Since September 2010, this blog has recorded the journey of this music junkie as I attempt to listen to all the music in my CD collection. CDs revisited in their entirety from start to finish - no skipping tracks, no shuffle. Compact Discs only - no vinyl, no tapes, no files.

Monday, July 17, 2023

Various Artists - The Unplugged Collection, Volume One (1994)


A compilation of performances taken from MTV Unplugged featuring sixteen artists, many of whom released entire albums of their Unplugged concerts. According to the wonderful oral history I Want My MTV, Unplugged creators Bob Small and Jim Burns couldn't get MTV interested in the show. Executive Judy McGrath was the only one at the network that wanted to produce the show. She eventually got her way and the rest is history as the show became a worldwide megabrand.

As you would probably guess for such a compilation, this thing is hit-or-miss and there's alot of tracks here that are just ok. Some tracks aren't completely unplugged - electric bass is most often the culprit - and that bothers more than it probably should. And while the album is average at best, the liner notes are quite good.

To date, subsequent volumes have not been released.

Press of the time:
  • Entertainment Weekly (B): "long on tasteful renderings and short on innovation."
  • Billboard: "Acoustic, sure. But listen to Stevie Ray Vaughan deliver an emotionally charged blues reading of 'Pride And Joy,' and then argue the semantics of whether or not this is electric."
  • CashBox: Pick of the week


Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #97

Tracks:
ArtistSong

Stevie Ray VaughanPride And Joy
Eric ClaptonBefore You Accuse Me
Lenny KravitzAre You Gonna Go My Way
Soul AsylumSomebody to Shove
k.d. langBarefoot
Paul SimonGraceland
Elton JohnDon't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
Neil YoungLike A Hurricane
Rod StewartGasoline Alley
John MellencampPink Houses
Paul McCartneyWe Can Work It Out
Elvis Costello & The Rude 5Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
Don HenleyCome Rain Or Come Shine
Annie LennoxWhy
10,000 ManiacsDon't Talk
R.E.M.Half A World Away



Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
MTV Buzz Bin, Vol. 1 (1996)
Paul McCartney - Unplugged: The Official Bootleg (1991)
Never Mind The Mainstream...The Best of MTV's 120 Minutes, Vol. 2 (1991)

1 comment:

  1. The boring story of how I acquired this disc can be found here: https://hercshideaway.blogspot.com/2016/09/great-music-mags-ice-class-of-1994.html

    ReplyDelete