Rod Stewart-Blondes Have More Fun (1978)

At the end of the 70s, rock lived uncertain moments, with the arrival of punk, new wave and the fever of disco music, it made react very differently to the established artists, many of them were molded to the needs of the time, others continued stubborn not to evolve and there were many others who lost their way permanently.
Rod Stewart who had even competed with the Sex Pistols to place a number one with the single "First Cut is the Deepest" would bet on equipping his songs with the necessary elements to sound more current, more optimistic and even sexier.
Already in 1977 he had tried it with "Foot Loose and Fancy Free", and a year later he published "Blondes Have More Fun".
The blonde singer set out to demonstrate that he could compete with all the new sounds that prevailed at that time and in part he would achieve it with this album, songs like "Da ya Think i'm Sexy", they would reach number one immediately and move to Being one of their most celebrated songs, while the album managed to sell almost five million copies around the world.
The rest of the album was an exercise in great commercial rock songs that flirted with the quality pop-disco sound, with a very careful production and exquisite instrumentation.

Rod Stewart-A Night On The Town (1976)

Before Rod Stewart fully embraced disco sounds and ventured into musical territories far removed from his carefree rock style, he released one of his best works, which rivaled major albums such as his 1969 debut, "Gasoline Alley" (1970), "Every Picture Tells a Story" (1971), and "Atlantic Crossing", the latter released a year before "A Night on the Town". But by this point, Stewart's career had been nothing short of thrilling, alternating between highly acclaimed solo albums that showcased his enormous talent, his raspy voice, and his spontaneous sex symbol image, and other side projects, such as his participation in the Jeff Beck Group, where he recorded the legendary "Truth" (1968), and his membership in another legendary band, The Faces, producing high-quality work, some of which are considered masterpieces of rock music, like "Long Player" (1971) and "A Nod's As Good As A Wink" (1971). This Scotsman, passionate about football, women, and a heavy drinker, had enjoyed a career full of success on both sides of the Atlantic, and by 1976 he was at his peak as one of the most respected artists in rock music. This would be his second album under the Warner Bros. label, the record company he had signed with after his contract with Mercury Records ended, and also his second release after moving to the United States. “A Night On The Town” was recorded at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles during the last months of 1975 and the first months of 1976. For the recording, Rod Stewart enlisted the help of some of the most renowned musicians in the California area, including guitarists Steve Cropper, Joe Walsh, and David Lindley; bassists Laland Sklar and Willie Weeks; keyboardists David Foster and John Jarvis; drummers Al Jackson and Andy Newmark; and the horn section Tower of Power, among others. If Stewart's previous album, "Atlantic Crossing", already hinted at the sounds of Californian rock, steeped in rock and roll, soul, and bluesy influences, "A Night On The Town" confirms this trend, giving the songs more vigor and a stronger rock edge, all wrapped in his signature sound, as demonstrated in tracks like "Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright)", "Fool For You", "The Killing Of Georgie", and his covers of other artists' songs, such as Cat Stevens' "The First Cut Is The Deepest" and Manfred Mann's "Pretty Flamingo", not to mention gems like "Big Bayou" and "The Wild Side Of Life". The reception following this second American adventure earned him several platinum records and numerous number one hits worldwide, a resounding success that he hadn't surpassed since his album "Every Picture Tells a Story".