“You’ll never beat the originals”: the 2009 album Rod Stewart called his biggest “cock-up”
Rod Stewart has openly described his 2009 record Soulbook, a collection of soul and Motown covers, as his biggest career "cock-up". The admission stands out for an artist rarely known for self-criticism, and highlights how even seasoned performers can misjudge a project, particularly when tackling beloved originals that remain firmly embedded in popular memory.
Stewart explained that the album's shortcoming was not down to poor musicianship, tension during recording, or weak song choices, despite having a cold at the time, but simply because "you can't beat the originals". The record covered classics such as "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher", "Wonderful World" and "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted". The following year, Phil Collins released a similar soul-covers album, Going Back, to considerably warmer reception, adding to the sting for Stewart, though he has since moved past the setback in a career spanning over five decades.
- Rod Stewart called his 2009 album Soulbook his biggest "cock-up"
- He said cover versions could never surpass the original recordings
- Phil Collins released a similar soul covers album a year later to acclaim
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Rod Stewart, the veteran British rock and soul singer known for hits like "Maggie May" and decades of chart success, released Soulbook in 2009, an album of covers taken from classic soul and Motown songs. It featured well-known tracks such as "Higher and Higher" and "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted", originally made famous by other artists during the golden era of soul music.
The album is relevant now because Stewart has since described it as the biggest mistake of his career, which is notable given he is not usually seen as someone who dwells on his own shortcomings. His reasoning was not about performance or song selection, but the simple difficulty of matching originals that are deeply loved and familiar to audiences.
Adding context to the story, fellow British singer Phil Collins released a similar soul-covers record, Going Back, the following year, which was received more favourably. This comparison is part of why Stewart's comments have drawn attention, though he has continued to have a long and successful career regardless.