Rod Stewart Unplugged...And Seated CD

By the time MTV got around to taping an Unplugged special with Rod Stewart, the singing soccer fanatic had spent most of the '80s and early '90s churning out albums full of glossy pop songs. UNPLUGGED...AND SEATED found Stewart going back to his earlier material where soul, folk and rock blended together into something special. Stewart made these chestnuts more authentic by reuniting with old mate Ronnie Wood. Backed by a string section, vocalists, and a couple of pianos, Stewart dug deep into his catalog for folk-flavored favorites such as "Handbags And Gladrags," "Mandolin Wind" and "Cut Across Shorty."

Rod the Mod kept the randiness factor present by including "Hot Legs" and "Tonight's The Night" in this set, along with covers of some of his favorite songwriters including Cat Stevens ("The First Cut Is The Deepest"), Tim Hardin ("Reason To Believe") and Van Morrison ("Have I Told You Lately"). Playing with Wood, Stewart sounds invigorated, and sturdy warhorses such as "Every Picture Tells A Story" and "Stay With Me" take on new legs.

UNPLUGGED...AND SEATED is part of MTV's "Unplugged" series.

Live Recording

Recorded live in Hollywood in February 1993.

Personnel includes: Rod Stewart (vocals, banjo); Don Teschner (guitar, violin, mandolin); Ron Wood, Jeff Golub, Jim Cregan (guitar); Phil Parlapiano (accordion, mandolin); Kevin Savigar (piano, organ, accordion); Chuck Kentiss III (piano, organ); Carmine Rojas (bass); David Palmer (drums); Dorian Holly, Darryl Phinnessee, Fred White (background vocals).

Rolling Stone (6/24/93, p.80) - 3 Stars - Good - "...no matter how cliched the format might seem, Stewart puts enough heart into his performance to remind us of what made these songs matter in the first place..."
Entertainment Weekly (5/28/93, p.64) - "...Rod still sings with plenty of feeling, his voice is stronger than ever, and the accompaniments rock much harder..." - Rating: B+
Q (7/93, p.100) - 3 Stars - Good - "...the gruff UNPLUGGED AND SEATED will delight fans...while the lasciviousness of 'Hot Legs' and 'Tonight's The Night' has aged badly, numbers like 'Mandolin Wind,' 'Handbags And Gladrags' and 'Reason To Believe' are framed beautifully..."
Record Collector (magazine) (p.92) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The previously unissued cover of Bob Dylan's 'Forever Young' is tremendous..."