Reviews (page 8 of 16)
good but let's face it it was a cash-in
I like their approach not just to play their best songs unplugged, but to use that intimate setting to play cover versions of songs that seem important to them, for whatever reason. I liked their songs, but some of the covers weren't my thing.
Bangers all over. Nice listen of a live album
Heard it before. Some very good live songs especially the cover ones. But it's weak in parts. I don't agree with live albums being on the list. Might as well allow best of albums then
The best unplugged album. My favorite versions of some of these songs. So much expression in Kurt’s voice. I like most of their covers better than the originals too.
I wasn’t looking forward to a live album as it had never been something I vibe with from artists I love (e.g. live in concert albums). However, I was pleasantly surprised as the set list was perfectly curated. My favourite was the David Bowie cover of “The Man Who Sold the World”. I think I will return to this album, a worthy 4 stars!
5 - great, obviously
a classic for a reason
A chilling and unforgettable goodbye. Still how I first think of their live performance, which is a weird reality. I never saw them live in person and must have listened to this record 100 times.
Certainly in my top five albums of all time
A strange recording for many reasons, not least because a band at the height of the powers would play a live set mainly made of covers, rather than their hits. This is the most R.E.M. Nirvana ever sounded and the most Eddie Vedder Kurt Cobain ever sounded. Potential echoes of a sound they never got to explore. However, a stripped back setting is not really what we go to Nirvana for; we want rock. The set takes a bit of time to get going and it’s actually the covers; where you can hear Kurt straining or struggle or be a bit embarrassed, which really shine in this performance.
Quite good.
- Don't normally love Live albums, but this is an exception. - The band sounds just as good live as on the albums. - I forgot how much I actually enjoy Nirvana
Their best live performance but for whatever reason I wasn't in the mood while listening. A few songs stand out and Kurt Cobain does some fun things with his voice. Feel like Nirvana fans would be pissed but 3 stars
I like this acoustic Nirvana more than In Utero. It was also quite haunting hearing Kurt Cobain’s banter with the audience knowing that he died before this album was released. Favorite Track: Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
Amazing. But it’s right up my alley of music taste so I could be biased
Great album
>I don't have a gun Erm... Good warm atmosphere. Not the usual Nirvana, but still kind of the same. I both like and dislike it
Expected more songs I'd know about. Wasnt all that tbh
I’m pretty casual on Nirvana but it’s common knowledge that Cobain’s voice was a defining piece of musical history and will probably never cease to inspire anyone who decides to put their lips to a microphone within the rock genre. The way Kurt’s vocals are used on this acoustic (and final) outing is as such a smart and undeniable centerpiece that gave entirely new context to songs that are now considered classics but at the time were all fairly deep cuts. It was described as the band’s way to show fans who they were via an almost mixtape-esque presentation, and it works!
I have this but it is has been many years since I have listened to it, so I was excited about revisiting. It’s an excellent album and is indicative of what made the Unplugged sessions great when approached correctly. A chance to represent yourselves differently musically, and Nirvana certainly did that. The coolest aspect is that they took some songs from other bands (the Vaselines, Meat Puppets) to bring into this session. It wasn’t just their original tunes. The best example: Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World is a definite highlight of this set. What keeps this from being an 5 star album for me personally is that there are some songs on here that just aren’t that good, such as Pennyroyal Tea or On a Plain. As a result, the middle of the set wanes a bit for me. But I had forgotten about how cool some of these songs come off like Oh, Me. That all said, while I have never been as enamored with Kurt Cobain as many others (despite totally loving 90s alternative music), he is undeniably excellent throughout this set. Strong and straining (in a great way) in certain parts, restrained in others. Meanwhile, Grohl shows he can strip down his bombastic drumming style and settle in the background amazingly well. A fantastic performance from both of them.
Listened to this when Batman came out lol I still like this album more than anything else nirvana put out 9/10
maybe im just biased bc its nirvana but 11/10
This album is responsible for literally changing my "direction" with music. This album is responsible for me picking up a guitar. This album changed my life, in 1994. It's my "wake up and drive" album over early, long road trips. What’s wild is they unplugged and still hit harder than bands at full blast. These song versions feel lived-in, like the songs got older and sadder, but more beautiful. It's magical. I've spun this album 1001 times, and I'll spin it 1001 more. Spins: All Day Playlist Additions: - Album
Unexpectedly better than I thought it would be for an unplugged album. Doing lesser known songs and covers was a great direction.
Epic nostalgia
Overall good. Live version has better mixing with base guitar. Fave song : something in the way
Nirvana. Não curto. Porem as musicas sao excelentes. Eles sao incríveis!
Hard to rate an album that I’ve listened to as many times as I have this one. I think this was a good mostly acoustic set by a band that certainly had something. The flowers and candles set dressing is weird for a posthumous release. I’m not sure why I am so hard on Nirvana. Do I feel like they were forced on me because of their popularity? Am I mad at MTV and the way music is marketed to young people? Am I just disappointed by how my teenage years went, and maybe just life in general? I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure most of my feelings about Nirvana are not really about Nirvana. This is not a bad album that I know backwards and forwards and never listen to. I can agree that everyone should hear it.
Даже в альбоме нирваны есть песня девида боуи, который в этом списке 1001 альбома встречается большего всего раз
I mean, whatever, right? It's Nirvana, you like Nirvana, you'll like this. It's a live album, so you can't really judge it. Do you like the songs they performed? Yes? Boom, you like this.
Only one dud on this album for me, the rest are absolute bangers. I always forget how much I love Nirvana - nothing like a little punk to start my morning.
MTV unplugged series is awesome, Nirvana's showcase is no exception. Hard to find a song to dislike on this album. It is darn near perfect!
Ein starkes Album - die Live-Atmosphäre, Cover-Versionen und wenig bekannte Titel von Nirvana. Mit der bedrückenden Stimme von Kurt Cobain. 4/5
Outstanding.
Another album that everyone knows of. Maybe you haven’t listened to it so I’m telling you to listen to it. It’s raw and perfect in its own imperfect assembly. A generation grew up to this album and we are still awesome to this day. Choice cut: Man Who Sold the World
Live albums hoe ik ze graag hoor. Ze proberen niet om de nummers precies te laten klinken zoals op de studio-albums, en implementeren een hoop nieuwe (akoestische) instrumenten. Maar ze blijven ook dicht bij de structuur van de originele composities, want dat is uiteindelijk wel waar de fans voor komen. Plus dat ze niet bang zijn buiten hun discografie te zoeken naar songs die óf precies passen in hun straatje, óf zodoende te herinterpreteren zijn zodat ze de grunge-esthetic omarmen. Maar toch prefereer ik de studio-versies van de meeste songs van dit iconische concert. De covers stuwen de kwaliteit van de show wel echt omhoog mijn inziens. 'The Man Who Sold The World' in een grunge-jasje is fantastisch gevonden, en de blues classic als afsluiter is perfect geplaatst. Die uithaal blijft legendarisch. Maar ook zeker het trio van de Meat Puppets ging er lekker in. Geweldige tribute en de fijnste flow van het concert. De korte monoloogjes tussen het album door zijn ook wel echt haunting, wetende dat Kurt een halfjaartje later het land der levenden verliet. 8/10 Highlights: The Man Who Sold The World Plateau/Oh Me/Lake Of Fire Where Did You Sleep Last Night
Misschien is het een stukje nostalgie naar mijn muzikale ontdekkingsreis tijdens mijn tienerjaren waar dit album een belangrijke rol in speelde. Wat een weergaloos kwetsbare plaat. Nirvana op z'n best. Paar jaar podium-ervaring maar Kurt Cobain zingt echt met volle emotie de nummers en het publiek is muisstil. Raakte mij nu weer. En in plaats van bas, gitaar en drums worden de nummers akoestisch gespeeld en soms aangekleed met strijkers (zoals in Dumb). Ronduit prachtig. Cobain zou niet veel later zichzelf door de kop schieten met een shotgun, wat deze show natuurlijk nog veel meer lading geeft. 9/10 Highlights Polly Something in the Way Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
Sindssygt live album, det bedste fra Nirvana
Well what can I say. Iconic songs, the vibe is on point. Just a classic. So chill and cool.
