A Night on the Town (Rod Stewart album)

A Night on the Town
A Night on the Town
Studio album by Rod Stewart
Released	18 June 1976
Recorded	December 1975–April 1976
Studio	Cherokee, Los Angeles; Muscle Shoals, Sheffield; Criteria, Miami; Caribou Ranch, Nederland;
Genre	Rock
Length	41:19
Label	Riva, Warner Bros.
Producer	Tom Dowd
Rod Stewart chronology
Singles from A Night on the Town
	"Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)"; Released: May 1976 (UK); "The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II)"; Released: August 1976 (UK); "The First Cut Is the Deepest / I Don't Want To Talk About It"; Released: April 1977;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	B^[2]
Rolling Stone	(favourable)^[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[4]

A Night on the Town is Rod Stewart's seventh album, released in 1976. The cover art is based on Pierre-Auguste Renoir's painting Bal du moulin de la Galette, with Stewart inserted in the centre in period costume. On 30 June 2009, Rhino reissued the album as a two-disc CD with bonus tracks. A Night on the Town was Stewart's last UK number-one studio album until Time in 2013.

The album is regarded as one of Stewart's finest. "The Killing of Georgie" is one of Stewart's most hard-hitting sets of lyrics, a melancholic tale of a gay friend who is cast out by his family and becomes a sensation in the New York nightlife, only to be murdered by a New Jersey gang during an attempted robbery. Controversial "Tonight's the Night" was a No. 1 hit but was banned by some radio stations due to the very obvious lyrics about sex and loss of virginity. A cover of Cat Stevens' "The First Cut Is the Deepest" was also a success and has since become one of Stewart's signature songs.

Track listing

Original release

Side one – *Slow Side*
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)"	Rod Stewart	3:54
2.	"The First Cut Is the Deepest"	Cat Stevens	4:31
3.	"Fool for You"	Stewart	3:49
4.	"The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II)"	Stewart	6:28

Side two – *Fast Side*
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Balltrap"	Stewart	4:37
2.	"Pretty Flamingo"	Mark Barkan	3:27
3.	"Big Bayou"	Gib Guilbeau	3:54
4.	"The Wild Side of Life"	Arlie Carter, William Warren	5:09
5.	"Trade Winds"	Ralph MacDonald, William Salter	5:16

2009 re-release

Disc One
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)"	3:56
2.	"The First Cut Is the Deepest"	4:28
3.	"Fool for You"	3:47
4.	"The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II)"	6:22
5.	"The Balltrap"	4:41
6.	"Pretty Flamingo"	3:32
7.	"Big Bayou"	3:55
8.	"The Wild Side of Life"	5:10
9.	"Trade Winds"	5:28
10.	"Rosie"	3:50

Disc Two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Share" (Studio Outtake)	4:19
2.	"Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" (Early version)	3:51
3.	"The First Cut Is the Deepest" (Early version)	3:48
4.	"Fool for You" (Early version)	3:40
5.	"The Killing of Georgie (Part I)" (Early version)	4:22
6.	"The Balltrap" (Early version)	4:40
7.	"Pretty Flamingo" (Early version)	3:26
8.	"Big Bayou" (Early version)	4:13
9.	"The Wild Side of Life" (Early version)	4:47
10.	"Trade Winds" (Early version)	4:44
11.	"Rosie" (Early version)	4:21
12.	"Get Back" (From the soundtrack All This and World War II)	4:05
13.	"The Killing Of Georgie [Part II]" ([Alternate Vocals])
14.	"Tonight's The Night [Gonna Be Alright]" ([Spoken Excerpt])

Personnel

Rod Stewart – vocals
Donald "Duck" Dunn, Bob Glaub, David Hood, Willie Weeks, Lee Sklar – bass guitar
Steve Cropper, Billy Peek, Joe Walsh, Jesse Ed Davis, David Lindley, Fred Tackett, Pete Carr – guitar
John Barlow Jarvis, David Foster, Barry Beckett, J. Smith – keyboards
Roger Hawkins, Andy Newmark, Al Jackson Jr., Rick Shlosser – drums
Tommy Vig, Joe Lala – percussion
Jimmy Horowitz, Mel Lewis, Arif Mardin – string arrangements
Tower of Power horn section – French horn
Jerry Jumonville, Plas Johnson – tenor saxophone

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1976)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)	1
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[5]	1
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[6]	32
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[7]	5
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[8]	1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[9]	1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[10]	1
UK Albums (OCC)^[11]	1
US Billboard 200^[12]	2

Year-end charts

Chart (1976)	Position
Australia Albums (Kent Music Report)^[13]	2
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[14]	11
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[15]	46
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[16]	2
UK Albums (OCC)^[17]	5
Chart (1977)	Position
Australia Albums (Kent Music Report)^[18]	14
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[19]	3
US Billboard 200^[20]	31

Certifications and sales


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[21]	6× Platinum	420,000^{^}
Canada (Music Canada)^[22]	2× Platinum	200,000^{^}
Sweden (GLF)^[24]	Gold	50,000^[23]
United Kingdom (BPI)^[26]	Platinum	1,000,000^[25]
United States (RIAA)^[27]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "A Night on the Town – Rod Stewart". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 13 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
^ Dave Marsh (26 August 1976). "Rod Stewart A Night on the Town Album Review". Rolling Stone.
^ "Rolling Stone Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5136a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Rod Stewart – A Night on the Town" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Rod Stewart – A Night on the Town" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
^ "Charts.nz – Rod Stewart – A Night on the Town". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Rod Stewart – A Night on the Town". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – Rod Stewart – A Night on the Town". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
^ "Rod Stewart | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
^ "Rod Stewart Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 428. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Top 100 Albums of '76". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1976". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
^ "Top Selling Albums of 1976 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
^ "Top 50 Albums of 1976" (PDF). Music Week. 25 December 1976. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021 – via worldradiohistory.com.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 429. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Top Selling Albums of 1977 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1977". Billboard. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Rod Stewart – A Night on the". Music Canada. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
^ "Night on the Town" (PDF). Cash Box. 18 December 1976. p. 47. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011.
^ "Rod Stewart - tomorrow the world?" (PDF). Music Week. 19 February 1977. p. 52. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
^ "British album certifications – Rod Stewart – A Night on the Town". British Phonographic Industry.
^ "American album certifications – Rod Stewart – A Night on the". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 11 November 2019.

