The scene: The Wick, Ronnie Wood's lavish home, nestled in London's verdant Richmond. With Keith Richards holed up in the guest house and a revolving door of the most talented musicians of the day, creative energy was certainly bubbling at the Wick. Though the same could not be said for Wood's main responsibility: the Faces. With Rod Stewart becoming increasingly distracted by his promising solo career, the Faces had been left to flounder in 1974. For I've Got My Own Album to Do, Wood rallied together a sensational group of talent, to stunning results. Recorded in his basement studio, the album is a standout of the time. By 1974, Rod Stewart's solo graces had nearly left him and the Rolling Stones, the band Wood would soon join, had suffered under the strains of Keith Richards' spiraling heroin addiction. I've Got My Own Album to Do puts a lid on the striking output that had stemmed from the involved Faces and Stones, beginning in roughly 1968. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there.
The album commences with "I Can Feel the Fire", co-written with Mick Jagger and telling of the collective influence of the moment: reggae. With exaggerated Jagger backing vocals and heavy organ, the song showcases Wood's sublime skills as a collaborative songwriter. Also written during the same session was "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll", clearly proving Wood fit right in with the Stones. Within a year, Wood would join the Stones on their 1975 Tour of America, temporarily bouncing between guitar duties with the Faces, who also toured that year. The Faces' live take of "I Can Feel the Fire", including on Five Guys Walk Into a Bar, stands as my favorite rendition.
George Harrison scarcely wrote songs collaboratively, but for the follow-up number, "Far East Man", the respectively lush guitar works of Harrison and Wood come together gracefully. Also included on Harrison's solo album of that year, Dark Horse, Wood's version encapsulates the uniquely hazy and lulling atmosphere found on I've Got My Own to Album to Do. The relaxed energy of the recording is limitlessly engaging. As their slinky guitar flirt around each other and Harrison's backing vocals peak through Wood's bonhomie delivery, it is as tranquil as it is quaint.
"Mystifies Me", Wood's radiant paean to his then-wife Krissy, carries on the aforementioned lulling atmosphere, though this time written independently. For many musicians accustomed to being a band, going solo doesn't suit their musicianship. They enjoy getting comfortably lost in the shuffle and melding into one. For Wood, though certainly not a front man, working solo benefits his playing, rather than hindering it. His solos take on a careless air, transcending to a soulful place neither the Faces nor the Stones have access to. He is allowed to take each note to places it must go, without having to mind when the next organ solo, drum solo, or bass solo will arise. Having utter control over the composition of the tracks is nothing but a gift for Wood. Though that isn't to say that Rod Stewart's featured backing vocals on this number do not absolutely elevate its quality.
Also featuring Stewart, "Take a Look at the Guy" is certainly a jiving, rollicking number, worthy of any Faces record and, in fact, frequently included in their live sets. Still, while this is certainly a compliment, it does work against the track. It is purely ordinary, failing to boast the stately ambiance that make the album a gem.
But as the track coolly fades into the luminous "Act Together", the album reaches a superlative moment. Credited as a Jagger/Richards composition, it certainly has the strength and soul of the duo's best efforts. With Richards on synthesizers, integrating with Ian McLagan's tasteful organ, it accomplishes everything the Faces or the Stones failed to accomplish in 1974, and it does it beautifully. Richards' disheveled backing vocals blend marvelously with Wood's equally discordant delivery. The two rely solely on emotion, not technique. When they throw over the Stones-esque gospel back-up singers, the track can get no more dazzling... "Act Together" stands as a lost gem in the era's back catalog.
Performing as Ronnie Wood and Friends at Kilburn, 1974. Released as a DVD entitled "The First Barbarians"
Unfortunately, its immediate successor, "Am I Grooving You", penned by sixties impresarios Bert Russell and Jeff Barry, does not stand up quite as nicely. While a funky and slinky number, with grunts and groans from Mick Jagger, it simply does about as much for me as similar Stones tracks of the time... At first prompting a bit of hip swiveling, the song eventually grows monotonous.
"Shirley", an odd proposition for the eponymous lass to be Wood's secretary, is similarly prosaic. Both tracks are occasionally entrancing, but overall are suitably forgettable. Five and a half minutes of Wood proposing that Shirley "take some notes, keep in touch with people" isn't exactly appealing.
The album picks back up with "Cancel Everything", an illuminating tome about love and long distance communication. From the elegant movement of the guitar, as the track slowly ascends, flirting with the shuffling rhythm, combined with the grand, explosive vocals... To the primitive nature of the record and Wood's unabashed compassion... It all comes together in a way that is just meaningful. The pure vulnerability of the track and the raw sweetness of it all are unrivaled when conveyed with such splendorous musicianship. Sensitive, yet sensual, unrefined, yet perfectly executed - the song is everything a great recording should be.
Typically, a solo record means one will take all lead vocals and showcase their talents foremost. Still, as he's proven, Ronnie Wood does nothing in an orthodox fashion. For the Jagger/Richards penned "Sure The One You Need", Richards himself takes on lead vocal duties. Together with Wood, the guitar slinging pair showcase their "ancient form of weaving". The track isn't bad by any standards, still, I frankly find the "ancient form of weaving" rather bland. The most exhilarating moments on the record stem from Wood seamlessly diving into solos and embellishing the songs with ornamental licks. Yet, the "ancient form of weaving" seems to be a tried and true method for the exuberant coupling. My distaste for the trite shuffling makes "Sure The One You Need" stand as no more than a second rate Stones track from a third rate era.
Luckily, Rod Stewart accompanies Wood for the stirring "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody". As Wood's guitar soars with sleek and sinuous tonality, Stewart ardently enriches the dulcet number. The song perfectly combines the stark melancholy of heartache with the raw warmth of the record. Wood manages to showcase Stewart's strength without placing him in the forefront, carrying on the album's merry tradition of rearranging musicians in a fashion that is anything but normal. This album overall stands as a fly-on-the-wall look at a productive, months-long bender at the Wick - perfectly capturing the elusive energy that surrounds the musicians' unguarded moments.
The album closes with "Crotch Music", a funky rave-up that fails to penetrate in any area. Clocking in at six minutes, the tune goes nowhere, though thankfully, it doesn't seem to try. Suitable for nowhere but the tail end, classify it as album filler...
While perhaps not Exile on Main St or A Nod Is as Good as a Wink..., I've Got My Own Album to Do is a striking portrait of a transitional moment in rock and roll history. With Wood traipsing the world with one of the era's most exciting groups, while being courted by the most legendary, this album captures the interesting aura surrounding the man about town. Playful, rousing and poignant, Wood seamlessly collected his most talented cohorts and created an album that's both playful and intimate. Hats off to you, Ronnie.
