THE VERY BEST OF MTV UNPLUGGED
Various Artists
(Warner)
RATING: two and a half
Since it debuted in 1989, MTV Unplugged has been a showcase for musicians aiming to try out something new and radical with their music—in this case, taking their songs and stripping it down to bare acoustic bones. “No electric guitars. No keyboards. No special effects,” it claimed, and it was a radical idea in its time, because unplugging revealed the music for what it was, without studio effects or flashy instrumentalization. You could see the true beauty—or lack thereof—of the songwriting or the singers’ vocals.
The roster of musicians invited to the sessions have been impressive: R.E.M., Eric Clapton, Lenny Kravitz, Annie Lennox, Sting, Oasis, and Sheryl Crow were only some of the featured guests on the show. The sessions with Bob Dylan, Nirvana, Alanis Morissette, 10,000 Maniacs, The Corrs, Tony Bennett, Mariah Carey, and Bryan Adams were good enough to be released as separate albums. Through the years, the show has seen some unforgettable performances from some of the best musicians around.
It’s a shame, then, that The Very Best of MTV Unplugged errs on the safe side. The 18 selections on the album are crowd-pleasers—only the biggest names, and only their hits. Not bad in itself, but it also means that it doesn’t live up to the promise of its title: often, the very best performances came from musicians who insisted on venturing away from the safety of their regular repertoire.
Sure, this collection offers you Eric Clapton’s unmatched rendition of his elegiac “Tears in Heaven” and a poignant version of “Lightning Crashes” from Live. And, yes, there’s nothing wrong with Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic” or Sheryl Crow’s “Strong Enough” or Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose.” In fact, they’re very good. Some cuts—Lenny Kravitz’s slowed-down and sexy “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” for example, or Jimmy Page and Robert Plant’s “Gallows Pole”—are even excellent. And nobody’s going to complain about the inclusion of The Cranberries’ “Linger” or Bryan Adams’ “Summer of 69” or Paul Simon’s “Mrs. Robinson.” They’re all hits, after all.
But that’s the problem. The Very Best of MTV Unplugged doesn’t court argument because it doesn’t attempt much, sticking to the Billboard hits and staying away from the rarer, more interesting cuts. There are no collaborations, no covers on this album. Which means that you don’t get to relive the day the Meat Puppets sat in with Nirvana, when the Indigo Girls sang back up for Michelle Shocked, when Tesla teamed up with The Black Crowes, or when Slaughter played with Winger. You don’t get to hear Pearl Jam covering Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World,” Hole trying out Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like a Wolf,” Aerosmith paying tribute to the Doors with “Love Me Two Times.” Remember these? No? Well, that’s because they were never released on CD (except on bootlegs), and it’s too bad, because now it looks like no one ever will.
When Nirvana guested on MTV Unplugged in 1993, they carefully avoided playing the obvious choice—“Smells Like Teen Spirit”—and did a lot of covers, including a haunting cover of David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World.” The show was a treasure trove of rarities, and the album disappoints by featuring none of these and having none of the courage of its concept. —Kristine Fonacier
(Warner)
RATING: two and a half
Since it debuted in 1989, MTV Unplugged has been a showcase for musicians aiming to try out something new and radical with their music—in this case, taking their songs and stripping it down to bare acoustic bones. “No electric guitars. No keyboards. No special effects,” it claimed, and it was a radical idea in its time, because unplugging revealed the music for what it was, without studio effects or flashy instrumentalization. You could see the true beauty—or lack thereof—of the songwriting or the singers’ vocals.
The roster of musicians invited to the sessions have been impressive: R.E.M., Eric Clapton, Lenny Kravitz, Annie Lennox, Sting, Oasis, and Sheryl Crow were only some of the featured guests on the show. The sessions with Bob Dylan, Nirvana, Alanis Morissette, 10,000 Maniacs, The Corrs, Tony Bennett, Mariah Carey, and Bryan Adams were good enough to be released as separate albums. Through the years, the show has seen some unforgettable performances from some of the best musicians around.
It’s a shame, then, that The Very Best of MTV Unplugged errs on the safe side. The 18 selections on the album are crowd-pleasers—only the biggest names, and only their hits. Not bad in itself, but it also means that it doesn’t live up to the promise of its title: often, the very best performances came from musicians who insisted on venturing away from the safety of their regular repertoire.
Sure, this collection offers you Eric Clapton’s unmatched rendition of his elegiac “Tears in Heaven” and a poignant version of “Lightning Crashes” from Live. And, yes, there’s nothing wrong with Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic” or Sheryl Crow’s “Strong Enough” or Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose.” In fact, they’re very good. Some cuts—Lenny Kravitz’s slowed-down and sexy “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” for example, or Jimmy Page and Robert Plant’s “Gallows Pole”—are even excellent. And nobody’s going to complain about the inclusion of The Cranberries’ “Linger” or Bryan Adams’ “Summer of 69” or Paul Simon’s “Mrs. Robinson.” They’re all hits, after all.
But that’s the problem. The Very Best of MTV Unplugged doesn’t court argument because it doesn’t attempt much, sticking to the Billboard hits and staying away from the rarer, more interesting cuts. There are no collaborations, no covers on this album. Which means that you don’t get to relive the day the Meat Puppets sat in with Nirvana, when the Indigo Girls sang back up for Michelle Shocked, when Tesla teamed up with The Black Crowes, or when Slaughter played with Winger. You don’t get to hear Pearl Jam covering Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World,” Hole trying out Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like a Wolf,” Aerosmith paying tribute to the Doors with “Love Me Two Times.” Remember these? No? Well, that’s because they were never released on CD (except on bootlegs), and it’s too bad, because now it looks like no one ever will.
When Nirvana guested on MTV Unplugged in 1993, they carefully avoided playing the obvious choice—“Smells Like Teen Spirit”—and did a lot of covers, including a haunting cover of David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World.” The show was a treasure trove of rarities, and the album disappoints by featuring none of these and having none of the courage of its concept. —Kristine Fonacier
posted by Kristine F. | Sunday, December 01, 2002
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