Name: The Rod Stewart Sessions 1971-1998 by Rod Stewart
Brand: Rod Stewart
SKU: 603497966295
Price: 9.9 USD
Availability: OnlineOnly
Rating: 3.5 (441 reviews)

COMPILATION

The side-effect of Rod Stewart's superstardom has been that few take him seriously as an artist. Rhino's 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.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

The Rod Stewart Sessions 1971-1998

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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 Version]

12. So Tired [Early Version]

13. This Old Heart of Mine (Alternate)

14. To Love Somebody (with Booker T. & the MG's) [Early Take]

15. Sailing (Alternate)

16. Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright) [Early Take]

17. The First Cut Is the Deepest (Alternate)

18. Rosie (Acoustic)

19. Innocent (The Killing of Georgie, Pt. III)

20. Hot Legs (Early Take)

21. You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim) [Acoustic]

22. I Was Only Joking (Early Take 4)

23. Scarred & Scared (Early Take)

24. When I'm Away from You

25. Oh God, I Wish I Was Home Tonight

26. Time of My Life

27. TV Mama

28. Maybe Baby

29. Stupid

30. Guess I'll Always Love You (Alternate)

31. The Great Pretender (Acoustic)

32. Thunderbird

33. Dancing Alone (Alternate)

34. I Wish You Would

35. Sweet Surrender (Alternate)

36. Show Me

37. Ghetto Blaster (Early Version)

38. Satisfied (Alternate)

39. Hard Lesson to Learn (Alternate)

40. Heaven

41. In My Life (Piano)

42. Love Is a Four Letter Word

43. Forever Young (Piano)

44. My Heart Can't Tell You No (Alternate)

45. I Go to Jail for You

46. A Good Lover Is Hard to Find

47. Let the Day Begin (Alternate Version)

48. The Groom's Still Waiting at the Altar (Alternate)

49. Windy Town (Piano)

50. In a Broken Dream

51. This Wheel's on Fire

52. I Wanna Stay Home

53. I'm a King Bee

54. Looking for a Love

55. Kiss Her for Me

56. The Long Journey Home

57. Now That You're on Your Own

58. Dylan's Day Off

59. On and On

60. Rockin' Chair

61. Sugar Lips

62. The Changingman

63. May You Never

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