''The Unplugged Collection, Volume One'' is a compilation of performances taken from

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic instrument, acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. F ...

featuring sixteen artists – including R.E.M., k.d. lang, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Soul Asylum. The songs were culled from the artists' appearances on the show in the 1990s. Individual songs also appeared on the artists' own albums, such as

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

's ''

Unplugged Unplugged may refer to: *Acoustic music, music not produced through electronic means * "Unplugged" (B.A.P song), 2014 * "Unplugged" (''Modern Family''), a 2010 episode of ''Modern Family'' Albums and EPs * ''Unplugged'' (5'nizza album), 2002 * '' ...

'',

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...

's '' Unplugged...and Seated'',

10,000 Maniacs 10,000 Maniacs are an American alternative rock band founded in 1981. They have released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums. They achieved their most significant success between 1987 and 1993, when they released four albums that c ...

' ''

'',

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

's ''

Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) ''Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)'' is a live album of Acoustic music, unplugged performance by Paul McCartney, recorded and released in 1991. Overview Following the vastness of the Paul McCartney World Tour (1989–1990), captured on ''Tripp ...

'', and

Annie Lennox Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician Dave Stewart w ...

's '' Cold. Colder. Coldest''.

Reception

On its release, the

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

compilation received mixed reviews, with some calling it slapdash, "short on innovation", with "mediocre, uninspired efforts". Some criticism focused on the song selection and the quality of the recordings. However, reaction to the album, and the performances may be a reflection of negative views held towards MTV itself more than the artists. In keeping with MTVs perceived preference of showcasing male artists, only three of the sixteen performers were female. According to ''Spins James Hunter, Annie Lennox, "sings 'Why,' the best thing she has ever done," Elton John and Paul Simon give "completely realized" performances and Rod Stewart "sings the shit" out of "Gasoline Alley" (the title track of his eponymous 1972 album, co-written with

Ronnie Wood Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as a member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, and a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. Wood began his career in 1964, playing lead guitar with several Brit ...

). Neil Young rescores "Like a Hurricane" using

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

and

pump organ The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reed aerophone, free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ ...

. On McCartney's "We Can Work It Out", a performance mistake is left in the recording; Hunter characterizes McCartney as being "tickled by the wonderful informality of it all."

Track listing

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Unplugged Collection Volume One Warner Records compilation albums 1994 compilation albums MTV Unplugged albums