Rod Stewart : The Rod Stewart Sessions 1971-1998

ROD STEWART 

SESSIONS

( 1971-1998 )

Warner Bros. goes deep into the vaults to reveal the secret studio history of this very public performer with a boxed set of unreleased recordings chosen from sessions spanning 1971-1998. Encompassing more than 25 years, this collection's 63 songs, outtakes, and ephemera provide extraordinary insight into the studio work of one of rock's legendary figures and paints a picture of what might have been. Many of these performances are more stripped-down and intimate than their released counterparts, so the set becomes an illustration and a showcase of Rod's creative process.

The side-effect of Rod Stewart's super stardom has been that few take him seriously as an artist. Four-disc box, The Rod Stewart Sessions, is designed to prompt re-evaluation, showcasing an artist at work: an artist writing lyrics, stretching out melodies, changing arrangements, anything he can do to get a piece of music to work. This, naturally, is not passive listening; although the differences are often notable, especially on the earliest tracks, it demands attention because so many of these are working tracks, not finished masters. As the set winds to a conclusion in the late '90s – the last album covered is Rod's Brit-pop homage When We Were the New Boys, tellingly also the last rock & roll album he's made as of this 2009 release – outtakes begin to outnumber the rough cuts, and there are some good ones, including takes on Paul Weller's "Changingman" and Oasis' "Rocking Chair." Still, it takes a little bit of effort to get there, as the set dips in interest during the mid-'80s, when Rod hit a creative lull, but that is easily overshadowed, as it always is, by the glory of his '70s work. Here, there's an undeniable charge in hearing Rod muck about in the studio, figuring out the words for "Maggie May" and "You Wear It Well," figuring out how to give "Los Paraguayos" a kick, joking around on the music hall romp "My Dad's Trouser." True, this is all the province of the dedicated, but for those curious listeners who decide to wade into these deep waters, they will indeed find a sharp, engaged, interpretive singer and songwriter, the artist who has been obscured in the wake of Rod's superstardom.

TRACK LIST  

CD 1

1. Maggie May

 (Early Version)
2. Seems Like A Long Time

 (Alternate Version)
3. Italian Girls 

(Early Version)
4. You Wear It Well 

(Early Version)
5. Lost Paraguayos

 (Alternate Version)
6. I'd Rather Go Blind 

(Alternate Version)
7. Angel 

(Alternate Version)
8. Think I'll Pack My Bags 

(Early Version of "Mystifies Me")
9. Farewell

 (Early Version)
10. Girl From The North Country

 (Alternate Version)
11. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Man 

(Alternate Versiuon)
12. So Tired 

(Early Version)
13. This Old Heart Of Mine

 (Alternate Version)
14. To Love Somebody

 (Early Take)
15. Sailing

 (Alternate Version)
16. Tonight The Night (Gonna Be Alright) 

(Early Version)
17. My Dad's Trousers

CD 2

1. The First Cut Is The Deepest

 (Alternate Version)
2. Rosie 

(Acoustic Version)
3. Innocent

 (The Killing Of Georgie Part 3)
4. Hot Legs

 (Early Take)
5. You're In My Heart (The Final Acclaim) 

(Alternate Version)
6. I Was Only Joking

 (Early Take)
7. Scarred & Scared 

(Early Take)
8. When I'm Away From You
9. Oh God, I Wish I Was Home Tonight 

(Early Version)
10. Time Of My Life
11. TV Mama
12. Maybe Baby
13. Stupid
14. Guess I'll Always Love You 

(Alternate Version)
15. The Great Pretender

 (Alternate Version)
16. It's Coming Out Your Royalties

CD 3

1. Thunderbird
2. Dancing Alone 

(Alternate Version)
3. I Wish You Would
4. Sweet Surrender 

(Alternate Version)
5. Show Me
6. Ghetto Blaster 

(Early Version)
7. Satisfied 

(Alternate Version)
8. Hard Lesson To Learn 

(Alternate Version)
9. Heaven
10. In My Life 

(Piano Version)
11. Love Is A Four Letter Word
12. Forever Young 

(Piano Version)
13. My Heart Can't Tell You No 

(Alternate Version)
14. I Go To Jail For You
15. Good Lover Is Hard To Find
16. "E Or A"

CD 4

1. Let The Day Begin 

(Alternate Version)
2. The Groom's Still Waiting At The Altar 

(Alternate Version)
3. Windy Town 

(Piano Version)
4. In A Broken Dream [1992]
5. This Wheel's On Fire
6. I Wanna Stay Home
7. I'm A King Bee
8. Looking For A Love
9. Kiss Her For Me
10. The Long Journey Home
11. Now That You're On Your Own
12. Dylan's Day Off
13. On And On
14. Rockin' Chair
15. Sugar Lips
16. The Changingman
17. May You Never
18. Studio Shatter
19. Rod Plays Guitar

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