I know this is a pretty revered live album, but I've never actually listened to it all the way through. This is part of the "MTV Unplugged" TV series, which has given us plenty of personal & live/acoustic performances of various artists since the 90s. What makes this particular one unique is the fact that this performance is not technically fully acoustic (some electric amplification, whoop-de-whoop) and the group opted to play more of their lesser known material and throw in some covers too (Bowie, Meat Puppets, Vaselines to name a few). The entire 14 song performance was also apparently filmed in one take, which is mighty impressive in itself. You probably won't find a cleaner live recording out there and to be honest, I think a few of the tracks on this live set surpass their original recordings.
My absolute favorite band from ages 12-19 and the first band that I truly became obsessed with. In typical Nirvana fashion, they railed against MTV's play-the-hits-but-acoustic formula and avoid playing almost any of the canonized hits, with exception of “Come As You Are", and instead, including covers of their influences. This was my introduction to the Meat Puppets, the Vaselines, David Bowie, and Lead Belly. Cobain's willingness to share his favorites really struck me, and now it's fair to say that his music taste has greatly influenced my own. This is a snapshot of the band at the peak of their powers. Released months after Kurt Cobain's untimely passing, the stripped down format and elegant staging makes this performance feel like a wake, giving fans an opportunity to mourn. Easiest 5-star I've given so far.
First let me say that this was a hell of a performance. It is shocking to listen to this knowing Cobain would be dead shortly after. But I must say I am in the minority of not liking this album quite as much as others. The covers were nice especially the Meat Puppets "Lake of Fire" and Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World" but personally there was a lot of dead weight songs for my taste. I mean THREE Me Puppet Covers??? I suppose not wanting to include some of their hit singles was an "artistic choice" but from the first time I saw this on MTV as a kid I felt there absence. A few of those songs and this would easily be a 5 star review for mo.
about a girl- 7 come as you are- 7 jesus doesnt want me for a sunbeam- 6 the man who sold the world- i understand why people prefer this version over the original but i disagree. still good though. 7 and 8 pennyroyal tea- 6 or 7. im on warm milk and laxatives is the best part dumb- 7 or 8 polly- 7 on a plain- 5 something in the way- unfortunately, this shit always gives me echolalia. 6 plateau- 5 oh me- 5 lake of fire- 6 all apologies- he wrote this song to be a happy song. brother... 10. shout out to the cello where did you sleep last night- 9. original better but still good are there people out there who dislike nirvana? if so, i dont want to meet them. im not even a big nirvana fan but it feels like a standard of music
One of the best live albums ever. Haunting
I'm not a massive Nirvana fan, I'm not convinced they would have stood the test of time were if not for KCs untimely death. That said, this is very good - leaning away from their biggest hits, dropping in some tasteful covers, reeling in the whole manic-depressive identity. It sounds so far removed from what you would expect from Nirvana, and maybe that's why it works so well. I do wonder what Kurt would have been like had he lived longer. I suspect he would have become a massive douche, but listening to this makes me think that maybe I'd be wrong. Fair play.
Unplugged in New York is the only album I have ever heard that has made me question if I even have any business listening to it. I wasn't expecting that. The music is great, let's get that out of the way. No surprise there. It's Nirvana at their very best which is essentially as good as music got in the 1990s. I personally like Oasis better, but Nirvana is the far better band - Nirvana is just a lot less fun to listen to especially this album and this might change as I get older and experience more of life and more of the world but as a 23-year-old girl who is somewhat privileged & somewhat sheltered - I don't often play Nirvana and Unplugged in New York reminds me as to why. It's just too much. It's ugly and beautiful, it's as pure as any record that I have ever heard, it's harsh & soft as rain, it makes you happy to be human, but it also reveals just how fucking dangerous it is & how much you have to dumb everything down to fully enjoy the experience at least in my opinion. It makes me feel and think too much. It floors me and lifts me at the same time. Kurt Cobain died at 27 just four years older than I'm right now but his voice sounds as old as sin and if you didn't know better you would think that he somehow lived several lifetimes in those 27 years. Someday Nirvana will be the soundtrack to my life and that scares the shit out of me and excites me in endless ways, some good, some bad. Some day.
100/5 stars. My favorite Nirvana album.
Such a fantastic record.
I guess i can see the appeal if you like Nirvana and don't think Kurt Cobain is one of histories worst frontmen. Unfortunately, i don't and i do so this was mostly a bag of shit
not perfect at all but very iconic
I never quite got the hype around Nirvana. Sure, some songs are good, but then there are some outright dogshit ones too. This album is not an exception.
One of the best
We all like Nirvana but there was just something extra about this album. I liked it!
I said about another live album that they should only be included in this list if it really captures something spectacular. This album is absolutely that. Even if you don't like Nirvana, this has to be one of the greatest live albums of all time. I know there was a whole slew of the MTV Unplugged shows, but this is by far the best. I think what you see from this record is that everyone in Nirvana were actually very good musicians and I don't think the majority of people would think of them that way. And normally I wouldn't praise an album on this list for having so many covers but in this case it really makes it better. Not that the originals are bad or that they couldn't have achieved the same thing had they just stuck to Nirvana songs, but the choices of covers they made were perfect. I mean holy hell Where Did You Sleep Last Night is one of the greatest recordings ever. Covering Bowie is always a bold move. And I love that they left in a lot of the banter between songs, it makes it feel like a super honest and real record. I mean, really, you can't say enough good things about this album. 5/5
Unplugged In New York - Nirvana favourites: Man Who Sold the World, On a Plain, Lake of Fire, Where Did You Sleep Last Night least favourite: None
Fine
Flawless. How can you not love it? Such a wonderfully considered session, not just Nirvana's greatest hits but the songs that would play best to the room. Meat Puppets, Man Who Sold the World, so many moments in one set. For a band that was so influential to have one of the biggest unplugged moments of all time is truly iconic.
What are they tuning, a harp?
Great to hear some familiar tunes stripped back and some great covers. It’s hard to better Bowie , but in this case …. Perhaps the pinnacle of the MTV unplugged?
Well this has placed me in a bit of a quandary. I have previously been vocal about my displeasure of live albums being in this list however this is such a great album I may have to make an exception here. I’m not sure what it is but maybe it’s because it doesn’t feel like your usual live album and all the songs feel like they have extra meaning played in the way they are. You can hear Kurt’s vocals and actually how good a singer he was when the songs are stripped back in this way. You can ‘feel’ the songs in a different way. I mean how can it not get 5 stars, it’s such a great listen.
Well I guess I am going to break all of my rules on ratings for this one as it is a live album, featuring versions of already released songs, and cover versions! But come on, it’s Nirvana, and it’s superb! A lot of the praise for this album comes because of the timing of the performance and its later release around the death of Kurt. It highlights his superb songwriting talent, guitar performance and haunting vocals that spotlight a fragility which seems very poignant following his death. Perhaps the genius of this album is the selection of songs that work so well in this format. In particular About A Girl and Something In The Way are perfect and all of the covers especially Jesus and the excellent Man Who Sold The World. In criticism, I remember at the time that it seemed a bit of a sell out sucking up to MTV, and a couple of the tracks don’t work. I would also suggest that Mark Lanegan’s version of Where Did You Sleep is better.
