MTV Unplugged in New York

The clarity of this "soundtrack" is simply amazing. MTV did a superb job with the setup of this event. I was blown away when I heard the cd version, but hearing it with my cheap Yamaha equipment in DTS took it to another level. It is a shame he is still not around; what an amazing talent this guy had. RIP KC.

It's amazing, but not unexpected, to see such a lack of pretense throughout these acoustic translations of much heavier material. The entire concert was bathed in Cobain's tragic warmth and frazzled soul, injecting a tremendous amount of integrity into nearly every strum and vocalization, while the band backs up at their restrained best, revealing a side seldom seen, and one fans were most fortunate to have seen before the end.

In my opinion, the greatest MTV Unplugged album ever. They proved that they were more than just a grunge band, and Cobain brought his pain briefly to the surface.

When I first got this album I simply could not stop listening to it not only one of the best live albums but one of the best albums ever and that says a lot since before i got this cd I wasnt into acoustic cds i liked my music load and heavy and now because of this cd I now love acoustic songs , which I think its a good change of pace.even thou I hate Mtv ,its nirvana so what the hell here are my favourite songs
1 jesus dont want me for a sumbeam
2 come as you are
3 polly
4 lake of fire
5 were did you sleep last night
be sure to pick up the dvd of this classic album

Nirvana was a rock band. Their style was loud, raw, aggressive. Kurt Cobain abused his guitars. Dave Grohl pounded the living daylights out of his drums. Krist Novoselic jumped around on stage like a madman.

So what happens when you hand Cobain an acoustic guitar, tell Grohl to play his drums with brushes, and force Krist to sit still?

Well, you get a very interesting album. I will agree with many of the glowing reviews on here, this performance has alot of emotional punch - in places. But I wonder if perhaps too much of this emotional stuff is read into these performances in light of Cobain's death. Yes, he screams and plunks his guitar with great vigor, but he was also high on herion.

It's somewhat interesting to hear Nirvana play "Come As You Are" unplugged - but it's much better played full-force with electric guitars. And it's okay hearing Cobain play "Pennyroyal Tea" solo, messing up the lyrics and hitting the wrong chords - but it doesn't hold a candle to the full electric arrangement.

The best parts of this album are the cover songs. "The Man Who Sold the World" is a fun song, as are the three Meat Puppet covers; and most folks are in agreement that "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" is spine tingling. If you get this album for no other reason, get it for the cover songs.

So while this is an interesting foray into "what happens when you strip a rock band of what made them famous" - it's not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination. It's the point of "Unplugged" to put a band in unfamiliar waters, but that doesn't mean it always turns out well.

Nirvana made music that was intended to be plugged in. That's what Nirvana was - loud, kick-your-teeth-in rock. "Unplugged" does not do them justice.