What does it sound like?:
Ronnie Wood is one of nature’s collaborators. He gets on with everybody, loves being part of a gang, and is willing to participate in all the fun, even if it means taking risks with excess alcohol, street drugs and groupies. He is an ideal band member, someone who can make the long hours in the studio or on tour pass more quickly. He has some guitar prowess but nothing that will steal the limelight from a real guitar hero. He brings occasional ideas to songwriting, but generally he needs someone to add melody and lyrics. He is blessed with a voice that suits backing vocals. Most importantly, he is too polite to demand top billing and equal pay.
Fearless collects together 38 tracks from the whole of his sixty year career, in chronological order. It starts well. The Birds and The Creation were raw and exciting, part of the UK Mod scene. The first song he wrote and recorded is You’re On My Mind by The Birds, one he has admitted is a copy of The Yardbirds. He co-wrote three tracks on Beck-O-La, the whole of side two in old vinyl, represented here by Plynth (Water Down The Drain). There follows nine tracks with The Faces or Rod Stewart, including Gasoline Alley, Stay With Me and Ooh La La, all co-written by Wood, taking us up to 1973. This is peak Wood, peak Stewart and, for some, a peak for Rock & Roll.
His solo and Rolling Stone careers began at the same time. Jagger and Richards were heavily involved in I’ve Got My Own Album To Do. During those sessions, he helped Jagger write It’s Only Rock & Roll, the biggest hit he ever co-wrote but got no credit. For a while, Richards lived as Wood’s house guest. In fact, his first three albums all have an active Stones presence, including Charlie Watts, Mick Taylor, Bobby Keys, Jim Horn and Ian Stewart, and are probably the best ‘solo’ Stones. His affability meant he could call on a wide range of classy benefactors, such as George Harrison, David Bowie, Bobby Womack, Willie Weeks, Andy Newmark, The Edge, Kris Kristofferson, Scotty Moore, DJ Fontana, and the outstanding and ever present Ian Mclagan. He also made a studio album with Ronnie Lane. His voice changes over the years, starting on the shrill side, developing a ripe soulfulness a few albums in, then becoming remarkably like Dylan. The selections for Fearless focus on the songs Wood wrote, Bob Dylan’s Seven Days being the exception, and, like the great man, he surrounds himself with great musicians, engineers and producers. You cannot fault the sound.
The six Stones cuts are ones Wood had an acknowledged hand in writing and are not The Stones at their best. If you were asked to pick out their most turgid and repetitive tracks, you’d be hard pushed to find better examples. The Stones’ snark lowers the tone. His previous “anthology” release, The Essential Crossexion in 2006, just has two. Without them, Fearless is warm-hearted and remarkably pleasant.
Four new songs conclude the collection. Wood sounds as though he is having fun. He engages Chrissie Hynde and Imelda May to disguise his vocal deficiencies. The last two tracks, covers of Hopeton Lewis’ Take It Easy and The Falcons’ You’re So Fine are better than you’d expect, his leathered voice suiting them perfectly and his professional band on point. They aren’t in the same league as Justify My Love or September for fabulous new releases on a retrospective compilation but they definitely add to the quality quotient of Fearless.
For vinyl, the number of songs are culled down to a double album’s worth of twenty. All the four new ones are retained and five of the six Stones.
After a few listens, Fearless is a surprisingly enjoyable listen, enough to uncurl the most scornful of lips. This is very contented music, comfortable in its own skin,performed by a man who has made the most of his talent, especially those legendary inter-personal skills.
What does it all *mean*?
It’s lovely to see a nice guy doing well.
Goes well with…
A streaming service. Make your own Ronnie Wood playlist. Crossexion has solo Wood on CD1 and Faces/Stones etc on CD2.
Release Date:
26/09/2025
Might suit people who like…
Good time Rock & Roll with no pretensions and considerable charm.
You’re So Fine
I thought the well had run dry?
Nah, still some way, way down there.
The well will never run dry
Not until us boomers have wandered off into the black, black night….
