Rod Stewart announces first solo best of collection ‘Ultimate Hits’ ahead of Glastonbury 2025
Rod Stewart has shared details of his first solo best-of album, which is set to arrive just before his milestone performance at Glastonbury 2025.
Dubbed ‘Ultimate Hits’, the forthcoming LP is set for release this summer via Warner, and marks the first-ever solo-career-spanning hits collection from the legendary songwriter.
It is set to arrive on June 27, just days before he takes to the stage at Glastonbury, and is expected to perform in front of 80,000 people on the Pyramid Stage as part of the coveted Sunday afternoon ‘Legends slot’.
News of the record comes as part of Stewart’s 80th birthday celebrations, and will comprise some of the biggest and most iconic releases from across his extensive discography. These included the signature breakthrough songs ‘Handbags and Gladrags’ and ‘Maggie May’, and move through to huge follow-up hits like ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’, ‘Hot Legs’ and ‘Baby Jane’.
Other classics featured on the tracklist include ballads ‘Sailing’, ‘Rhythm of My Heart’ and ‘For the First Time’, and the record will move through to the musician’s latest releases. These include ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’’ and ‘Almost Like Being in Love’, both of which were highlights from 2024’s ‘Swing Fever’ album with Jools Holland.
Various versions include 1CD and 2CD deluxe editions, collector-edition vinyl pressings in various colours, store-exclusive alternative-cover variants, and limited-edition cassette and Blu-ray audio versions. Visit here to pre-order ‘Ultimate Hits’, and find the full tracklist below.
Rod Stewart’s ‘Ultimate Hits’ tracklist is:
‘Handbags and Gladrags’
‘Maggie May’
‘In a Broken Dream’ (by Python Lee Jackson)
‘You Wear It Well’
‘Sailing’
‘I Don’t Want to Talk About It’
Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)’
‘The First Cut is the Deepest’
‘The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II)’
‘You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)’
‘Hot Legs’
‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’
‘Young Turks’
‘Baby Jane’
‘Some Guys Have All the Luck’
‘Forever Young’
‘Downtown Train’
‘Have I Told You Lately’
‘Rhythm of My Heart’
‘For the First Time’
2CD deluxe-edition bonus tracks:
‘Oh! No Not My Baby’
‘I Was Only Joking’
‘Every Beat of My Heart’
‘The Motown Song’ (with The Temptations)
‘Sometimes When We Touch’
‘Have You Ever Seen the Rain’
‘One More Time’
‘Hold On’
‘Ain’t Misbehavin’’
‘Almost Like Being in Love’
News of the greatest hits album comes following the ‘Sailing’ singer opening up about what it will take for him to put on a good show at Glasto 2025 – admitting that “it’s going to cost me a fortune to do it”.
“$300,0000 (£236,832)… I’ve got to bring all my band back from America, of course Glastonbury don’t pay for that,” he said. “But I don’t care if it cost me $1million (£789,440), I would have done it. This is a great honour. It really is the greatest honour.”
As well as the slot at Worthy Farm, 2025 is also set to see Stewart return to his Las Vegas residencies at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace.
He will then be performing in Europe, South America and North America as part of his highly anticipated ‘One Last Time’ tour, which launches another European leg later this month. The dates began last year and, following gigs in Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, it was certified as one of the Top 20 global concert tours of 2024. Visit here for tickets.
In other Rod Stewart news, last month the singer made headlines when he weighed in on the clash between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and stressed that “we must keep supporting the Ukrainians”.
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Liberty Dunworth
NME
