La “lotta” tra le case discografiche, che cercano sempre di venderti le stesse cose, e gli acquirenti di musica (ed appassionati), che a loro volta vorrebbero evitare la fregatura, ormai è senza quartiere. Dato per assodato che è proprio il mercato delle ristampe, ed in particolare quello dei cofanetti, uno dei pochi che ancora “tira” per l’industria discografica, il rischio “sòla” è sempre dietro l’angolo e il vostro fedele Blogger cerca di tenervi informati al meglio, proprio per evitarle. Non si possono evitare ma limitarle al minino sì: si comprano, più o meno, sempre gli stessi dischi o le stesse canzoni, ma il “bello” è proprio lì.
Prendiamo questo doppio Rod Stewart Rarities che è in uscita il 3 settembre per Universal. Bella iniziativa perché copre il periodo migliore del grande Rod The Mod: gli anni che vanno dal 1969 al 1974 quando incideva per la Mercury Records. La lista dei contenuti è la seguente:
Disc: 1
- 1. It’s All Over Now (Single Version)
- 2. Country Comforts (BBC Radio 1 Performance)
- 3. Maggie May (Early Version)
- 4. Seems Like a Long Time (Alternate Version)
- 5. Lost Paraguayos (Alternate Version)
- 6. Italian Girls (Early Version)
- 7. You Wear It Well (Early Version)
- 8. I’d Rather Go Blind (Alternate Version)
- 9. Angel (Alternate Version)
- 10. What’s Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made A Loser Out Of Me)
- 11. Pinball Wizard (From ‘Tommy’)
- 12. Everytime We Say Goodbye (Summer 1973 Sessions)
Disc: 2
- 1. Oh! No Not My Baby
- 2. Jodie
- 3. So Tired
- 4. Missed You
- 5. Think I’ll Pack My Bags (Early Version of ‘Mystifies Me’)
- 6. Girl From The North County (Alternate Version)
- 7. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Man (Alternate Version)
- 8. Farewell (Early Version)
- 9. So Tired (Early Version)
- 10. You Put Something Better Inside Of Me
- 11. Crying Laughing Loving Lying
- 12. Maggie May (BBC Radio 1 Performance)
Tutto molto bello ed interessante, il problema nasce dal fatto che il vecchio catalogo di Rod Stewart è gestito anche dalla Warner Bros che tramite la Rhino, nel 2009, ha pubblicato quel bellissimo cofanetto che si chiama The Rod Stewart Sessions 1971-1998 che contiene già un terzo delle “rarità” che ora appaiono nel nuovo doppio (senza dimenticare quello altrettanto bello, sempre della Rhino, dedicato ai Faces, Five Guys Walk Into A Bar, che per esempio comprendeva la versione di Maggie May (BBC Radio 1 Performance) che viene presentata come uno degli “inediti” di Rarities). In ogni caso questo è il contenuto anche di questo box quadruplo così potete fare i raffronti:
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”
Come vedete, soprattutto nel primo CD molti dei brani rari sono gli stessi. La discografia di Stewart in relazione ai cofanetti antologici è peraltro ricchissima e quindi ci sarebbero anche questi.
Il primo, Storyteller The Complete Anthology 1964-1990 era uscito nel lontano 1989, ancora all’epoca degli LP, ed infatti esisteva anche in formato vinile o cassetta con lo “scatolone” grande, ma è stato ristampato varie volte nel corso degli anni, l’ultima, sempre dalla Rhino, in formato jewel box e si trova in circolazione ad un prezzo basso, tra i 15 e i 20 euro e anche questo non sarebbe male. La tracklist l’ho presa da Wikipedia e anche in questo caso, oltre a ad essere una otttima antologia ha alcune rarità:
Disc One
- “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” (previously released as a single) – 2:06
- “Can I Get a Witness?” (Holland-Dozier-Holland) – 3:34
- “Shake” (previously released as a single) – 2:48
- “So Much to Say” (previously released as B-side to “Little Miss Understood”) – 3:13
- “Little Miss Understood” (previously released as a single) – 3:37
- “I’ve Been Drinking” (previously released as B-side to “Love Is Blue” by The Jeff Beck Group) – 3:17
- “I Ain’t Superstitious” (previously released on Truth by The Jeff Beck Group) – 4:53
- “Shapes of Things” (previously released on Truth by The Jeff Beck Group) – 3:18
- “In a Broken Dream” (previously released as a single by Python Lee Jackson) – 3:39
- “Street Fighting Man” (previously released on An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down) – 5:05
- “Handbags and Gladrags” (previously released on An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down) – 4:23
