The
album, 'When We Were The Young Boys', which was released in 1998
contained some acts from other British Pop artists like Oasis and
Primal Scream which only reached number 44 on the UK album charts.
'Human' which was his final album with Warner Brothers label only
made it to the top 50 in 2001
with the single, 'I Can't Deny It' hitting top 40 in the UK and
top 20 in the adult contemporary. What do you do when the fire
starts dying down- you throw another log in the fireplace, which
is exactly what Rod did with 'The Story So Far: The Very Best Of
Rod Stewart' - a collection of all his greatest hits from his time
with the Warner Brothers label. 'The Story So Far' went to the
top ten in the UK and reached number one in other countries in
2001.
In 2000 Rod was diagnosed with thyroid cancer giving
him quiet a health scare and threatening to end his singing career
for good. But for the doctors and therapist dedication and Rod's
determination to succeed (he even had to re-learn how to sing)
it could have been the end of the line. This, among other things
forced Rod to take a good look at his life and where it was going
and so he became actively involved in raising funds for The City
of Hope Foundation charity to find cures for all forms of cancer,
especially those affecting children.
In recent times, (possibly due to more 'soul' searching)
Rod has gone some-what 'swing' by concentrating on singing 1930s
and 1940s pop standards from the "Great American Songbook",
written by songwriters such as Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and
George and Ira Gershwin. Although he has enjoyed
nominal success in his efforts he has not achieved the highs of
his earlier cream cakes, however, by changing to Clive Davis's
J Records label he has enjoyed album sales equal to the 70's.
''It Had To Be You', the first album from the songbook
series, of The Great American Songbook, reached #4 on the US album
chart, #8 in the UK and #10 in Canada upon its release in late
2002. "These Foolish Things" reached slid in at number
13 on the Billboard adult contemporary charts and a hefty number
2 in Taiwan. "They Can't Take That Away From Me" went
top 20 on the world internet charts and top 30 on the adult contemporary
charts.
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