MTV Unplugged in New York
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| MTV Unplugged in New York | ||
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| Live album by Nirvana | ||
| Released | November 1, 1994 | |
| Recorded | November 18, 1993, at Sony Studios in New York City, New York | |
| Genre | Alternative rock | |
| Length | 53:50 | |
| Label | Geffen | |
| Producer(s) | Scott Litt, Alex Coletti, Nirvana | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Nirvana chronology | ||
| In Utero (1993) |
MTV Unplugged in New York (1994) |
Singles (1995) |
MTV Unplugged in New York is a live album by the American grunge band, Nirvana. It was released in November 1994. It features an acoustic concert the band played at Sony Music Studios in New York City on November 18, 1993. The show directed by Beth McCarthy first aired on MTV on December 14, 1993. The album won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1996.
MTV Unplugged in New York was the first Nirvana album released following the death of singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain in April 1994. It was hailed by critics as proof the band was able to transcend the grunge sound they were commonly associated with.
It is widely considered by critics to be one of the most memorable, if not 'the' most memorable Unplugged of any band.
Six of the fourteen songs are covers, showcasing the band’s diverse taste in music, featuring covers of songs by The Vaselines, David Bowie and The Meat Puppets, and of Leadbelly's folk standard, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night.” The album opened at #1 on the Billboard 200. It was also the first Nirvana album to feature touring guitarist Pat Smear. Of Nirvana's live albums, this is the most successful (selling millions of copies).
MTV Unplugged in New York includes two songs which were not aired on the original television broadcast of the concert: “Something in the Way” and “Oh, Me.” Both the album and the broadcast omit a short jam of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”, and instrumental jams of "Sliver," "In Bloom" and "Scentless Apprentice"
Contents |
[edit] Original plans
Contrary to popular belief, there were no known plans to release Nirvana's MTV Unplugged set as an album before Cobain's death. By the time of the band's dissolution, only one song - "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" - had been sanctioned for official release. It was released as a B-side on the "Pennyroyal Tea" single in early 1994, which was recalled immediately after Cobain's death.
It is rumored that other Unplugged songs were to be released on a tour EP in the summer of 1994, supporting Nirvana's Lollapalooza appearance. The band was to headline the festival, but Cobain pulled out within the weeks before his death in April 1994.
[edit] Track listing
- "About a Girl" (Cobain) – 3:37
- "Come as You Are" (Cobain) – 4:13
- "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam" (Kelly/McKee; The Vaselines cover) – 4:37
- "The Man Who Sold the World" (David Bowie cover) – 4:20
- "Pennyroyal Tea" (Cobain) – 3:40
- "Dumb" (Cobain) – 2:52
- "Polly" (Cobain/Nirvana) – 3:16
- "On a Plain" (Cobain/Nirvana) – 3:44
- "Something in the Way" (Cobain/Nirvana) – 4:01
- "Plateau" (Kirkwood; Meat Puppets cover) – 3:38
- "Oh Me" (Kirkwood; Meat Puppets cover) – 3:26
- "Lake of Fire" (Kirkwood; Meat Puppets cover) – 2:55
- "All Apologies" (Cobain) – 4:23
- "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" (Traditional, Arranged by Leadbelly) – 5:08
[edit] Singles
“About a Girl” was released as MTV Unplugged in New York’s only commercial single in October 1994, with the Unplugged version of “Something in the Way” as the B-side. It was released on CD only, and only in Australia and Europe. Promo singles were released for “The Man Who Sold the World,” “Polly,” “Lake of Fire,” and “Where Did You Sleep Last Night.”
[edit] Album charts
| Year | Album | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Billboard Top 200 | No. 1 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official UK Albums Chart | No. 1 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Austrian Albums Chart | No. 1 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official New Zealand Albums Chart | No. 1 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Dutch Albums Chart | No. 1 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Australian Albums Chart | No. 1 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Spanish Albums Chart | No. 1 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Swedish Albums Chart | No. 2 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Swiss Albums Chart | No. 3 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Finnish Albums Chart | No. 3 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Norwegian Albums Chart | No. 6 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official German Albums Chart | No. 6 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Hungarian Albums Chart | No. 9 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Italian Albums Chart | No. 16 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Japanese Albums Chart | No. 20 |
[edit] Charting singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | About a Girl | Official Australian Singles Chart | No. 4 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Official Finland Singles Chart | No. 8 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Official Belgium Singles Chart | No. 13 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Official Swedish Singles Chart | No. 20 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Official Italian Singles Chart | No. 20 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Official French Singles Chart | No. 23 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Official Dutch Singles Chart | No. 22 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US) | No. 3 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Modern Rock Tracks (US) | No. 1 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Top 40 Mainstream (US) | No. 29 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Triple J Hottest 100 | No. 7 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Latvian Airplay Charts | No. 4 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Poland Airplay Charts | No. 3 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Slovakian Airplay Charts | No. 7 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Canadian Airplay Charts | No. 9 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | French Airplay Charts | No. 9 |
| 1994 | All Apologies | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US) | No. 4 |
| 1995 | Lake of Fire | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US) | No. 22 |
| 1995 | The Man Who Sold the World | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US) | No. 12 |
| 1995 | The Man Who Sold the World | Modern Rock Tracks (US) | No. 6 |
| 1995 | The Man Who Sold the World | Slovakian Airplay Charts | No. 4 |
| 1995 | The Man Who Sold the World | Latvian Airplay Charts | No. 1 |
| 1995 | The Man Who Sold the World | Poland Airplay Charts | No. 1 |
| 1995 | The Man Who Sold the World | Canadian Airplay Charts | No. 22 |
| 1995 | The Man Who Sold the World | French Airplay Charts | No. 34 |
| 1995 | Where Did You Sleep Last Night | Latvian Airplay Charts | No. 18 |
| 1995 | Where Did You Sleep Last Night | French Airplay Charts | No. 62 |
[edit] Accolades
- Ranked #47 in Kerrang!’s “100 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die — Editors Choice.”
- Ranked #53 in Kerrang!'s “100 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die — Readers Choice.”
- Ranked #52 in Q's "100 Greatest Albums Ever, voted by the readers of Q."
- Ranked #311 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2003.
[edit] Sales
- American sales: 5 million, (Certified 5 X Platinum 9/05/97).
- Switzerland: 2 x Platinum.
- Japanese Sales: 1994/11/02, 4 weeks, 48,290.
- New Zealand: 1994, Platinum.
- Spain: 1995, 2 x Platinum.
[edit] Credits
- Nirvana — producer
- Kurt Cobain — lead vocals, guitar
- Pat Smear - guitar
- Krist Novoselic — bass guitar, guitar, accordion
- Dave Grohl — drums, bass guitar, backup vocals
- Alex Coletti — producer
- Scott Litt — producer
- Stephen Marcussen — mastering
- Cris Kirkwood — bass guitar, backup vocals
- Curt Kirkwood - guitar
- Lori Goldston — cello
- Robert Fisher — art direction, design
- Frank Micelotta — photography
