{"id":41623,"date":"2009-08-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-08-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/unplugged-and-seated-cd-dvd\/"},"modified":"2009-08-05T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2009-08-05T00:00:00","slug":"unplugged-and-seated-cd-dvd","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/unplugged-and-seated-cd-dvd\/","title":{"rendered":"Unplugged… And Seated (CD\/DVD)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rod Stewart has really tested the patience of his loyal fans in recent years.\u00a0 There\u2019s been no original material released since the dreadful Human <\/i>eight years ago.\u00a0 He released no less than four albums on which he covered standards for his The Great American Songbook<\/i> series, and he returned to his rock roots with another patchy covers album this time, taking on his favorite classic rock songs.\u00a0 As if this wasn\u2019t enough, he also unleashed five compilations, mostly with very similar track listings, of his very well-known songs.\u00a0 All the talk of a Faces reunion and Stewart writing songs again throughout this decade seems to have been just that, talk.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

So with a tremendous amount of product out there, it seems that team Stewart are starting to dig deeper into the vaults in an effort to release something other than the endless hits packages that they\u2019ve been turning out of late.\u00a0 I\u2019m pleased to say with this release, it\u2019s a very good thing because Unplugged\u2026And Seated <\/i>is one of Rod Stewart\u2019s finest moments ever.\u00a0 Originally airing on MTV in 1993 as part of their hugely popular MTV Unplugged series, this concert was only released as a CD, which spawned a world-wide hit in Stewart\u2019s beautiful cover of Van Morrison\u2019s \u201cHave I Told You Lately.\u201d<\/o:p><\/p>\n

His sizeable band is joined by a string section and best mate Ron Wood on guitar and vocals for some the old gems the two of them originally recorded in the \u201860s.\u00a0 The intimate setting is refreshing and helps to keep the focus on the music and its players.\u00a0 Simply put, Stewart is one of the best rock singers of all time and given the right setting and sticking (wisely) to his classics, he gives a commanding but truly soulful performance here that removes any doubt anyone may have about him.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The film kicks off with a barnstorming rendition of \u201cHot Legs\u201d that finds the band flexing their considerable muscle from the get-go.\u00a0 This is followed by a stirring performance of \u201cTonight\u2019s The Night;\u201d easily Rod\u2019s best ballad, it still shines brighter than almost anything it\u2019s accompanied by.\u00a0 Ron Wood then joins the group to tackle \u201cCut Across Shorty\u201d from Stewart\u2019s classic second album, Gasoline Alley<\/i>, <\/i>before slowing the pace again with a touching reworking of \u201cReason To Believe.\u201d\u00a0 <\/o:p><\/p>\n

Two more classic songs follow immediately, the epic \u201cEvery Picture Tells A Story\u201d and of course, probably Rod\u2019s most famous ditty, \u201cMaggie May.\u201d\u00a0 The fact that he can still sing these songs after so long and do it so convincingly is a testament to his talents and the clearly evident joy that he still feels from performing.\u00a0 He exudes rock star cool and a surprising humility, and although he was pushing fifty here, he still packed enough spunk to keep the ladies in raptures (albeit being a little more subdued than earlier days, no doubt).<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Stewart has spoken many times of finding influence in the American soul performers who dominated the airwaves of Britain in the early \u201860s.\u00a0 Most of his shows contain a few covers of his favorite songs from that period, and this gig was no exception.\u00a0 The Impressions\u2019 \u201cPeople Get Ready\u201d is covered here with real heart and tenderness that few would think him capable of displaying.\u00a0 His own version of the glorious \u201cHandbags And Gladrags\u201d (from 1969\u2019s An Old Raincoat Won\u2019t Ever Let You Down<\/i>) is a standout and sits very comfortably with the rest of the classic material on display here. <\/o:p><\/p>\n

Next up is the aforementioned \u201cHave I Told You Lately\u201d that Stewart dedicates to his new (at the time) wife Rachel Hunter.\u00a0 It\u2019s a straightforward cover with no unnecessary tinkering needed because the song is so damn beautiful, and he sings it wonderfully.\u00a0 A curious cover of Tom Waits\u2019 \u201cTom Traubert\u2019s Blues (Waltzing Matilda)\u201d works a treat, and by this stage you get the feeling that on this particular night, Rod and his posse could have played anything and made it their own.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Closing out the show in style, the gang delivers a stellar version of \u201cMandolin Wind\u201d before a rollicking romp through The Faces\u2019 classic \u201cStay With Me.\u201d\u00a0 Last but not least, Rod honors another of his idols, Sam Cooke, with an understated delivery of \u201cHaving A Party,\u201d which couldn\u2019t have been more appropriate.\u00a0 <\/o:p><\/p>\n

This is truly a must-have if you\u2019re even just the casual Rod Stewart fan.\u00a0 He was clearly having a blast, no doubt partly due to reuniting onstage with Ron Wood again for all to see. The band are tight and well-drilled but have no trouble shaking loose when the material allows it, and their leader is simply at the top of his game and loving every minute of it. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":29995,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"artist":[6031],"rating":[5646],"class_list":["post-41623","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-rod-stewart","rating-rating-a"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/41623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41623"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/41623\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41623"},{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=41623"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=41623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}