He’s a talented bloke. I’ve never been particularly interested in him as a guitarist but with Jeff Beck he was an absolutely stonking bass player. And a column which featured him got me started on slide guitar and add a result we are both middle finger guys
Well, there’s a thing!
Why middle finger? What’s the benefit from your (and Ron’s) point of view?
I’m a “short slide on ring finger” guy, so I can do some open G hammer-ons and chords with my first two fingers (and ring finger, if the slide is short enough).
You can stabilise the slide with your index and ring fingers which gives the best control, whilst muting behind the slide with the index. Plus if you’re doing 12 bar stuff your index can barre and the ring and little fingers play the notes or even lead licks interspersed with Elmore licks. Works for me (and Ron).
Gotcha. I might give it a try, get out of my comfort zone…
I find the ring finger slide thing easier to incorporate Keef-style riffs while still keeping the slide on.
I find it quite hard to use my little finger, though I have occasionally with a little slide for the odd thing.
I absolutely can’t use my little finger. It’s a proprioception problem, I think – I always overshoot the note I want, as if the slide is further back…
I think the Mods should intervene here – discussing the best way to masturbate indeed ..
One of solo albums is all about slide. And, yes, his bass playing is excellent. Played some for The Stones, too.
Oh which one?
Slide On This from 1992
Great thanks.
He is the ultimate band member, isn’t he? He will never rock the boat, always just seems constantly surprised and delighted to be playing, and quite happy to be in the supporting cast. You can’t dislike the bloke.
It reminds me of that documentary about sidemen. Some big American rock dude said, apropos sidemen, “you need someone who can play great. That gets you a few thousand people. Then you also need someone who can do it on stage and put across the show. Now you’re down to a few hundred people. Then you also want someone who you don’t mind spending most of every day with, probably for 18 months. Now you’re down to about 5 people”.
I think you are being a bit harsh on the Rolling Stones songs here. Dance no. 1 has a good groove, Black Limousine is a seemingly effortless delight and Everything’s Turning to Gold is a nice rarity (a non album B side), I like the other songs too. Seems It’s Only Rock n Roll is not featured here which was effectively a Wood co-write (not credited) from before he joined the band.
I love Ronnie Wood, whatever his guitar prowess he just fits in in the band better than Jones or Taylor ever did and is clearly loved by both Mick and Keith. Doesn’t show off too much, but he is a fine guitar player and often the glue live that keeps everything together. He also plays some mean bottleneck guitar
One of the funniest things I have seen on stage was a Stones show in Stockholm (2003). Was the opening song and he had something wrong with his guitar. He handed it to his guitar tech, but the band had started without him. So he likely found himself for the first time ever on stage without a guitar around his neck. He didn’t know what to do and started some haphazard dancing while laughing his arse off. Soon another guitar was handed to him and normal service was resumed
I also got a high 5 from him once at Wembley Arena, I didn’t wash my hands for at least an hour after that
Probably the most overrated rock musician on the planet BUT if he rings your bells fair enough
“Overrated” is such a lazy word to use I find. He’s possibly “underrated”
Split the difference, chaps – perhaps he’s just “rated”…
Not by me
I like Ronnie. When I saw the Stones at Glastonbury (2013), I felt he was doing the majority of the heavy lifting, guitar wise. I haven’t checked out his solo stuff so will have a listen.
I like Ronnie. I just think that his best guitar playing was with The Faces.
Yep, and early solo Rod.
His one credited lead vocal in Faces was Oh La La – neither Rod nor Ronnie L were happy with their renderings so let Mr W take the lead.
As I understand Ronnie Lane wasn’t happy with his performance.
Rod was nowhere to be seen, having for the most part left the band to it. Hence his post release slagging off of the album in the NME – which he then tried to backtrack on, claiming he hadn’t said what was printed – when the lads expressed their disapproval.
The NME responded “the tape doesn’t lie”.
In his pomp.
Isn’t that so good.
Ron’s fluid bass playing on Maggie May is a bloody marvel. As is his lovely succinct lead break halfway through