The Witching Hour Sessions – 18/01/2018
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged was an acoustic television show that I loved during the tail end of the last century. It aired regularly on MTV. Many of the artists who appeared on the show, released their sessions as albums and some were commercial and critical hits. Eric Clapton’s ‘Unplugged’ album received 6 Grammy Awards and sold 26 million copies worldwide for example. The 3 programmes listed below are among my favourites and form tonight’s listening.
Am I missing any other gems??
Tonight’s Unplugged listening;
1 – Nirvana (1993)
Defying expectations by playing only one of their hits. The vibe of the show, seems in retrospect fairly dark, the stage being complete with lilies and black candles. One of the last televised performances of Kurt Cobain. The cd sold over 5 million copies.
2 – Alice In Chains (1996)
The band’s performance here was their first since their 1993 world tour finished and it unfortunately also turned out to be singer Layne Staley’s last concert before his 2002 death. He delivered some unforgettable renditions of AIC classics on this particular episode. One of the most memorable of the Unplugged sessions.
3 – Jimmy Page and Robert Plant; No Quarter/Unledded (1994)
Working with a dozen Egyptian musicians and a full sting section on classics like ‘Kashmir’ and ‘The Battle For Evermore’. The album reached #4 on the US album charts and #7 in the UK.