One of my favourite albums of all time, and better than all their studio albums. There’s just something about the fact Kurt spent most of his time, especially live, kinda trying to trash and distort (albeit in an enjoyable way) his songs, that just makes this effort almost more shocking in a way. Here he is suddenly showing the simple, stripped back beauty of his songs, while also hugely improving and elevating quite a random bunch of covers. The feeling in his vocals in ‘Where did you sleep’ are like a prefect crescendo at the end. History suggests the opposite but I like to feel he seemed like he enjoyed himself doing this show.
Absolutely the album to listen to when introducing someone to the Grunge Era, and in hindsight made all the more special due to well...ya know. Love this start to finish. Going into my heavy rotation for sure. 5/5
Nirvana has never been my band. But I get them and their importance. This performance is a very very cool context to hear their songs reimagined. The highlight for me is the Bowie cover! I also like that Sinead O’Connor then covered All Apologies like the arrangement on this album.
Cool
Good
A true classic
While Nirvana broke alot of ground in the grunge scene, I am not sold myself on the album.
I love so many of the songs they did for this, and the fact they didn't need to do Teen Spirit and still had an outstanding set. Pennyroyal Tea is hauntingly beautiful, and ending with that Where Did You Sleep Last Night performance.... *chef's kiss*
One of the greatest live albums ever.
Love Nirvana, very good live recordings
Nirvana was better unplugged.
Too polite, though his voice is as strong as it ever was and the covers are generous to the originals, dutiful, stronger in this context than most of the originals. Falls short for me, but that has at least a little to do with my prejudices of the time lingering on: Nirvana were a band I liked, but I preferred their antecedents, the weirdos. I’ll save the reassessment for when the other two turn up.
Obviously y'all know this one. Sad to say, but the first Nirvana album I really appreciated at the time. Impact so substantial that several younger generations know a relatively-obscure Bowie track backwards, and "Meat Puppets II" appears on this list. The performance is pretty good too..
et's be real: MTV Unplugged is a gimmick -- not a bad gimmick per se, but one with limited mileage. yeah, it's an interesting experiment to take a song dependent on studio magic and electric necromancy and take it in a more casual context, especially for people who are just starting out on guitar, but i've seen enough episodes of the Tiny Desk Concerts to realize that for every band that works great in an intimate live setting, there's a band that just doesn't translate well without all the stuff that makes them them. i don't wanna litigate Korn's MTVU anymore (partially cause i think it sounds kinda fun) but something like, oh, The Scorpions' MTVU feels like it forgets a lot of the reasons people enjoy these bands. "Rock You Like A Hurricane" is great because it's an over the top rock song, and outside of that context, it just becomes too cornball for its own good. Nirvana, on the other hand, got their money's worth from the Unplugged treatment, taking the gimmick and turning it into real ass art. not only does their style of grunge dovetail pretty well into being stripped back, but the intimacy of the performance feels at home with the dark, brooding lyrics of both the original non-hit songs and the handful of covers Kurt lugs along with him. it could be a studio in Hell's Kitchen, but it could also be a living room with a bunch of friends lined up on your couch. something feels magical about this miserable psychedelia, all festooned with dead flowers and candles. i think it's something to treasure, especially if you're not in the mood for aggression -- just bitter pain.
Legendary
I like how the bass sounds. It drives the whole rhythm well and fits the theme, while being relatively simple.
Last vestiges of the golden age of rock. Favorite track: man who sold the world other picks: about a girl, come as you are, on a plain, where did you sleep last night
TBH my favorite thing Nirvana ever released
This one is a classic now.
An easy 5 stars. At the time, It felt special and intimate to have predominately electric acts strip down to acoustic sets. This particular show made a big impact and set a whole vibe for a while. There is a reason it makes all the top 10 best live album lists. The covers in this set are also immaculate, serving to freshen up Bowie for a new generation, and revitalizing the Meat Puppets who remained under rated then and now.
Possibly the best thing Nirvana recorded.
A haunting masterpiece that is a timetable towards the end.
What else can I say?
A truly classic modern rock album, RIP Kurt
Wonderful performance. Skip pennyroyal. Rest is stellar
Yess! 90-tallet og ungdomstid! Beste live album ever?
All really well written songs lyric/Nirvana wise. I also just like them
Necesito escucharlo otra vez, porque me produjo poco y nada mientras trabajaba. Un setlist un poco alejado de lo que esperaba. Nota: 2.5
Brilliant Album, a frequently listened to Album on my playlists. I wish you could rate inbetween the stars as I'd give it a 4.5
This album represents such an iconic moment in music history - and with good reason. I can still remember the first time I heard The Man Who Sold the World. I hadn't known it's not actually a Nirvana song (could have fooled me, since it's such an iconic cover, I'm no longer able to listen to the original). I also hadn't known Nirvana's music beyond Smells Like Teen Spirit. But something changed my brain chemistry that day and opened me up to grunge and alternative rock of the 90s. And I never looked back. It's still one of my top favourite genres, if not my favourite. So, in many ways I owe a lot to this album and to this iconic performance by Nirvana, which is reflected in my rating of this album.
I am fairly ambivalent about the whole MTV Unplugged thing. A lot of the shows are enjoyable and there are individual moments which stick out - Pearl Jam's political sharpies, Neil Young's pump organ, I really liked Don Henley doing "Come Rain or Shine", and Nirvana doing "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" (although had they done it with Mark Lanegan as planned, it would have shone). But there is a lot of mythologising about these concerts, and this one in particular, when the truth is that most of the bands featured would, and did, sound much better in their natural, amplified state. In fact, most of the guitars were not 'unplugged', they were amplified acoustic guitars with, as in the case of Nirvana's cover of "The Man Who Sold the World", are put through effects and fuzz boxes. That's not to say that this album is not enjoyable, it is. But is not the best Nirvana gig I have ever heard, nor is it one of the great live albums. Kurt Cobain's suicide 5 months later has little bearing on this recording. It should not need Apple Music to warn "It's Worth remembering and repeating: Unplugged was never meant to be Nirvana's final statement." of course it wasn't; it was a pleasant performance in a slightly unusual setting. Good. Not epocal.
This has always been one of my favorite albums.
5/5
Definitely one of the best Unplugged albums ever. A great mix of hits and interesting covers
6/5 Huhhuh! Kaksi täydellisyyttä hipovaa lättyä peräkkäin. Tätä taltiointia on tullut katseltua ysäriltä lähtien tasaisesti ja kuunneltua albumia C-kasetilta, MiniDisciltä, CD:ltä (yhä hyllyssä), MP3:na ja suoratoistopalveluista. Kaikki biisit täyttä rautaa.
Artistin nimen tiesin, mutta tuotantoa en juurikaan. Mutta tämä oli aika tasalaatuista, ja alkoi toistaa itseään.
Erinomainen esiintyminen, Kurtin ääni on ikoninen.
Basics. Gut Gut. Mullakin oli flanellipaita villakangastakki
Jälleen helppo 5 ⭐️ Nirvanan hienoin albumi vaikka paljon cover biisejä onkin moni. Tätä levyä on kulutettu ja fiilistelty runsaasti. Erityismaininta levyn viimeiselle kappaleelle (where did you sleep last night), jossa tulkinta tulee kyllä niin suoraan sydämestä ja tunteella.
Mieletön soundi on kyllä Cobainilla vaikka biisit voisivat tehdä sille enemmänkin kunniaa. Ikoninen esiintyminen myös.
A good performance, short and to the point, but I always come away feeling like "i don't get it" with Nirvana. The fact that the songs that I enjoyed the most are covers also kind of sells the point to myself. These are perfectly acceptable pop songs, performed decently well in an intimate setting, but they lack that special spark that excites me about some pop songs over others.
Superb
Ah, we know this album well. Had the CD when we moved to Temec, and it got plenty of play time. Always liked Come As You Are. Great cover of Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World (actually better than the original.) All songs are good, no skippers. It’s a live album, but not the typical effort - the album is certainly 1001 Must Hear List worthy. L = (3.8*s) Enjoyed it, needed a cup of Pennyroyal Tea. J = (4.2*s) maybe just Fat, Dumb, and Happy.