[1] Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "A Night on the Town – Rod Stewart". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 February 2016.

[CG-2] Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 13 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.

[3] Dave Marsh (26 August 1976). "Rod Stewart A Night on the Town Album Review". Rolling Stone.

[4] "Rolling Stone Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2012.

[group=-5] "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5136a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 October 2021.

[ac_Germany4_Rod_Stewart-6] "Offiziellecharts.de – Rod Stewart – A Night on the Town" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 18 December 2024.

[ac_Netherlands_Rod_Stewart-7] "Dutchcharts.nl – Rod Stewart – A Night on the Town" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 November 2020.

[ac_New_Zealand_Rod_Stewart-8] "Charts.nz – Rod Stewart – A Night on the Town". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 November 2020.

[ac_Norway_Rod_Stewart-9] "Norwegiancharts.com – Rod Stewart – A Night on the Town". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 November 2020.

[ac_Sweden_Rod_Stewart-10] "Swedishcharts.com – Rod Stewart – A Night on the Town". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 November 2020.

[ac_UK_Rod_Stewart-11] "Rod Stewart | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 27 November 2020.

[ac_Billboard200_Rod_Stewart-12] "Rod Stewart Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 November 2020.

[13] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 428. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[14] "Top 100 Albums of '76". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2021.

[15] "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1976". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 5 March 2021.

[16] "Top Selling Albums of 1976 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 8 November 2021.

[17] "Top 50 Albums of 1976" (PDF). Music Week. 25 December 1976. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021 – via worldradiohistory.com.

[18] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 429. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[19] "Top Selling Albums of 1977 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 8 November 2021.

[20] "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1977". Billboard. Retrieved 5 March 2021.

[AustraliaRod_StewartNight_on_thealbumCertRef-21] "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 11 November 2019.

[CanadaRod_StewartA_Night_on_thealbumCertRef-22] "Canadian album certifications – Rod Stewart – A Night on the". Music Canada. Retrieved 11 November 2019.

[23] "Night on the Town" (PDF). Cash Box. 18 December 1976. p. 47. Retrieved 11 November 2019.

[SwedenRod_StewartNight_on_the_TownalbumCertRef-24] "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011.

[25] "Rod Stewart - tomorrow the world?" (PDF). Music Week. 19 February 1977. p. 52. Retrieved 7 May 2022.

[United_KingdomRod_StewartA_Night_on_the_TownalbumCertRef-26] "British album certifications – Rod Stewart – A Night on the Town". British Phonographic Industry.

[United_StatesRod_StewartA_Night_on_thealbumCertRef-27] "American album certifications – Rod Stewart – A Night on the". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 11 November 2019.

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v t e Rod Stewart
Discography
Studio albums	An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down (1969) Gasoline Alley (1970) Every Picture Tells a Story (1971) Never a Dull Moment (1972) Smiler (1974) Atlantic Crossing (1975) A Night on the Town (1976) Foot Loose & Fancy Free (1977) Blondes Have More Fun (1978) Foolish Behaviour (1980) Tonight I'm Yours (1981) Body Wishes (1983) Camouflage (1984) Every Beat of My Heart (1986) Out of Order (1988) Vagabond Heart (1991) A Spanner in the Works (1995) When We Were the New Boys (1998) Human (2001) It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook (2002) As Time Goes By: The Great American Songbook, Volume II (2003) Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Volume III (2004) Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Volume IV (2005) Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time (2006) Soulbook (2009) Fly Me to the Moon... The Great American Songbook Volume V (2010) Merry Christmas, Baby (2012) Time (2013) Another Country (2015) Blood Red Roses (2018) The Tears of Hercules (2021) Swing Fever (2024)
Live albums	Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners (1974) Absolutely Live (1982) Unplugged...and Seated (1993)
Compilation albums	Sing It Again Rod (1973) The Best of Rod Stewart (1976) The Best of Rod Stewart Vol. 2 (1976) Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (1979) Storyteller – The Complete Anthology: 1964–1990 (1989) The Best of Rod Stewart (1989) Downtown Train – Selections from the Storyteller Anthology (1990) Lead Vocalist (1993) If We Fall in Love Tonight (1996) The Story So Far: The Very Best of Rod Stewart (2001) You're in My Heart: Rod Stewart with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (2019)
Concert tours	Blondes 'Ave More Fun Tour (1978–1979) Every Beat of My Heart Tour (1986) Out of Order Tour (1988–1989) Rod Stewart: The Hits (2011–2018) Live the Life Tour (2013) The Voice, The Guitar, The Songs Tour (2014) Hits 2016 From Gasoline Alley to Another Country: Hits 2016 (2016–2017)
Family	Alana Stewart (first wife) Kimberly Stewart (daughter) Ruby Stewart (daughter) Rachel Hunter (second wife) Penny Lancaster (third wife)
Related articles	Riva Records Jimmy Powell Steampacket Shotgun Express The Jeff Beck Group Faces Tonight's the Night
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