FEATURE:
The Digital Mixtape
IN THIS PHOTO: Kurt Cobain of Nirvana during the band’s legendary MTV Unplugged gig in 1993
Thirty-Five Years of MTV Unplugged
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THIS may be an anniversary…
IN THIS PHOTO: Courtney Love of Hole during their MTV Unplugged set in 1995
that people think is irrelevant or strange. We do not have MTV anymore. It ceased being a music channel many years ago. Going into reality T.V. and programmes like that, I guess it is still going be people do not talk about it. I used to watch MTV a lot in the 1990s. It was a real source of music videos and discovery. Whilst many associate MTV with groundbreaking videos and genres like Pop and Rock, one of its greatest achievements was the MTV Unplugged series. This is when big artists stripped things right back and performed acoustic sets. It took them outside of their comfort zone and brought new life to songs. It was first taped on 31st October, 1989. Its first episode aired on 26th November, 1989 and featured Squeeze. To mark thirty-five years of a classic series, I am going to assemble a playlist of the best MTV Unplugged performances/sets. Here is some more information about the incredible series:
“MTV Unplugged is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. From 2000 to 2009, it aired less frequently and was usually billed as MTV Unplugged No. 2.0. Since 2009, MTV Unplugged specials have aired occasionally, sometimes through online or subscription only. Episodes and specials have tended to showcase one artist or group, playing a combination of their hit songs and covers.
Many of the artists who appeared on the show in the 1990s released their Unplugged session as an album, and some of these albums were commercial and critical hits. Eric Clapton's Unplugged (1992) sold 26 million copies worldwide and became the best-selling live album of all time[citation needed]. Albums such as Mariah Carey's MTV Unplugged (1992), Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York (1994) and Alice in Chains' Unplugged (1996) became notable hits of the program. Other Unplugged albums that went platinum include Rod Stewart's Unplugged...and Seated (1993), 10,000 Maniacs' MTV Unplugged (1993), Tony Bennett's MTV Unplugged (1994), Page and Plant's No Quarter (1994), Shakira's MTV Unplugged (1999), Lauryn Hill's MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 (2001), Alicia Keys' Unplugged (2005) and Ricky Martin's MTV Unplugged (2006). Some of these albums produced successful singles as well, including Mariah Carey's No. 1 hit cover of "I'll Be There".
In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked the best fifteen episodes of MTV Unplugged. Many will have their own opinions as to which was best. Whether it is Mariah Carey, The Cranberries or Nirvana. I will include the top three as chosen by Rolling Stone. Counting down from three:
“Jay-Z (2001)
A couple of months after dropping The Blueprint, Jay-Z staged an Unplugged special at MTV Studios in New York. Crucially, he invited the Roots to serve as his backing band for the entire show. They brought an incredible live energy to songs like “Big Pimpin’,” “Can I get A …” and “Hard Knock Life,” reinventing them from the ground up. Mary J. Blige came out for “Can’t Knock the Hustle” and Pharrell joined him for “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It Me.)” It’s an entirely new way to experience Jay’s catalog, and the ultimate example that any genre of music can work on the show given the right backing group and the right arrangements.
Pearl Jam (1992)
Pearl Jam were just beginning to gain a national profile when they taped their Unplugged special at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens on March 16th, 1992. They’d just wrapped a grueling European tour and had little time to prep. “We literally got off the plane from Europe, spent all day in a cavernous sound studio in New York, and did the show that night,” said bassist Jeff Ament. “It’s pretty powerful, and Ed’s singing great. Yet it’s kind of naive, which is awesome.” The group later said they wished they had more time to put together a whole set of newly arranged songs like Nirvana would do late the following year, but it’s still an amazing look at a band just starting to realize their own incredible power and range.
Nirvana (1993)
Unplugged wasn’t Nirvana’s last concert. Just one week after it wrapped they’d resume the American leg of the In Utero tour and then head to Europe early the following year for two months of additional shows. But in many ways, the show felt like their final statement to the world. The vibe was dark before they even walked on since Kurt Cobain insisted that the stage look like a funeral, complete with lilies and black candles. Joined by touring guitarist Pat Smear and cellist Lori Goldston, the group skipped over nearly all of their obvious hits in favor of covers like David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World,” The Vaselines’ “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam” and no less than three Meat Puppets songs, where they were joined by bandleaders Cris and Curt Kirkwood themselves. Near the beginning, Kurt delivered a chilling rendition of “Come as You Are,” repeating the line “no, I don’t have a gun” through gritted teeth, a moment that became very hard to watch in light of later events. The show wraps up with “All Apologies” and a cover of Lead Belly’s “In The Pines,” which they renamed “Where Did You Sleep Last Night.” It’s hard to think of a more powerful double shot from any live concert in the entire 1990s, or perhaps even the entire history of rock & roll”.
To mark thirty-five years of MTV Unplugged, I will end with a playlist combining some of the very best artists and episodes. It is a wonderful series that should still be going today. Hearing legendary artists take things back to basics and reveal hidden depths to their songs. Take a listen through this acoustic playlist and…
TURN the volume up.