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A Spanner in the Works
A Spanner in the Works
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A Spanner in the Works

A Spanner in the Works
Studio album by
Rod Stewart
Released29 May 1995
Recorded1993–95
Studio
GenreRock, pop rock
Length57:15
LabelWarner Bros.
Producer
Rod Stewart chronology
Unplugged...and Seated
(1993) 		A Spanner in the Works
(1995) 		If We Fall in Love Tonight
(1996)
Singles from A Spanner in the Works
  1. "You're the Star"
    Released: 8 May 1995 (UK)[1]
  2. "Leave Virginia Alone"
    Released: 16 May 1995 (US)
  3. "Lady Luck"
    Released: 1995
  4. "This"
    Released: 1995
  5. "Purple Heather"
    Released: 1995
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[3]
NME5/10[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]

A Spanner in the Works is the seventeenth studio album released by Rod Stewart on 29 May 1995. It ended a four-year gap since his previous studio album, Vagabond Heart. Although he did release the live album Unplugged...and Seated in 1993, as of 2024, this remains Stewart's longest break between studio albums. It was released on Warner Bros. Records in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Five singles were released: "You're The Star", "Leave Virginia Alone", "This", "Lady Luck", and "Purple Heather".

Content

[edit]

The album includes covers of Bob Dylan's "Sweetheart Like You" and The Blue Nile's "The Downtown Lights". The song "Muddy, Sam and Otis" is Stewart's tribute to Muddy Waters, Sam Cooke, and Otis Redding. Track 12, later released as a single featuring the Scottish Euro '96 Football Squad, "Purple Heather" is a folk song that normally goes by the name "Wild Mountain Thyme". It is often credited as traditional, but was written by Francis McPeake. "Leave Virginia Alone" was written by Tom Petty and recorded for his album Wildflowers, but was left off the finished album and given to Stewart instead.

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Windy Town"Chris ReaTrevor Horn5:12
2."The Downtown Lights"Paul BuchananTrevor Horn6:33
3."Leave Virginia Alone"Tom PettyJames Newton Howard, Michael Ostin, Lenny Waronker4:07
4."Sweetheart Like You"Bob DylanHorn4:54
5."This"John Capek, Marc JordanHorn5:19
6."Lady Luck"Carmine Rojas, Jeff Golub, Kevin Savigar, Rod StewartHorn4:25
7."You're the Star"Billy Livsey, Frankie Miller, Graham LyleHorn, Bernard Edwards4:39
8."Muddy, Sam and Otis"Stewart, SavigarHorn4:42
9."Hang On St. Christopher"Tom WaitsHorn4:04
10."Delicious"Stewart, Andy Taylor, Robin LeMesurierEdwards, Andy Taylor4:43
11."Soothe Me"Sam CookeEdwards3:33
12."Purple Heather"Traditional; arranged by StewartHorn4:58

Personnel

[edit]
  • Rod Stewart – lead vocals, backing vocals (5), arrangements (12)
  • Kevin Savigar – keyboards, bass (5, 8), string arrangements and conductor (7, 11), squeezebox (12)
  • Eric Caudieux – programming (1)
  • Mike Higham – programming (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), digital manipulation (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), keyboards (2, 8), bass (8)
  • Trevor Horn – programming (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), digital manipulation (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), bass (1), backing vocals (1)
  • Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards (2), acoustic piano solo (9), percussion (9)
  • James Newton Howard – keyboards (3)
  • Martin O'Conner – accordion (6)
  • Billy Preston – Hammond organ (11)
  • Jeff Golub – guitars (1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12), electric guitar (9)
  • Robin LeMesurier – guitars (1, 6, 7, 10, 11), guitar solo (4)
  • Tim Pierce – guitars (1, 2, 5, 8)
  • David Lindley – bouzouki (1)
  • Don Teschner – mandolin (1, 6), fiddle (6)
  • Davey Johnstone – guitars (3), mandolin (3)
  • Jim Cregan – guitars (5)
  • Dónal Lunny – bouzouki (6, 12)
  • Michael Landau – guitars (7)
  • Andy Taylor – guitars (7, 10, 11)
  • Lol Creme – electric guitar (9)
  • Guy Pratt – acoustic guitar (9), bass (9)
  • Stephen Lipson – bass (2, 4), guitars (4)
  • Leland Sklar – bass (3)
  • Carmine Rojas – bass (6, 12)
  • Bernard Edwards – bass (7, 10, 11)
  • David Palmer – drums (1, 4, 6-8, 10-12)
  • Paul Robinson – drums (2, 5)
  • Kenny Aronoff – drums (3)
  • Frank Ricotti – drums (5)
  • Paulinho da Costa – percussion (1)
  • Máire Ní Chathasaigh – Irish fiddle (6)
  • John McSherry – bagpipes (6)
  • Leslie Butler – harmonica (9)
  • The Kick Horns – horns and horn arrangements (9):
    • Simon Clarke – saxophones
    • Tim Sanders – saxophones
    • Neil Sidwell – trombone
    • Roddy Lorimer – trumpet
  • Lenny Pickett – saxophones (11), horn arrangements (11)
  • David Woodford – saxophones (11), horn arrangements (11)
  • Nick Lane – trombone (11), horn arrangements (11)
  • Rick Braun – trumpet (11), horn arrangements (11)
  • Anne Dudley – string arrangements and conductor (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 12), acoustic piano (8)
  • Gavyn Wright – orchestra leader (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 12)
  • Susie Katayama – orchestra leader (7, 11)
  • Aleisha Irving – backing vocals (2)
  • Joe Turano – backing vocals (3, 7)
  • Joey Diggs – backing vocals (7, 8)
  • Lamont Van Hook – backing vocals (7, 8)
  • Fred White – backing vocals (7, 8)
  • Luana Jackman – choir coordinator (7)
  • Bobbi Page – choir coordinator (7)
  • Josef Powell – backing vocals (10, 11)
  • Oren Waters – backing vocals (10, 11)
  • Terry Young – backing vocals (10, 11)
  • Glasgow Gaelic Music Association – choir (12)
  • Kenneth Thompson – choir leader (12)

Production

[edit]
  • Rob Dickins – executive producer
  • Michael Ostin – executive producer
  • Tim Weidner – recording (1, 2, 5)
  • Steve MacMillan – recording (3), mixing
  • Charlie Bouis – engineer (4, 6-12)
  • Eric Johnston – assistant engineer (4, 6-12)
  • Danny Alonso – mix assistant (1, 2)
  • Rich Rowe – mix assistant (1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 12)
  • Pat Thrasher – mix assistant (6)
  • Rail Rogut – mix assistant (7, 8, 10, 11)
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering at Precision Mastering (Hollywood, California)
  • Greg Ross – design
  • Herb Ritts – photography
  • Annie Challis, Randy Phillips and Arnold Stiefel at Stiefel Phillips Entertainment – management

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[6] 28
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] 13
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[8] 22
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[9] 49
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[10] 2
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[11] 23
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] 9
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 13
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[14] 6
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[15] 2
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 15
UK Albums (OCC)[17] 4
US Billboard 200[18] 35

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[19] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[20] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[22] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
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