I guess if we are to have live albums on the list, this one is a must. Nirvana's (semi) Unplugged shows they are more than just a grunge band. Acoustic versions of the hits work and even the covers are better than originals. Cobain brings raw emotion and the band carries it well. Timing of the release shortly after his death for sure vaulted this up the charts but it deserves praise. Certainly one of the better from the live list...2.9.
I've always had a fondness for this album. It's a really approachable and satisfying album from front to back. It's got a ton of range as I've heard the likes of Nirvana die-hards to grunge-haters to grandparents from their first listen all chime in as to why MTV Unplugged is a great album. It accomplishes a very rare feat that it resonates with nearly everyone and is deserving of a play in almost all scenarios. While I hold MTV Unplugged in very high regard, I can't in my mind qualify it as an all-timer. I really enjoy it but I don't hold live albums in nearly as high a regard as the actual show/act is so much of what makes a performance special. MTV Unplugged however serves as a great glimpse from a different perspective that helps round out the band's reputation. You get some exposure to the character of Nirvana without the distortion and grunge production that made them famous. When I was younger I didn't realize so much of the albums are cover tracks (many of them improvements) but it doesn't detract from Nirvana's ability to assemble a really palatable song that stands the test of time. 4.05 stars
These songs work great stripped down, this album's version of these hits and covers are how I best know some of these songs. Standouts: Come As You Are, Man Who Sold the World, Where Did You Sleep Last Night
очень знаковая хуйня. мне кажется, это больше чем просто акустический концерт. при том что я в целом достаточно прохладен к нирване, здесь как будто чувствуется что-то неосязаемое. может чувство будущего краха
Brate, rijetko iritantno prenemaganje tokom pjevanja
One of the best albums of all time IMO
Yeah it's just not my thing, sorry team.
Was never a massive Nirvana fan but this album is really special.
This album does such a great job of stripping down the noise and showcasing what really made Nirvana special. I vividly remember seeing this on MTV way back when.
Fantastic!!
Raw, intimate and emotional. A truly amazing live album.
Classic. Love the B sides and covers.
Awesome taping. Favorite Nirvana album easily
let's rock. i love how so much of this clearly isn't even unplugged
Amazing album. Gem of all the MTV Unplugged albums IMO
I was either a little too young or just not angsty enough to really appreciate Nirvana in the moment, but you can hear the power and rawness in full effect here and it's awesome
Wouldnt be my go to, and may not return to it, but in no way a bad album.
Love this album, such a 90s cozy vibe.
Ugh, I'm such a fan of live albums. I hadn't ever heard this one. I think this locked in as my top Nirvana album. The little bits of life and personality in between tracks. Removing the excess noise with stripped down arrangements really let all the pieces breathe but I don't really feel like anything is lost. In fact somehow the songs feel more substantial. Really like the covers. Yeah really enjoyed this.
Listened before?: Yes, but not regularly What can I say, familiarity breeds affection. Copious exposure to Nirvana over my lifetime has just made them sound good to me and I loved this listen, front to back.
Very weird to hear Nirvana being nice boys while on stage, not the myth I've been sold!
Favorite song: The Man Who Sold The World Least Favorite song: Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam
Every year i dedicate a whole day to just watch this performance and cry and watch more Nirvana lives and cry a bit more and so on the best mtv unplugged performance of alllllllll time!!!!!!!
This holds up surprisingly well. Nirvana was never going to blow anyone away with their musicianship, but darned if they weren't super solid for this entire set.
Easiest 5 so far
Beautifully broken.
where did you sleep last night?
I dont like Live alblums
I have not really heard Nirvana outside of their hits, I now understand why people like them so much and mourn the death of Kurt. Their grungy sound melds perfectly with his voice and lyrics and as always, I love live performances. Fav: Man Who Sold the World
RIP Kurt. You can kinda hear the sadness in the man as he talks to the audience. I have listened to all of these songs, but not in live versions. This is one of those live renditions where I do believe it adds to the experience rather than the master
An amazing album- so many hits back to back. So much emotions. Nirvana really did change the game on what rock music was going to be at the time. Not without flaws- Cobain's voice is strained and there are some missed chords. But the flaws just add yo yhe charm of the live recording. Overall- definitely in the 4 to 5 range, and I think it deserves the upgrade.
On paper, Nirvana should be my shit, but it just never clicked for me. Kurt's voice is not my favorite here, so this being my first album on this project isn't helping their cause.
What a joy this performance was to watch. I listened to the album version provided, as well as the full show as it appeared on MTV. About A Girl is my favorite Nirvana song of all time, so I thought going into it I would absolutely be looking at that as my favorite song of this album/performance. That is until I heard Where Did You Sleep Last Night. I had chills throughout the entirety of it and had to watch it again and again. The crowd seemed equally as enraptured by that performance as I, pausing for a minute before erupting into applause. All the other songs were also phenomenal, and I would listen to any of them on repeat any day of the week. A truly exceptional album and RIP to the legend that is Kurt Cobain.
Man har redan hört det bra
I got into this list to listen to music that I am unfamiliar with in the hopes that I will become a more well rounded person. So far 27 albums in I have been exposed to new to me music and have enjoyed the majority of the new albums. This album is as familiar to me as maybe any album that could conceivably be on the list. I was an enormous Nirvana fan as a teenager and this was unavoidable in 1993/ 1994. I have not listened to much Nirvana in the past 5 or 10 years. I do from time to time listen to Nevermind and In Utero, but usually just my favorite tracks from those albums, however the reason that those are the songs I go back to are because of MTV Unplugged in New York. This is a 10/10 album for me and is in my top 10 or top 20 albums of all time. I know that Nirvana gets overrated and underrated at the same time and that old people (people my age) get really touchy about their sacred cows unless they are the ones making the critiques but the truth is the truth and this album is unfuckwithable.
actually good
incredible live album. One of the best live albums of any genre. I don't even much care for Nirvana, but this performance is great.
Glæsileg liveplata. Frábært lagaval og gæsahúð á köflum.
The studio tracks are great but this unplugged version adds a new layer of rawness to them
I mean...
masterpiece🙄
Never cared for them.
Parts of this album serve as a good reminder that rock drew influences from other genres like folk and jazz. The production is almost nonexistent, just voices and instruments, and some of the guitar parts are iconic for a reason.
Me tardé en entrarle a Nirvana, y eso que me tocaron en su prime. Sí, me gustaba una que otra, pero supongo que estaba muy chavillo. Este Unplugged me tocó en la secundaria así que supongo que me hacían falta varios años para entender el descontento y la rabia de Cobain. Y claro, ahora ya me gustan mucho.
Oh man, I wasn't that excited to see this pop up today. I'd just had Pearl Jam, Ten generated yesterday and reflected on how much I actually preferred Pearl Jam to Nirvana. It's just difficult to have a clear view of Nirvana as a musical prospect as they are SO famous and I know their songs so well. Cobain certainly had a knack for writing catchy vocal melodies and memorable lyrics. Nirvana must have had the highest clear hits to album tracks ratio of any of the grunge bands, and even though this is mostly B sides and covers you can hear why. It is so easy to hum the melody to most of their own songs here, I could probably have done it without just having re-listened through it. Their sound just isn't as interesting to me as most of their peers. It's a very stripped back and basic sound, really, more obviously punk influenced than some of the more "interesting" grunge, even stuff like Pixies. So I suppose the mostly acoustic set works well because it lets the vocals, the catchy hooks and the excellent construction of the songs really shine through. The choice to include so many covers, and some interesting instruments, also made this a much more interesting unplugged set than it might otherwise have been. And they are all very well-executed covers. I don't tend to love live performances but Nirvana were a brilliant live band. Cobain's vocals were so distinctive, technically competent and beautiful to listen to. Novoselic was a of course a great bassist. Of course Grohl was acknowledged to be a pretty competent drummer too. All the parts work together seamlessly here. No surprises today, just a procession of well written pop songs.
