NEW YORK (J Records) - J Records recording artist
Rod Stewart once again tops the charts with the release of his first rock album in 8 years, STILL THE SAME ... GREAT ROCK CLASSICS OF OUR TIME entering the Billboard 200 Album chart at No 1 on a first week Nielsen SoundScan total of 184,304 copies sold. It was 35 years ago this week that Rod enjoyed his first No 1 album "Every Picture Tells A Story," which features Stewart's signature track "Maggie May," and this is his first rock album to hold the top spot since "Blondes Have More Fun" in 1979 (Stardust ... The Great American Songbook Volume III entered the charts at No 1 and was his first No 1 since "Blondes Have More Fun"). "STILL THE SAME ... " is Stewart's 35th charting album, his fourth No 1 album, his sixth Top 10 debut, and his 4th consecutive studio album to enter the Billboard charts within the top 2 positions.
Rod Stewart joins
Garth Brooks and
Jay-Z who are the only recording artists in the SoundScan era to have 4 releases debut in the top 2 positions within 3 years.
STILL THE SAME ... GREAT ROCK CLASSICS OF OUR TIME comes on the heels of the unprecedented success of the four volumes that comprise Stewart's Grammy- award winning Great American Songbook series (J Records), a musical and cultural phenomenon and the biggest selling ongoing series of new music recordings in history, with a total of fifteen million copies sold worldwide in just 4 years.
Comments Clive Davis, Chairman and CEO of BMG U.S.: "The last four years with Rod's five albums have exceeded any fantasy. It's what makes this business exhilarating, unpredictable and totally fulfilling. It's a milestone neither of us will ever forget."
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Rod Stewart has been lauded as having one of the greatest and most distinctive rock voices in history. He has also been hailed as having one of the great interpretive voices in popular music. STILL THE SAME ... GREAT ROCK CLASSICS OF OUR TIME is an incredibly strong and passionate return to form. Stewart takes ownership of these thoughtfully selected tracks crafted by some of the best songwriters of our time, including Bob Dylan ("If Not For You"), Van Morrison ("Crazy Love"), Bob Seger ("Still the Same") and John Fogerty ("Have You Ever Seen the Rain" which was the No 1 most added single at the AC radio format 3 weeks in a row). Several of Stewart's other selections sound like they were written for his signature, inimitable rasp in the first place, like Bonnie Tyler's "It's a Heartache" and "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," a 1976 hit for Elvin Bishop.
The album's sensational entry at No 1 was propelled by an intense month of television, online and radio exposure that built on the popularity of his best-selling Songbook series. Stewart kicked off his television appearances on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," followed by "Good Morning America," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," "CBS Sunday Morning," "The View," "A&E Biography," "CBS Early Show," "Dancing With The Stars," "Jimmy Kimmel," "Martha Stewart," "Rachael Ray Show," and multiple appearances on "Entertainment Tonight," "Access Hollywood," "Extra," "CNN Showbiz Tonight," and "E! News Live." Stewart also performed at an intimate sold-out concert at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square which was broadcast live by Control Room on MSN.com and into 116 National CineMedia movie theatres across the country on the eve of album release. The concert was also broadcast on Premiere Radio stations across the country and on New York's WLTW Lite-FM. The album also enjoyed an exclusive Sneak Peak Clear Channel online album premiere. The first single from the album "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" was the No 1 most added single at the Hot AC format 3 weeks in a row.
Produced by John Shanks (winner of the 2005 "Producer of the Year" Grammy award) and co-produced by Clive Davis (Grammy-winning co-producer of Santana's Supernatural), STILL THE SAME ... GREAT ROCK CLASSICS OF OUR TIME features a lean band of top notch session musicians including Kenny Aronoff and Dean Parks. The versatility of its production is displayed in songs ranging from the soaring Badfinger hit "Day After Day" to the most contemporary song included, the Pretenders's 1994 ballad "I'll Stand By You."
