Seventeen years ago yesterday, grunge luminaries Nirvana recorded their episode of MTV’s Unplugged series, aired a month later and released on CD the following year, the first Nirvana album to follow Kurt Cobain’s suicide in April of 1994. Taped at Sony Studios in New York and directed by SNL director Beth McCarthy, the concert highlighted an entirely new and tragically short-lived musical direction for the band, showcasing Cobain’s songwriting and appreciation for older songs by David Bowie, Meat Puppets, and his favorite band, The Vaselines.
Since its inception in November 1989, MTV Unplugged has allowed both established and new artists the opportunity to strip their music down to minimalist, acoustic arrangements that have varied from embarrassing to stunning. Everyone from Duran Duran and Mariah Carey to Staind and Korn have hit the Unplugged stage over the years, and in honor of Nirvana’s iconic performance, we’re taking a look back at some of our other favorite episodes.
Eric Clapton (1992)
The CD of Clapton’s Unplugged performance sold more than any other, earning him six Grammy Awards the following year. Filmed in the aftermath of his son Conor’s death, Clapton stripped down and rearranged many of his classic tunes as well as covering several traditional blues tunes, a move that would be echoed by 1994’s From The Crade record. More than a great concert, Clapton’s Unplugged was a commercial resurgence for an artist who’d spent much of the 80’s in creative limbo.
Rod Stewart (1993)
Rod Stewart’s turn on the Unplugged stage found the English classic rocker reuniting with Faces guitarist Ron Wood and revisiting some of the early forgotten classics of his early ‘70s solo work, including “Handbags and Gladrags”, “Cut Across Shorty”, and (of course) “Maggie May”. A few choice covers—including his cover of Van Morrison’s “Have I Told You Lately”, which became Stewart’s last Top Five solo hit to date—round out a charmingly nostalgic set and one of the singer’s best releases.
Jay-Z (2001)
Recorded with hip-hop backing band extraordinaires The Roots, Jay-Z took his early solo hits to the small stage in November 2001. Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson’s drumming expertly replaces the programmed beats as Young Hov bounces from song to song, strolling through his pre-Blueprint discography without missing a beat or a note.
Lauryn Hill (2002)
Her last new release to date, former Fugees vocalist Lauren Hill’s performance at MTV Studios is an intensely personal, involving set filled out with monologues, spoken word segments, and even a few tears. Stripped down to just Hill and her guitar, the performance is a deeply insightful look into the mind of one of our best artists.
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