A very good live album. Some songs I knew, but most I didn't know. Really liked their Bowie and Vaselines covers. Much better live album than Live at Leeds.
An all time classic album for a reason. So much incredible work on here a few songs that don’t fully do it for me but everything comes together so well. I probably won’t have many 5s but this is a 5 for sure.
Perfection.
Amazing sound, production. My favourite version of Where did you sleep last night. Pleasure to listen to this album.
A piece of music history. The Nirvana songs on the album are more pedestrian, but what stands out to me, and what makes this a classic is the interesting choice of covers - Bowie, the Vaselines, Meat Puppets (x2!!), and Lead Belly. One listen, and it’s difficult to restrain from humming “all and all is all we are” the rest of the day.
total classic. easy 5 stars
I love this album and already have it.
After being gaslit by the other albums on this app, it was nice to actually enjoy music again.
This was a breath of fresh air for me. I love Rock infused music. Is this worth a 5*? No, mainly because I prefer studio recorded albums where the music is arguably in its best form, but after dealing with a dying man and then blues/soul music this was a welcome reprieve. *Update - I wrote this after listening to the first half of the album and then got bored in the 2nd half. Acoustic covers are great but I think their appeal wears off after a while which is what happened to me. If a 1/2 star was allowed I'd give this a 3.5. But alas, 3* is as high as I will go.
Nirvana unplugged is the best version of this band to me. Lake of Fire, All Apologies and Where Did You Sleep Last Night are especially good, but I like all of the renditions of Nirvana songs at least as much as the studio versions & the covers are all great. And the fact it's from an intimate live gig really does add something to the listening experience, although Kurt Cobain's stoner drawl ('this was written by the vessaleeeenes') is a little grating when disembodied & the sound of the crowd is annoying in that tickets to this very small event almost certainly went to industry executives and their douchebag friends. I can get past these petty annoyances: this is a very worthwhile live album and is deserving of its reputation.
As a wise man once said: “Live albums are always a good time”. I couldn’t agree more. Though I’ve never totally bought into Nirvana, their pull is undeniable. At this album’s best, you get some of the most emotionally raw music ever recorded (All Apologies into Where Did You Sleep Last Night - holy shit what a closing combo). But at their worst, you get Kurt Cobain singing so far beyond his vocal range it physically hurts to hear. Deeply unpleasant at times. Listening to this Unplugged album I was surprised at how few of the band’s mega hits are present (Obviously Come as You Are is amazing). But, it’s a great opportunity to hear the band’s classic sound stripped of its distortion and wailing vocals. You get way more of a sense of Cobain as a songwriter from his warm growling vocals. There is a lot to love about this live album. As a snapshot of one of the most iconic bands at the height of their power, it’s a remarkable record. For my money perhaps one of the greatest covers of all time in Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World. I’d put Johnny Cash’s cover of Hurt a notch above it though. A high 4 for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The songs sound similar but overall there is a "different" vibe to anything I've heard before. A punky but melodic tune for each song, and surprisingly good vocals
Man, what a classic. The thing that sticks out to me the most is Kurt's voice. He had such a signature twang that I don't think I've ever heard before. It really set the tone for the entire grunge movement. I love how fucked up and beautiful it is. Which is the ethos of grunge I most admire.
One of my all time favourite albums. Excellent mix of originals and brilliant cover choices.
This demonstrates what I already suspected - that under all the noise and oversaturated amps Nirvana is just an amateur band. It sounds like a wedding band but the lead singer was too drunk to sing so the guitarist is filling in for him (even though he's also drunk).
This album has very unique and raw versions of classic Nirvana songs. The unfiltered vocals of Kurt Cobain give a powerful emotional edge to the albums already amazing tracklist. The album provided a cohesive tone and appeal throughout. Though there were no weak songs, there were several that were noteworthy. Specifically the cover of David Bowie's The Man Who Sold the World as well as the last three songs (lake of fire, all apologies, and where did you sleep last night).
***A good album, many tracks sound similar, but all easy listening.
7/10
This album is just great. I remember wondering how Nirvana would sound acoustic, as my buddy put it, "Aren't they the angry dudes that scream a lot?" It was wild to see people listening to this album and realize this is their only Nirvana album. I knew of a few people that learned of Bowie from this. A lot learned of the Meat Puppets from it. Listening to it now brings back so many memories. It holds up so well thirty years later, every song has feeling behind it. You can tell the band enjoyed doing the covers. Hearing songs that are usually fast and loud being stripped down like this is fun. It does help to know the songs beforehand but it is not needed, you can enjoy it with no knowledge of the band beforehand. This is one of my favorites from this era.
This grew off of me a bit from high school. It's still great, and all the cover songs arguably outstrip their original counterparts (that's saying a lot as a huge Bowie fan... And not much as a Meat Puppets hater), but it lacks the euphoric loudQUIETloud dynamic of Nirvana's albums that gave them such a strong emotional core. I still love this, but I find myself reaching for their studio work more
Wonderful Unplugged
One of my favorite albums
Awesome.
Top quality.
Fan fucking tastic
Very cheap raw sounding live versions, laid-back, conversational and intimate - rare for Kurt to be this vulnerable and exposed. Guitar out of tune and sloppily played. Vocals raspy and sloppy too. These would usually be negative aspects in a performance but here they work, both musically and reinforcing Kurt and the band's IDGAF identity. Love how the crowd is just quietly listening to the music. Iconic 9/10
jeg foretrækker albums, der ikke er live
Iconic and historical album. not all the hits but probably one of the best live albums just because of the recording quality. I can't say I'm a huge Nirvana fan but I do acknowledge the impact they had which is why this is a real must listen, just for historical purposes. I like it
Wow, this album is a lot better than I remember it being. Back in the day this album and show were one of those pop culture things that seemed to always be around. Going in I thought I might be bored with it being overplayed, but that was not the case. This album is amazing. A wonderful time capsule.
Gotta say, probably my favorite Nirvana album. Most of the originals sound better here than on the original albums, and the covers are great. Not the biggest Nirvana fan, but this is really good.
What can I say? It’s fantastic.
Not great compared to their studio albums
se não fosse acustico eram 4 estrelas infelizmente eu odeio acústico
acho o cabelo do kurt nas gravações desse bonito demais. ensebadaço e com um formato bacaninha. aprecio que eles usaram o espaço acustico pra fazer COVER. uma bela homenagem aos artistas de boteco. dito isso, PASMEM até que é bom. perdeu uma estrela meramente por ser acustico.
Plateau is not...good, but do thoroughly enjoy most of this album. Polly is a great song.
01) About a Girl - 10,0 02) Come as You Are - 10,0 03) Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam - 8,0 04) The Man Who Sold the World - 10,0 05) Pennyroyal Tea - 9,0 06) Dumb - 9,0 07) Polly - 10,0 08) On a Plain - 9,0 09) Something in the Way - 10,0 10) Plateau - 9,0 11) Oh Me - 9,0 12) Lake of Fire - 9,0 13) All Apologies - 10,0 14) Where Did You Sleep Last Night - 8,5 TOTAL: 9,32 (93/100) Current ranking: 22/510
This was one of my first CDs so already very familiar with the album. It's nice to go back to it though it was a whole different media world at the time. I do wonder what it would have been like if Kurt were still around, but I feel like this world would have chewed him up and spit him out in some other way.
All-time classic. Perfect mix of covers and deep cuts. Incredible atmosphere. Truly one of the best records of the 90's. This is the record that moved them from grunge-era novelty to all-time rock stardom.
