So there’s this deluxe edition of Rod Stewart’s Unplugged….And Seated coming out next Tuesday, newly expanded with a couple of bonus tracks that weren’t on the original release, and for the first time, a DVD of the original MTV broadcast. Originally, I was going to simply post the press release for ATV readers that might dig the news and want to know that this particular reissue was in stores. And then I thought about my own history with this particular release.
No, it’s not like I was in the band for the recording or anything really cool like that. Actually, I hated Unplugged…And Seated. The “seated” concept part of the album was annoying to me for reasons that are still unknown. But the bigger reason for my hatred had lots to do with my high school job at the record store, where we couldn’t keep this sucker in stock after it was released.
Unplugged…And Seated was constantly sold out, and I could look forward to a week of telling customers “No, we don’t have that right now unfortunately” until we got more copies in stock that would be once again sold out within a couple of days. I can still remember the albums in this category – Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, NWA – Straight Outta Compton, the Jimmy Buffett and Bob Marley box sets that were relatively new at the time, and albums by Alan Jackson and Garth Brooks.
Now, I’m glad that Unplugged…And Seated is coming out – it’s nice to see more and more of the old MTV Unplugged stuff coming out with this release, Pearl Jam’s pending reissue of Ten, etc. etc. And there are so many more Unplugged eps that I’d love to see come to DVD/Blu-Ray – stuff like Don Henley, Elton John, the original R.E.M. session, and for some odd reason, I’d love to see the L.L. Cool J one make it out there. L.L. still has a place in my CD collection…
What would you like to see released on music video? It doesn’t have to be sourced from Unplugged, but there’s certainly plenty of potential releases to discuss in that area!
Back to Rod Stewart – I’ve never seen Rod live, although I came close last summer when he was here with Bryan Adams. Here are 5 of my favorite Rod Stewart songs posted without shame:
1. Love Touch
2. Reason to Believe
3. My Heart Can’t Tell You No
4. Broken Arrow
5. Stay With Me
Honorable Mention:
Downtown Train
What can I say, I was a sucker for 80s Rod. I know that “Love Touch” makes many people want to drive off the road. I have equal appreciation for classic Rod (I STILL love the beginning of “Maggie May” everytime I hear it!) and my Rod playlist on my Ipod is about 35 tunes deep.
Now about that Faces reunion….c’mon Rod, let’s make it happen!
Here’s the full press release for Unplugged…And Seated:
ROD STEWART, UNPLUGGED…AND UNFORGETTABLE
Warner Bros. Spotlights Stewart’s Intimate 1993 Acoustic Performance With Remastered Collector’s Edition, Including Two Bonus Songs, Plus the Original Broadcast on DVD for the First Time Ever
Available March 10 From Rhino Records
LOS ANGELES — 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 lead 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”
* Bonus Tracks
While I’ve never been able to dig Rod Stewart, I’m forwarding this to a friend….she’s a junkie.
New to your blog but already addicted.
What a great comment…thanks for stoppin’ by…glad you’re digging it!
nice blog. this release also confirms what I have suspected for far too long: the guys running the music business have no clue what the buyers want: if you are going to the trouble of remastering or re-releasing this show, why not release it in full form, in correct running order to show the flow, vs tacking on a couple of extra tracks at the end? Once again, though a nice attempt its way short of a significant improvement and a disappointing reminder of the ineptness of the music industry as a whole.