On this day in 1975 – Rod Stewart scored his fifth No.1 album when Atlantic Crossing started a five-week run at the top of the charts. The title indicated Stewart’s new artistic direction, and on his departure to escape the 83 per cent top rate of income tax introduced by British Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson for the jet-set lifestyle in Los Angeles.

The album was divided into a slow side and a fast side, apparently at the suggestion of Stewart’s then-girlfriend, Swedish actress Britt Ekland. Stewart would repeat the format for his next two albums.

The album contained two of Stewart’s most popular songs, “Sailing” and “I Don’t Want to Talk About It”, and classic rock favorites “Three Time Loser” and “Stone Cold Sober”.

With Atlantic Crossing, Stewart ended his association with Ronnie Wood, Ian McLagan and the stable of musicians who had been his core collaborators on his classic run of albums for Mercury Records, fusing soul and folk. Instead, he used a group of session musicians, including The Memphis Horns and three-quarters of Booker T. and the MG’s. The album was produced by Tom Dowd, the famous engineer and producer on records by so many of Stewart’s heroes during Dowd’s time on staff at Atlantic Records. The only song performed from this album on The Faces’ final US tour in autumn 1975 was “Three Time Loser”, and the rest of the group heavily disliked Stewart’s change in musical direction on this album. Following the success of the album, and his move to the U.S., Stewart announced his exit from the Faces by the end of the year.