Highschool memories <3 not really objectve but great album
Loved the acoustic vibe of it
No fucking need to listen jfc the last time I was cried it was to watching the end of where did you sleep last night. The eyes, the gig context, the relative truthfulness of the gig compared to the emotional absence of Kurt in live gigs. I’d be hard pressed to find a live performance more meaningful than this. As an album I’d rate it lower, so I guess only 5 stars.
I prefer them plugged
Big fan of this album. Raw talent
Paar mooie nummers ma nie echt mijn smaak.
Kid rock. Nuff said.
Very high 4*. If this album stays in my rotation, I might come back to give it 5* 4/5
Raw, honest, incredible. I grew up on this album. I can't even put into words what this album means to me.
Very difficult to listen to this album with "fresh" ears since i've heard this album probably over 100 times. However, it was still a delightful album to revisit. It's fun to hear the banter of the band between songs. I think it was also a great idea for Nirvana to do a bunch of covers instead of trying mush their songs into an acoustic version. Can't miss with this and i loved the album.
Everything about this album is perfect. Starting off, I usually hate live albums, but this one is magic. I loved hearing the band's more "stripped down" performances and they all sounded incredible. The audience wasn't obnoxious or heckling the band so much that it took away from the album as something to listen to. And it's just... Nirvana at their best. I absolutely loved this one.
Really great live album, I can remember as a kid how great this was. Set the standard for “unplugged”.
This is probably the best of the unplugged series. I haven’t listened to it in years. I was instantly annoyed by Kurt’s comment about how most people don’t own their first record. That dude hated that people liked him. He really wanted to be this underground figure who wasn’t appreciated in his time cause people just didn’t “get it” yet. But people got it and they loved it, and for good reason. There’s a reason people still talk about nirvana the way they do. These are great songs and the covers are almost all better than the originals. And there was some light and funny banter so I shouldn’t be too salty about how whiny Kurt could be. It just annoyed me out the gate, but the rest of the album redeeemed him.
Wow, what a performance. Didn't really like any full Nirvana album before, too grunge for my tastes. But this is a simple masterpiece. There's not a song I would consider skipping - and that "where did you sleep last night" performance! Wow. An entirely unexpected 5* for me. Reminds me of why I'm following this list - trying albums I otherwise wouldn't!
Just so sad. The whole album. The pain you feel.
one of the 1st unpluggeds - and a more dramatic detachment to hear Nirvana (love Clapton but this was more intense) w/o amps. Disarming, totally new perspective on the artist. lovely
The sadness that comes through these songs is palpable and leaves a heavy residue. Kurt committed suicide just 4 months later.
I love Nirvana! I didn't realize how much until yesterday. It just doesn't feel dated, it doesn't get old and stale, it feels more profound now than ever, and it wears like my favorite button fly jeans. While I typically am less fond of live performance albums, this is a huge exception. They are on point, sound amazing, and the crowd adds to the essence. I'm always drawn in by his voice, soothing and fierce, quiet and raging,...beautiful.
What could have been. This really shows a path forward once Nirvana/KC tired of the limitations of overdriven guitars. So much expression in his voice. And the sturdiness of the songs is really highlighted. These unplugged albums were usually nothing more than a can in/promo but Nirvana really use the format. Almost half unconventional/instructive covers that don't come off as stunts - this really elevates the medium.
Not for me.
A classic of its day. Exploring covers and tracks from their 1st and 2nd albums.
Best Nirvana album. Fight me.
good live set, 4 star. Nothing ground breaking
This is a nice album, it had a few very popular songs but I am surprised that it didn't sound bad for a live performance. Overall, it was alright having it in the background and I enjoyed the songs that I knew.
🥱🥱🥱🥱🥱🥱🥱
Amazing
Great live album, classic grunge.
3/1001 This album is quintessential 90s alternative/grunge/rock. Kurt is in a zone where is vocals are near mesmerizing. The band in acoustic elevates the band and showcases the talent of Nirvana. The covers on this album are so good and timeless and the acoustic versions of classic Nirvana tracks are fantastic. MTV unplugged was an amazing series with so many great artists doing classic shows, but Nirvana’s is the best of them all.
I liked the bowie cover, "lake of fire", and "plateau". I listened to the studio version of "something in the water" and liked it way better than the live version. I want to listen to their studio albums.
Good shit
Perhaps the greatest live album of all time.
This is special
4.5
Someethinggg innn the wayyyy, hmmmmm mmmm
The cultural significance and impact of this performance in particular is mind boggling
This album sums up all of my early adolescent angst! I had it on constant repeat when it came out, and still today it is an awesome album! Not a single bad track on this album❤
Yeah it's pretty good though not that hyped on it honestly maybe because I've listened to these songs so many times
Perfect show, perfect album, one of my absolute favorites. Known it by heart since I was a child
Ok. Not as good as Nevermind, or maybe I just wasn’t in the Nirvana mood yesterday.
ok, not as heavy as some parts of Nevermind which I liked, but in some parts also not as interesting. just not that into the grunginess of it all i suppose
5 stars for production quality + execution of concept. Not my favourite tracks listed but still great
Classic shit, All Apologies est supeeeer
Ambiance cool tube cool
Putain, 1994. Trente ans déjà. Ça vous file un coup de vieux… À l'époque, Nirvana, c'était la bande-son d'une génération qui avait troqué les épaulettes des années 80 contre des chemises de bûcheron élimées et une bonne grosse dose d'angoisse existentielle. Le Grunge était partout, un raz-de-marée de guitares saturées, de cris écorchés et de jeans troués. Et puis, au milieu de tout ce boucan, de cette sainte trinité "loud-quiet-loud", débarque ce truc. Un Unplugged. Sur MTV. Faut se remettre dans le contexte. Les sessions Unplugged de MTV, c'était devenu une institution, un passage obligé un peu marketing pour montrer que, hey, sous les amplis Marshall, on sait aussi grattouiller trois accords à la sèche. On avait eu des trucs sympas, des trucs anecdotiques, des trucs chiants comme la pluie. Mais Nirvana ? Les rois du larsen, les princes du chaos sonique, en acoustique ? Sur le papier, ça sentait le coup foireux, la concession, voire la trahison pour les plus intégristes. On s'attendait à une version au rabais de "Smells Like Teen Spirit", jouée au coin du feu pour faire plaisir à la chaîne musicale qui dictait sa loi au monde entier. On ne pouvait pas être plus à côté de la plaque. Ce disque n'est pas un album. C'est un testament. Une messe de requiem avant l'heure, enregistrée le 18 novembre 1993, quelques mois à peine avant que le rideau ne tombe définitivement sur Kurt Cobain. Et bon sang, tout y est. Tout ce qui rendait cet homme si fascinant et si tragique est condensé dans ces quatorze pistes. Dès les premières secondes, l'ambiance est posée. Pas de public en folie, pas de cris hystériques. Un silence quasi religieux. Le décor, on le connaît : des bougies, des fleurs de lys, une atmosphère de veillée funèbre. Cobain, emmitouflé dans son fameux gilet vert, a l'air d'un fantôme. Il est là, mais déjà un peu ailleurs. Fragile, à vif, la voix chargée d'une mélancolie si palpable qu'elle en devient presque inconfortable. On n'écoute pas un frontman au sommet de sa gloire. On écoute un homme qui se met à nu, qui laisse entrevoir la fêlure béante qui le consume de l'intérieur. Et le choix des morceaux, bordel ! C'est là tout le génie du truc. Oubliez le best-of facile. Cobain prend tout le monde à contre-pied. Le mec te balance des reprises que 99% de son public ne connaît ni d'Ève ni d'Adam. Les Vaselines ("Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam"), Bowie ("The Man Who Sold The World", qu'il s'approprie avec une telle intensité qu'une génération entière a cru que c'était une chanson de Nirvana), et surtout, ces trois titres des Meat Puppets, joués avec les frères Kirkwood sur scène. C'était ça, le doigt d'honneur ultime au système : utiliser la plus grosse vitrine musicale du monde pour faire découvrir des artistes underground qu'il vénérait. C'était un acte de purisme, d'une sincérité désarmante. Chaque morceau est une lente agonie, une beauté triste à en crever. L'intimité est totale. On entend Cobain discuter, se planter, plaisanter nerveusement. On sent la tension, la concentration. Les guitares acoustiques, la basse sobre de Krist Novoselic, la batterie aux balais d'un Dave Grohl incroyablement sobre et précis, le violoncelle de Lori Goldston... tout concourt à créer un écrin pour cette voix. Une voix qui ne crie plus, mais qui gémit, qui murmure, qui se brise. Et puis il y a ce final. Apocalyptique. La reprise de Leadbelly, "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?". C'est plus une chanson, c'est un exorcisme. Le regard hanté de Cobain, ce cri final qui semble venir des tréfonds de son âme, ce silence de mort qui suit... On a beau l'avoir écouté cent fois, ça vous glace le sang à chaque putain de passage. À sa sortie en novembre 1994, sept mois après le drame, l'album a pris une tout autre dimension. Ce n'était plus un simple concert acoustique, c'était un adieu. Une pierre tombale musicale d'une beauté insoutenable. On n'écoutait plus un concert, on assistait à une veillée. Chaque note, chaque silence, chaque inflexion de voix était teintée par la tragédie. Trente ans plus tard, "MTV Unplugged In New York" n'a pas pris une ride. Pourquoi ? Parce qu'il est au-delà des modes, au-delà du son "grunge". Il est universel. C'est l'un des plus grands albums live de tous les temps, précisément parce qu'il ne cherche jamais à être "live" au sens spectaculaire du terme. C'est une confession, une séance de spiritisme, le témoignage brut d'un talent immense au bord du gouffre. Un chef-d'oeuvre absolu, poignant, essentiel. Un disque qui ne se contente pas de s'écouter. Il se vit. Et il vous hante. Pour toujours. Facile, 5 sur 5. Et si je pouvais, je mettrais 6.
