New Rod Stewart box set represents 25 years of rock.
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It seems that UK pop legend Rod Stewart really will be “Forever Young,” thanks to the upcoming release of newly uncovered tracks from the artist’s catalog.
On September 29, a four-disc box set of Stewart’s studio rarities will become available as a box set (at $64.98) and a digital download (for $29.99). Featuring a meticulously-selected sample of songs spanning 25 years, The Rod Stewart Sessions 1971-1998 will feature alternate takes and early versions of both classic Stewart hits (“Tonight’s The Night (Gonna Be Alright),” “You Wear It Well”) and rarities, and even one previously-unheard track, the sequel to 1976’s “The Killing of Georgie” (“Innocent (The Killing of Georgie Part III)”). The set features both covers and original work alike. One unearthed track, a cover of the 1969 Python Lee Jackson song “In A Broken Dream,” features Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones.
Much of the music to be released in the box set derives from Stewart’s 1970s work, but producers Andy Zax and Cheryl Pawelski also ensured that Stewart’s entire career would be well-represented: Sessions draws from six of the musician’s albums from the 1980s, and the final disc in the box set centers solely around tracks from the 1990s.
Through Sessions, Zax and Pawelski hope to expose Stewart fans to different eras of the artist’s work. Says Zax, “Admirers of particular eras of Rod’s career may be surprised to discover, upon listening to this box, that there is far less difference between the Rod of 1971 and the Rod of 1998 – and all the years between them – than they had previously believed.”
The Rod Stewart Sessions 1971-1998 Track Listing
Disc 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 Version)
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’s The Night (Gonna Be Alright)” (Early Take)
Disc 2
1. “The First Cut Is The Deepest” (Alternate Version)
2. “Rosie” (Acoustic Version)
3. “Innocent (The Killing Of Georgie Part III)”
4. “Hot Legs” (Early Take)
5. “You’re In My Heart (The Final Acclaim)” (Acoustic 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” (Acoustic Version)
Disc 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. “A Good Lover Is Hard To Find”
Disc 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”
– Avery Spofford
Why oh why does Rod have to make us wait untill September for this Album? Does anyone know how much it’ll cost in the U.K or even if it’ll be released in the U.K? I hope there’s no tracks that will be exactly the same as those on the FIve Guy’s album which was released in 2004 – we’ve had to wait four years for another Mix of rareities from Rod the Mod! I just hope Jagger and co take this as inspriation and dive into their own vaults and release un-released material from the Stones – Recording sessions, live stuff, pratice sessions – the Lot – If Rod can do it, so can Mick!
Philip Kennedy