1234

Exhausted by the demands of being a Rolling Stone and physically depleted by a severe addiction to freebase cocaine, Ron Wood was running on empty when he released 1234 in 1981. Still, because Wood was such an honest musician — he couldn’t hide his emotions or his flaws, even if he wanted to — the weak moments on 1234 still offer a moving, if sometimes painful reflection of Wood’s life. For instance, when Wood calls out the hoarse refrain of “Down To the Ground”—“In the final hour, I been down, to the ground”— the desperation in his voice is more frightening than anyone probably intended it to be. It’s testament to his heart that even in his most wearisome moments, Wood could still project the faithful declarations of “Fountain of Love” and “Priceless.” Anyway, Ron’s strength has always been his ability to shape something beautiful out of stray threads, and with a typically excellent backing gang — including Bobby Womack and various Faces and Stones auxiliaries — he turns the paltry designs of “1234,” “Wind Howlin’ Through” and “She Was Out There” into something special.