Without being some sentimental "greatest hits" or covers album, Nirvana Unplugged achieved what so few such performances can: revealing the melody that's almost completely obscured by the fuzzed-out originals. The cover of Bowie's "The Man Who Sold The World" and the Raincoat's "Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunflower" are particularly good.
A classic of modern music, defined a whole era and I feel this was the pinnacle of their career. Simple but very moving
Heard before. One of, if not the best unplugged albums.
very overrated band and album
Good stuff. Nice to get the name of some songs I've heard before. Surprising amount of covers and great ones. Kurt Cobain is an amazing singer.
bother, and unusual, and melanchoholic. The definition of the unpluged.
I can’t possibly have a subjective take on that album since it’s one of the first albums that made me love music the way I love it today. Outside the fact that it’s a beautiful and touching album that showed everybody that Kurt’s songs remained strong without the distortion covering them, it also introduced me to bands like The Vaselines and The Meat Puppets. Kurt was really passionate about music and this live album is the best testament he could leave us with
One of the best examples that songs can be molded according to a feeling or a context. One of the best live albums ever made.
This album is very special to me. It really introduced me to Nirvana, to Kurt Cobain's voice and unique and passionate performance. I listened to it hundreds of times when I was a teenager. It was a great bridge between my musical world and what my mother listened to; it was universal. We listened to it together in the car or at home; everyone enjoyed it. This album both hurts and heals the soul. 5 stars.
Incredible live performance. What a treat it must have been to see live. It's not perfect, but it's raw and powerful. Also Pearl jam sucks.
This is such an interesting concept to do a live album on the 1001... i def think it's a good idea for it. kinda iconic for them not to do their hits, though as someone who's not too into nirvana, i wish there kinda were. nevertheless, nice work !!
It's one of the best live albums ever, I always appreciated Kurt's more mellow voice over his high grunge parts. This places him as one of the best vocalists ever, placed with the rest of the band. It sounds like a studio album but with a live feel. Brilliance.
Good show, love Nirvana
Yeah, I'm already a Nirvana convert after listening to Nevermind and In Utero for the first time (courtesy of this site). This was more of the same, very enjoyable. It's scary to think about what might have happened in an alternate timeline where Cobain didn't top himself - would Nirvana have continued to turn out great albums, would they have gone to shit, would Foo Fighters ever had come to exist etc.
Absolute classic
I was 11 years old when this came out. I still remember watching it on MTV and rushing to get the album. Even though I’m far from the biggest Nirvana fan, this album is almost perfect. It's stripped-down and haunting, it shows a raw, vulnerable side of the band that’s hard to forget. It’s a defining moment from the ‘90s that still holds up today.
I have listened to this album many times over the years, and I have all of the tracks in regular rotation in my daily playlist. It's quite good and still sounds great even after all these years and hundreds of listens. I normally detest live recordings, but Kurt's voice is just so perfect here and the candid coffeehouse feel of this is just so warm and snuggly. The music is great, and I love the acoustic (processed and electrified though it may be) is heavenly. Five stars, easily.
😭
I generally don’t like live albums but this surprised me! Much better than the Nirvana album I’ve rated for the project so far. Plus that cover of The Man Who Sold The World is epic.
This is the definitive unplugged album. Even stripped down, this is an incredibly heavy album. Just listen to "Where did You Sleep Last Night." They took the covers and made them their own, sometimes elevating them beyond the source material (ie The Man Who Sold The World). I am thankful this introduced me to the Meat Puppets. It takes a lot for an unplugged album to become an essential part of a band's discography. But here we are. WHERE DO BAD FOLKS GO WHEN THEY DIE?! 10/10
A good selection of originals and covers. Dig the cozy vibes. I consider pretty much all of these to be inferior to their studio cuts. Standouts: “About A Girl”, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”
This is about the only Nirvana album I regularly play any more. No duds at all, some incredible reimagining of the studio cuts. Good selection of covers, ranging from classic blues to “current” artists Kurt was in love with. Also hilarious to hear Dave playing as quietly as he can with brushes. The between song banter is the worst. Kurt’s whole attitude was way too try-hard cool.
Not sure why a love album is here, not a studio album.
Loved this album. Many of the original songs adapted surprisingly well to the more laid-back acoustic style. The covers were usually grittier and a nice twist on the originals. For a live album, the sound quality was impressive. Favorite songs were: Man who sold the world Dumb Plateau I’d give it a 10, but since it’s a mix of songs from different albums, it doesn’t feel like a completely standalone work 9/10
I listened to this a fair few times as part of the classics canon. I remember it very fondly, but also only remember a few songs. Man Who Sold the World and Where Did You Sleep Last Night are both great, even if I still prefer the originals. More than I enjoy the album itself, I appreciate it as a music discovery source. Kurt had really interesting taste, and his covering artists turned me onto, or made me revisit people I really enjoy. I don't think any of the Nirvana songs are improved by being unplugged though. One day I will watch the actual recorded set, and I imagine that will give it an extra star. Album cover: (B)
It's been a while since we had a live album so I'm looking forward to this. Nirvana is not something I like to hear at just any moment, they are very location and mood specific for me. I am not entering this listen in the right place or mood, so that may affect my reviews. The first song I'm really liking is "The Man Who Sold The World". Kurt's vocals on it are nice. I learned at the end it's a Bowie song, so maybe I still don't really like Nirvana. I'm enjoying "On A Plain". This album lacks the awesome crowd connection and engagement that I've heard from other live albums on this list. They aren't really bringing a lot of energy to the performance? The sound quality is great, but there's not much to this album's live performance other than that an audience claps at the end of songs. I don't really love Nirvana, and I was expecting this to be a super hardcore live album which brought energy I couldn't appreciate from my office chair. Instead it was a quiet and slow performance which was appropriate for my office chair, but boring. I guess that's the point of an unplugged album, but without the intensity they bring to their recorded electrical stuff, they don't have much left to offer me. 5/10
"I started being really proud of the fact that I was gay even though I wasn't." - Kurt Cobain
A fantastic performance. The covers sound excellent and the Nirvana tracks are arguably better than the studio versions. This is my first time hearing this album all the way through (I knew and loved Man Who Sold The World of course), and it's making me feel the same way I felt back in middle school, listening through and falling in love with Nevermind for the first time.