- “Gasoline Alley” (previously released on Gasoline Alley) – 4:02
- “Cut Across Shorty” (previously released on Gasoline Alley) – 6:31
- “Country Comforts” (previously released on Gasoline Alley) – 4:43
- “It’s All Over Now” (previously released on Gasoline Alley) – 6:22
- “Sweet Lady Mary” (previously released on Long Player by Faces) – 5:48
- “Had Me a Real Good Time” (previously released on Long Player by Faces) – 5:54
Disc Two
- “Maggie May” (previously released on Every Picture Tells a Story) – 5:45
- “Mandolin Wind” (previously released on Every Picture Tells a Story) – 5:30
- “(I Know) I’m Losing You” (previously released on Every Picture Tells a Story) – 5:22
- “Reason to Believe” (previously released on Every Picture Tells a Story) – 4:07
- “Every Picture Tells a Story” (previously released on Every Picture Tells a Story) – 5:58
- “Stay With Me” (previously released on A Nod Is as Good as a Wink…To a Blind Horse by Faces) – 4:37
- “True Blue” (previously released on Never a Dull Moment) – 3:33
- “Angel” (previously released on Never a Dull Moment) – 4:04
- “You Wear It Well” (previously released on Never a Dull Moment) – 5:02
- “I’d Rather Go Blind” (previously released on Never a Dull Moment) – 3:53
- “Twistin’ the Night Away” (previously released on Never a Dull Moment) – 3:14
- “What’s Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)” (previously released as UK B-side to “Angel”) – 2:52
- “Oh! No Not My Baby” (previously released as a Rod Stewart and Faces single) – 3:38
- “Pinball Wizard” (previously released on Sing It Again Rod) – 3:40
- “Sweet Little Rock ‘N’ Roller” (previously released on Smiler) – 3:43
- “Let Me Be Your Car” (previously released on Smiler) – 4:58
- “You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything” (previously released as a single by Faces) – 4:23
Disc Three
- “Sailing” (previously released on Atlantic Crossing) – 4:38
- “I Don’t Want to Talk About It (1975)” (previously released on Atlantic Crossing) – 4:49
- “Stone Cold Sober” (previously released on Atlantic Crossing) – 4:12
- “To Love Somebody” with Booker T. & the M.G.’s (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb) – 4:30
- “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” (previously released on A Night on the Town) – 3:54
- “The First Cut Is the Deepest” (previously released on A Night on the Town) – 4:26
- “The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II)” (previously released on A Night on the Town) – 6:31
- “Get Back” (previously released on All This and World War II soundtrack) – 4:24
- “Hot Legs” (previously released on Foot Loose & Fancy Free) – 5:11
- “I Was Only Joking” (previously released on Foot Loose & Fancy Free) – 6:02
- “You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)” (previously released on Foot Loose & Fancy Free) – 4:28
- “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” (previously released on Blondes Have More Fun) – 5:28
- “Passion” (previously released on Foolish Behaviour) – 5:30
- “Oh God, I Wish I Was Home Tonight” (previously released on Foolish Behaviour) – 5:01
- “Tonight I’m Yours (Don’t Hurt Me)” (previously released on Tonight I’m Yours) – 4:10
Disc Four
- “Young Turks” (previously released on Tonight I’m Yours) – 5:01
- “Baby Jane” (previously released on Body Wishes) – 4:43
- “What Am I Gonna Do (I’m so in Love with you)” (previously released on Body Wishes) – 4:17
- “People Get Ready” with Jeff Beck (previously released as a single) – 4:52
- “Some Guys Have All the Luck” (previously released on Camouflage) – 4:32
- “Infatuation” (previously released on Camouflage) – 5:12
- “Love Touch” (previously released on Every Beat of My Heart) – 4:03
- “Every Beat of My Heart” (previously released on Every Beat of My Heart) – 5:18
- “Lost In You” (previously released on Out of Order) – 4:57
- “My Heart Can’t Tell You No” (previously released on Out of Order) – 5:11
- “Dynamite” (previously released on Out of Order) – 4:15
- “Crazy About Her” (previously released on Out of Order) – 4:54
- “Forever Young” (previously released on Out of Order) – 4:03
- “I Don’t Want to Talk About It (1989)” (previously unreleased version) – 4:52
- “This Old Heart of Mine” with Ronald Isley (previously unreleased version) – 4:12
- “Downtown Train” (Tom Waits) – 4:39