, and it’s a boring same. I gave up after Vagabond Heart (I still like that record a ton).
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See I’m the opposite. I find Rod extremely varied and Tom Petty to sound all the same. I’ll probably catch hell from Kevin for saying that. I like both but I collect Rod.
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That’s cool. I get it!
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