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Music Reviews Feature
The History of Unplugged

A look back at the best and worst moments of MTV's landmark acoustic show

By Gary Graff

Not long before his death, Irish blues-rock guitarist Rory Gallagher talked about the ambivalent relationship between rock and roll and acoustic instruments. "At one point, I think an acoustic guitar was viewed as a wimpy thing to have in a band," Gallagher said. "Now it's got new respect; people see it as an honest statement, with no frills around it. I hope it doesn't change again." It hasn't. These days, it's still in for the plug to be out--and "unplugged" has evolved from the title of an MTV acoustic-music program to the moniker for an entire approach to music.

Alice in Chains' new Unplugged is only the latest in a string of albums artists have culled from their performances on MTV. Eric Clapton , Neil Young , Rod Stewart, and Mariah Carey have released multiplatinum albums of their acoustic MTV sets. Even artists who haven't played the show have glommed onto the trend--evidence X's Unclogged, Tesla's Five Man Acoustical Jam, or Eddie Money's Unplug It In.

Two sonic salvos touched off the unplugged revolution. The first was the November 1988 release of Guns N' Roses' G N' R Lies, which featured a side of acoustic material and sold four million copies. The second came during September 1989, when Jon Bon Jovi played acoustic versions of two of his biggest hits, "Livin' on a Prayer" and "Wanted Dead or Alive," during the MTV Music Video Awards. Rock radio stations around the country began playing bootleg tapes of the performances, which have never been released to the public.

"It was sort of an on-screen pilot for Unplugged," remembers MTV Unplugged executive producer Joel Gallen. "Here was a band known for playing loud, electric rock and roll, playing some of their best music acoustically, and it worked brilliantly. We decided to go with the show right after that."

MTV launched Unplugged on January 21, 1990, with Squeeze and Jules Shear. The breakthrough to superstars came on April 18, 1990, when Don Henley agreed to do the show. The reasons for his appearance were far from altruistic--Henley was trying to block his former Eagle bandmates Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh from performing his songs on Unplugged--but Gallen used it as an opportunity to snare a big name for his show. "From that point on, it seemed like we just rolled with the momentum," Gallen says. "The giant marquee names are definitely there now."

No kidding. MTV Unplugged has become a routine stop for any touring artist who sells a million records--whether it's Aerosmith or Live, Hole or Hall and Oates. "It's very exciting," Paul McCartney said after taping his Unplugged episode. "It's a challenge to try to make a noise with no amps." It's also a good--and inexpensive--way to create a new album that has a built-in MTV marketing campaign. That doesn't guarantee a good record, however; some simply do the unplugged thing better than others. What follows are some of the peaks and valleys of the unplugged album market.

Introduction: The history of Unplugged
The Best of Unplugged: Paul McCartney, Nirvana, Bob Dylan, Mariah Carey, and Tony Bennett
The Worst of Unplugged: Eric Clapton, Arrested Development, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, and KISS
Unreleased Unplugged: Great performances locked in the vaults
Unplug 'Em: Who would you like to see on Unplugged?


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