For all of you who haven’t heard Rod Stewart’s work, or were planning to give his music a shot, look no further than his 1993 Unplugged in LA performance. I am sure all the Rod fans already have this album and enjoy it as much as I do, if you don’t then you have missed out on one of his best albums. I rate this album far better than the compilation he released last year with his best songs over the years (which for unknown reasons did not have the timeless “Handbags and Gladrags”). Performing unplugged is no easy task and Rod pulls it off with ease.
Rod re-joins his old partner Ron Wood from the Rolling Stones. Rod and Ron performed together in the early sixties when they formed a group called “The Faces”. The reunion of two old friends brings out the best in both and they dish out one classic after another, ably supported by a skilled orchestra. There is an incredible fusion of vintage with some of his newer numbers, after every song you keep asking for more. The songs range from the peppy “Having a Party” and “Hot Legs”, to the amorous “Have I told you Lately” and “Tom Traubert’s Blues (Waltzing Matilda)”, to my personal favourites – the marvellous “Handbags and Gladrags” and “Maggie May”. Not sure about the cassette, but the CD has the whole performance so you will also get Rod’s comments and jokes in between his songs.
I think I possess every unplugged album ever released (and then some that haven’t), and Rod Stewart’s performance is right up there with the best of them. Before you pick it up bear in mind that this album was released in ’93 so does not contain some of Rod’s newer stuff.