A Spanner in the Works

A Spanner in the Works is a studio album released by Rod Stewart on 29 May 1995. It is Stewart's seventeenth studio album and ended a four-year gap since his previous studio album. At the time it was Stewart's longest break between albums. It was released on Warner Bros. Records (WEA 9362 45867-1/2) 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".

A Spanner in the Works
Studio album by Rod Stewart
Released	29 May 1995
Recorded	1993–95
Studio	Woodstock House Co. (Wicker, Ireland); A&M Studios and Ocean Way Recording (Los Angeles, CA); Herschel House (Hollywood, CA).
Genre	Rock, pop rock
Length	57:15
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Trevor Horn, Rod Stewart, James Newton-Howard, Michael Ostin, Lenny Waronker, Bernard Edwards, Andy Taylor.
Rod Stewart chronology
Unplugged...and Seated (1993) A Spanner in the Works (1995) If We Fall in Love Tonight (1996)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	C+[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[3]

Content

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 his 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 The McPeakes. "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

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Windy Town"	Chris Rea	Trevor Horn	5:12
2.	"The Downtown Lights"	Paul Buchanan	Trevor Horn	6:33
3.	"Leave Virginia Alone"	Tom Petty	James Newton Howard, Michael Ostin, Lenny Waronker	4:07
4.	"Sweetheart Like You"	Bob Dylan	Horn	4:54
5.	"This"	John Capek, Marc Jordan	Horn	5:19
6.	"Lady Luck"	Carmine Rojas, Jeff Golub, Kevin Savigar, Rod Stewart	Horn	4:25
7.	"You're the Star"	Billy Livsey, Frankie Miller, Graham Lyle	Horn, Bernard Edwards	4:39
8.	"Muddy, Sam and Otis"	Stewart, Savigar	Horn	4:42
9.	"Hang on St. Christopher"	Tom Waits	Horn	4:04
10.	"Delicious"	Stewart, Andy Taylor, Robin LeMesurier	Edwards, Andy Taylor	4:43
11.	"Soothe Me"	Sam Cooke	Edwards	3:33
12.	"Purple Heather"	Traditional; arranged by Stewart	Horn	4:58

Personnel

• Rod Stewart – lead vocals, backing vocals (5), arrangements (12)
• Jeff Golub – guitar (1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12), electric guitar (9)
• Robin LeMesurier – guitar (1, 6, 7, 10, 11), guitar solo (4)
• Tim Pierce – guitar (1, 2, 5, 8)
• David Lindley – bouzouki (1)
• Don Teschner – mandolin (1, 6), fiddle (6)
• Davey Johnstone – guitar (3), mandolin (3)
• Jim Cregan – guitar (5)
• Dónal Lunny – bouzouki (6, 12)
• Michael Landau – guitar (7)
• Andy Taylor – guitar (7, 10, 11)
• Lol Creme – electric guitar (9)
• Kevin Savigar – keyboards (1-12), bass guitar (5, 8), string arrangements and conductor (7, 11), squeezebox (12)
• Eric Caudieux – programming (1)
• Mike Higham – digital manipulation (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), programming (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), keyboards (2, 8), bass (8)
• Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards (2), percussion (9), piano solo (9)
• James Newton Howard – keyboards (3)
• Martin O'Conner – accordion (6)
• Billy Preston – Hammond organ (11)
• Trevor Horn – bass guitar (1), digital manipulation (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), programming (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), backing vocals (1)
• Stephen Lipson – bass guitar (2, 4), guitar (4)
• Leland Sklar – bass guitar (3)
• Carmine Rojas – bass guitar (6, 12)
• Bernard Edwards – bass guitar (7, 10, 11)
• Guy Pratt – bass guitar (9), acoustic guitar (9)
• David Palmer – drums (1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 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, Tim Sanders – saxophone
  • Roddy Lorimer – trumpet
  • Neil Sidwell – trombone
• Rick Braun – trumpet (11), horn arrangements (11)
• Nick Lane – trombone (11), horn arrangements (11)
• Lenny Pickett – saxophone (11), horn arrangements (11)
• David Woodford – saxophone (11), horn arrangements (11)
• Anne Dudley – string arrangements and conductor (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 12), 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)
• Bobby 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 Credits

• Executive Producers – Rob Dickins and Michael Ostin
• Recording – Tim Weidner (Tracks 1, 2 & 5); Steve MacMillan (Track 3); Le Mobile (Tracks 4-12).
• Engineer – Charlie Bouis (Tracks 6-12)
• Assistant Recording – Mike Baumgartner (Tracks 1)
• Assistant Engineer – Eric Johnston (Tracks 7-12)
• Mixed by Steve MacMillan
• Mix Assistants – Rich Rowe (Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 9 & 12); Pat 59 (Track 6); Rail Rogut (Tracks 7, 8, 10 & 11).
• Mixed at Sarm Studios (London); Conway Studios (Hollywood); A&M Studios and Ocean Way Recording.
• Mastered by Stephen Marcussen at Precision Mastering (Hollywood).
• Design – Greg Ross
• Photography – Herb Ritts
• Management – Annie Challis, Randy Phillips and Arnold Stiefel at Stiefel Phillips Entertainment.

Charts

The album achieved a Gold certification in both the US and UK. In those countries it would peak at No. 35 and No. 4 respectively.

Singles

Year	Song	Rank
1995	"Leave Virginia Alone"	52 (US)
1995	"You're the Star"	19 (UK) 53 (GER)
1995	"This"	119 (US)
1995	"Lady Luck"	39 (JP) 56 (UK) 65 (GER)
1996	"Purple Heather" (with the Scottish Euro '96 Football Squad)	16 (UK)

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[4]	Platinum	100,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[5]	Gold	7,500^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[6]	Gold	100,000^^
United States (RIAA)[7]	Gold	500,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. AllMusic review
2. Entertainment Weekly review
3. "Rolling Stone Album Guide". Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
4. "Canadian album certifications – Rod Stewart – A Spanner in the Works". Music Canada. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
5. "New Zealand album certifications – Rod Stewart – A Spanner in the Works". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
6. "British album certifications – Rod Stewart – A Spanner in the Works". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 March 2020. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type A Spanner in the Works in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
7. "American album certifications – Rod Stewart – A Spanner in the Works". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 5 March 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 

• A Spanner in the Works album liner notes. Warner Bros. Records.