I wouldn’t call myself a clothes horse, but I’ve always had an interest in fashion and strong feelings about what I wanted to wear and what I didn’t. There are just certain clothes that feel right at a particular time, and certain ones that aren’t even worth consideration. I can remember my mother scratching her head at some of the shirts, shoes and jackets I’d insist on buying, only to turn up my nose at others that she would have otherwise thought were ideal.

Of course music and fashion have always been close cousins among the arts, and our taste in music grows out of the same impulses as our taste in clothes. A certain song or piece of music can be as important a part of making a moment in time special as having the right duds on. And a certain piece of music just feels right at a certain time, while another just spoils the moment.

I guess this is why I’m such a big Bowie fan. No other artist, IMHO, has married fashion and music the way he has, and Bowie always found the sweet spot between the two. When I run across books about David Bowie, I just want to sit and flip through all of the photographs taken over the course of his career. I find myself captivated by his choices of how to appear, and by how his aesthetic choices reflect the sound and ideas in his music.

But citing Bowie as a music and fashion icon is just way too easy. Of course he was the bomb, and he set the bar so high it makes it hard to start conversations about other artists. Fashion itself is a hard art to follow. Just when we’ve dialed in a look it’s already beginning to lose its freshness.

That’s why we have the classics. Great fitting jeans, the right t-shirt, a well cut leather jacket, a well made pair of leather boots – these items never look tired, always look fresh, never look tacky and never go out of style. This type of “fashion,” when done right, can be just as cool and just as moment making as the latest designs from Dior or Gucci, and it’s a whole lot easier to pull off. The right classic look liberates us from the pitfalls of trend, and it steadies us in that zone between comfort and a well managed sensibility.

So if Bowie represents the latest and the greatest, the cutting edge, then what artist or band represents this classic end of the fashion spectrum in music? I can think of quite a few of possible candidates. The Rolling Stones of course come to mind, but I’d like to make a case for another band – Humble Pie – specifically Humble Pie with Peter Frampton.

If you’ll indulge me a bit longer, I’ll get to why I wrote this post in the first place. A week ago I bought a copy of Rock On, Humble Pie’s 4th album and the last studio album the band made with Peter Frampton. I had heard it on Spotify and could tell even streaming it was well recorded. Rock On was produced by Glyn Johns, who had produced several other terrific sounding records and several of my favorites. My expectations for Rock On were very high before dropping the needle on this copy.

Still, I wasn’t prepared for HOW GOOD this record would sound and how much I would enjoy it. From the opening track “Shine On” I was hooked! Soon the volume went up, my anxiety about playing yet another mediocre sounding record went down and I just settled and soaked in what was for me, the perfect classic rock record.

It’s all here: big pounding drums, virtuoso guitar playing, tight, steady bass, not just one but TWO great lead vocalists, terrific songs, just the right complement of organ and soulful backing vocals and appealing arrangements that grab hold of you and keep you firmly planted in the listening chair. Add in Glyn John’s spot on production and a pressing that delivers from top to bottom and you have a record that is hard to find any fault with.

I had convinced myself that Rock On was a record that would adhere to the country of origin rule – UK band / UK pressing. The album was recorded and mixed at Olympic Sound Studios in London. But it turns out that’s not the case. My copy is a first US pressing and you’d be hard pressed to find one that sounds better. In any case it’s clearly not mastered from a dub.

So if you’re in the mood for a rock and roll album that’s not looking to break new ground but manages to check all the boxes a great rock record should. If you want a classic rock album with just the right amount of bold and ballsy, look no further than Rock On. And if you don’t mind a jacket with a seam split (a record jacket that is, which it appears this title is prone to) you can pick up a copy in strong vinyl condition for well under 20 bucks.