On 20th February we celebrated the birth of the most paramount person in grunge music. 20th February 2010 would have been Kurt Cobain's 43rd birthday, and to mark it I thought it would be a good idea to do a Featured Favourites post on MTV Unplugged in New York. Unfortunately I didn't get around to it on that day or in the days that followed, but here it is now.
MTV Unplugged in New York features an acoustic performance by Nirvana, taped at Sony Music Studios in New York City on November 18, 1993 for the television series MTV Unplugged. According to Dave Grohl, the band wanted to do something different than a typical MTV Unplugged episode for its performance: "We'd seen the other Unpluggeds and didn't like many of them, because most bands would treat them like rock shows and play their hits like it was Madison Square Garden, except with acoustic guitars." So, as opposed to traditional practice on the television series, Nirvana played a setlist of mainly lesser-known material and cover versions of songs by David Bowie, The Vaselines, Lead Belly and Meat Puppets (two members of Meat Puppets also came on stage for the band's rendition of their song).
Unlike many artists who appeared on the show, Nirvana filmed its entire performance in a single take, which would lead us to think that the process flowed quite well. However that wasn't the case; the prospect of performing an entirely acoustic show made Cobain very nervous. The rehearsal sessions were said to be quite tense, with the band running into problems performing certain songs. Also, Cobain was apparantly upset in the days running up to the performance and even threatned to not go through with the show, after those behind MTV Unplugged expressed their dissatisfaction with Nirvana's choice of the Meat Puppets as special guests. It has been said that producers wanted more well-known names and also wanted to see that band's more popular hits on the setlist. Cobain did however appear at the studio to go ahead with filming. At that time he was suffering from drug withdrawal and nervousness so everyone was a little worried about how his performance would go.
Despite the fact that the show was supposed to based around acoustic performances, Cobain insisted on running his acoustic guitar through his amplifier and effects pedals. Apparantly it was his "security blanket" and he was so used to hearing his guitar through his Fender that he was unwilling to part with it. You can hear the effects of this, particularly on "The Man Who Sold the World", where it is quite clear that the sound is running through an amp. With regards stage layout, Cobain had a particular vision in mind; he wanted the stage to be decorated with stargazer lilies, black candles, and a crystal chandelier. This request prompted the show's producer to ask Cobain, "You mean like a funeral?" Cobain's response was simple: "Yes."
MTV Unplugged in New York was released on 1st November 1994, the first Nirvana album released in the wake of the April 1994 death of Cobain. The album has become the group's most successful posthumous release, selling five million copies in America by 1997. It won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. It was well-received among critics; most felt the album acted as proof that the band was able to transcend the grunge sound they were most commonly associated with. Some felt, however, there was something missing in the album. Given that MTV Unplugged shows are set around a live set and therefore a video, it is quite difficult to listen to the music alone and still feel the full vibe of the performance. It was no surprise that quite soon after the show aired Nirvana fans began to question when the DVD version would be released.
The MTV Unplugged In New York performance was finally released on DVD on November 20, 2007. The DVD release featured the entire taping, and also included the two songs excluded from the broadcast version. Bonus features consisted of the original broadcast version of the performance, a 1999 MTV special interview segment titled, "Bare Witness: Nirvana Unplugged", featuring the recollections of MTV producers and audience members, and five songs taped during the pre-show rehearsal: "Come as You Are", "Polly", "Plateau", "Pennyroyal Tea", and "The Man Who Sold the World". "All Apologies" and "Pennyroyal Tea"
Nirvana's MTV Unplugged show is one of the most intense and powerful musical performances I have ever seen. It is quite obvious from it that Cobain was not hugely comfortable in front of a crowd, which at times makes for slightly uncomfortable viewing. He was nervous and seems to feel completely out of place. This is particularly evident in his banter before "The Man Who Sold the World", where he expresses his worry that he might completely "screw [the song] up". He didn't. It is among the most powerful performances of Nirvana’s career, owed in large part to Cobain for twisting and bending the song to fit his own image. Also interesting about the performance is the delicacy and intimacy in the rearrangements and delivery of the songs. Completely juxtaposing Nirvana's well-established heavier sound, the performance hinted at the different strands of the band, perhaps a potential future venture, had it not come to the sad end that it did.
Whether just listening to the music or taking in the DVD in its entirety, MTV Unplugged in New York, in light of Cobain's death, is always going to be unsettling. Taped just months before Cobain's apparant suicide (I say apparant because I'm still not entirely convinced), it is both startingly raw and quite disturbing. Cobain was always going to be the main star or main attraction in the performance, and eager fans, both in the audience and at home watching the show on TV or DVD, were always going to hang on his every word or lyric. Their anticipation was almost religious. Cobain's choice of songs, with their constant references to death and alienation, made the performance all the more chilling. So much so, that some have taken his MTV Unplugged performance to be something of an "audiovisual suicide note". Throw into the mix some black candles, stargazer lillies and delicate lighting and there you have it; the subject of death was everywhere and sure enough, Cobain was gone within five months.
A must-own for all Nirvana fans and great viewing for the curious, MTV Unplugged in New York is spectacular. A definate favourite for me.
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