Rod Stewart Unplugged. . .And Seated
02/26/2009
.
(Rhino) More than 20 years after Rod Stewart achieved superstardom, the shag-topped rocker took to the stage at Universal Studios in Los Angeles for a performance filmed for MTV's Unplugged series. The stellar concert featured a reunion with guitarist Ron Wood -- with whom Stewart played in the Jeff Beck Group and the Faces -- and resulted in a hit album that peaked at #2 on the Billboard album charts and contained a Top 10 cover of Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately."
Warner Bros. captures the excitement and emotion of Stewart's ebullient performance with a Collector's Edition that contains a remastered and expanded version of the original album. Also included is the DVD debut of the performance, which aired on MTV but has never been released in any format. The CD features two songs that did not appear on the original album. UNPLUGGED. . .AND SEATED will be available March 10 from all retail outlets, including www.rhino.com, for suggested list prices of $24.98 (CD/DVD) and $11.99 (digital/audio only).
Recorded February 1993, UNPLUGGED. . .AND SEATED encompasses many of Stewart's most beloved songs, such as "Maggie May," "Every Picture Tells A Story," "Tonight's The Night," and "Hot Legs." The Collector's Edition includes two tracks on the CD not included on the original: "Gasoline Alley," the B-side of the single "Have I Told You Lately"; and the previously unissued "Forever Young."
For the performance, Stewart took his position on a stool in the middle of a small army of musicians -- nine core players, three male backing vocalists, and a full string section. The intimate setting put the focus on Stewart and his ability to fully inhabit a song, while also illuminating the songs that had come to define him; those he'd written himself ("Mandolin Wind"), and those he'd made his own ("Have I Told You Lately" written by Van Morrison).
This was a special occasion in another way, marking the reunion of Stewart and his longtime friend Ron Wood. Since the breakup of the Faces in 1975, the former partners had seldom performed together, with Wood joining the Rolling Stones fulltime. Near the end of the show, the duo leads a spirited version of the Faces' classic rave-up, "Stay With Me," that peaks with Stewart jumping off his seat. The show closes with a triumphant cover of "Having A Party," originally recorded by Sam Cooke, one of Stewart's idols.
UNPLUGGED. . .AND SEATED (COLLECTOR'S EDITION) Track Listing
CD
1. "Hot Legs"
2. "Tonight's The Night"
3. "Handbags And Gladrags"
4. "Cut Across Shorty"
5. "Every Picture Tells A Story"
6. "Maggie May"
7. "Reason To Believe"
8. "People Get Ready"
9. "Have I Told You Lately"
10. "Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Matilda)"
11. "The First Cut Is The Deepest"
12. "Mandolin Wind"
13. "Highgate Shuffle"
14. "Stay With Me"
15. "Having A Party"
16. "Gasoline Alley"*
17. "Forever Young"*
DVD
1. "Hot Legs"
2. "Tonight's The Night"
3. "Cut Across Shorty"
4. "Reason To Believe"
5. "Every Picture Tells A Story"
6. "Maggie May"
7. "People Get Ready"
8. "Handbags And Gladrags"
9. "Have I Told You Lately"
10. "Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Matilda)"
11. "Mandolin Wind"
12. "Stay With Me"
13. "Having A Party"Listening party (you'll have to cut and paste the link because the retards at AS(s)CAP think a link is a performance on our site...)
http://rhino.edgeboss.net/wmedia/rhino/listeningparties/514095/514095_album_100.wax
Click here to read today's full Day in Rock report
Preview and Purchase Rod Stewart CDs
Rod Stewart MP3 Downloads