One of the easiest 5s so far. Beyond amazing.
Can't argue with a good Meatpuppets cover band
Hell yeah 🤙
An amazing live event that showed that Nirvana had depth. Its most telling point is the last track, where Cobain gives a performance inspired by both greatness and true despair.
I actually dislike this album even though I was a huge Nirvana fan at 14. This album was flogged to death after Kurt’s suicide and for as interesting as it is, it suffers by not being the full force of the band. Some great covers here
Hell of a good album, one of the best. 5/5
Before: Oh HELL yeah. I can't wait to listen to this. Love Nirvana but haven't dove *super* deep into the discography. I've heard great things about the MTV Unplugged album, and I think I've listened to a few tracks but never the whole thing front to back. Standouts: The Man Who Sold the World (the little riff has always scratched an itch in my brain) Dumb All Apologies Least favorites (still bangers, just weaker tracks imo): Jesus Doesn't Want Me For a Sunbeam Pennyroyal Tea Standout lyrics: "My heart is broke, but I have some glue. Help me inhale and mend it with you. We'll float around and hang out on clouds, and then we'll come down." - Dumb "I think I'm dumb, or maybe just happy. Think I'm just happy." - Dumb "I can't see the end of me, my whole expanse, I cannot see. I formulate infinity stored deep inside of me." - Oh Me During/After: In the words of the late great Brand New, I'm a sucker for acoustic. Always have been and always will be. Nirvana is amazing there were some deeper cuts that I hadn't listened to a whole lot previously, so that was a treat and I found some new favorites. Grunge is one of my all time favorite genres, so it's super cool to hear one of the OG grunge bands unplugged. I'm also a huge live music fan, so hearing the crowd cheering and Kurt's commentary between sets is super charming to me, and if there is a God, then Kurt is still playing shows in the afterlife. Adding points just for that. Although I really enjoy Nirvana regardless, there's just something about this specific unplugged version that I'm absolutely in love with. Not quite a 5, but damn close. 4/5.
Hell yeah
I remember watching this concert when it aired on MTV. I got this album for Christmas the year it came out. I remember spending an entire summer listening to this album on repeat and playing Donkey Kong Country. This album hit me right when my musical tastes were forming, and has been incredibly influential in what I listen to today. Nirvana also introduced me to other artists through their covers I had never heard of. Playing pool in my grandparent's basement all summer with my friends listening to this, Pearl Jam's vs. and Ten, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, and Aerosmith is another important memory of mine. My grandfather was a guitar player who loved country and bluegrass music, and it was great that his tastes and mine overlapped on this album. I remember listening to it several times on tape with him on a drive from Tennessee to Georgia. This has always been an album I could turn to when I wasn't sure what I wanted to listen to, it was one of bring with me when I could only bring a few, and one that was always with me on road trips. I listened to it several times driving my first car across the country to get to another duty station when I was in the army. In fact, just last year, my wife and I sat in a hotel room looking out at Canada from Port Angeles Washington on another road trip. On that road trip, my wife and I stopped in Aberdeen and saw Kurt's old house and his memorial on the banks of the muddy Wishkah. I am so grateful for this album, Nirvana, and their friends who came together to make one of the most revisited pieces of art in my life. I can't say enough about this album. It is a part of me. This is the easiest 5 star rating so far.
Still a great performance.
What a great album and set! It was nice to see these guys do an acoustic live set. The best part of this, in my opinion, are the covers they chose. They were perfect. They did this in one take, too, I believe. Mistakes and all. This was such an amazing time in music. I love when I play Bowie's version of The Man Who Sold the World at trivia, people come up and ask me who is covering the Nirvana song, even though Kurt says "That was a David Bowie song." People are funny. I'm giving this a 5. Hard to pick a favorite. Probably Where Did You Sleep Last Night.
When this came out, I felt it was a boring show; it had none of the energy and antics of Pearl Jam's Unplugged, for instance. And when 6/14 songs are cover songs, it doesn't make for a great live show in the moment for fans who love your catalogue but don't hear their favorites in order to make room for songs they didn't want. But in time, that is exactly what I've grown to love about this album. Though there are countless great Unplugged performances available which capture a well-performed concert, Nirvana's Unplugged set feels like a new, complete album. Those 'unknown' songs and variations on familiar ones make this an essential album in their discography, going beyond a simple live performance. And what I found boring before is now relaxed and calming. And for all the punk rock ethos, the musicianship and Kurt's singing are executed perfectly. Though generally I find Nirvana to be overrated, this album evinces why they are mentioned in conversations about the greatest bands of all time.
I've written before about how much Nirvana meant to me when I was a kid. I started getting into them when I was around 11. I guess at that age everything feels so intense because everything is new. I certainly wasn't the only kid of my generation to love Nirvana, but at the time, when I crawled down that rabbit hole of my first parasocial celebrity relationship, I only had my friend, Susan, there with me. My ardor for this band felt unique to me, a special world within my own psyche I could retreat to. Then Kurt died. I was 12. That emotionally devastating experience encapsulated what it was like to be a teenager in the 90s as much as anything else could. After Kurt’s death, I didn't really listen to Nirvana that much. Sometimes their songs would come on the radio and I would turn it off. It was too heavy. So even the prospect of listening to this album now made my heart sink a little. I skipped ahead on the list a bit to listen to some other albums instead. I didn't feel in the mood to be transported back to my adolescence. But then I thought, fuck it. Let's rip the Band-Aid off. And hey, instead of just listening to the album, let's watch the concert footage on YouTube. In for a penny, in for a pound. And that way I can hear the songs interspersed with ads, which I'm sure we can all agree is what Kurt would have wanted! As much as MTV started to suck in the mid-to-late-90s, the Unplugged series is one great thing they achieved. And Nirvana Unplugged is, for my money, the best concert to result from that format. The stripped down (if not 100% unplugged) instrumentation let us see these songs in a new light. A lot of them really took on a lush new dimension with the addition of the cello. We got to hear a variety of Nirvana material interspersed with some of Kurt's favorite influences. And while Kurt wasn't technically flawless here (sometimes he was flat or would hit a wrong chord), the rawness added so much. It still hurts a little to listen. But damn if it isn't beautiful.
What a great stripped down album after all the rawness and fury of the previous ones. This is definitely a nostalgia album for me. The album really showcased a different side of the band.
great album, where did you sleep last night is such a great way to sign off on an album such as this
Notably better than their normal grunge. I still don't like Cobain's voice, though
Interesting to go unplugged, and good showcase of some of KC's favourite songs, but comes across as a time capsule more than an album.
Best nirvana album
it was alright
I had very little exposure to this band back in the day, and just kind of assumed that they were too edgy and grungy for me…but I really liked this album. Maybe the fact that it’s “unplugged” made a difference, but I am going to have to check out their studio albums. I have always liked “All Apologies”, and liked this version of the song as well. Anyway, this one is a strong 4 stars for me.
An album to feel general nostalgia or just to sing PENNYROYAL TEA or POLLY, or WHERE DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT whilst doing very mundane, domesticated activities.
I continue to not particularly enjoy live albums, which is a shame because I do enjoy some nirvana
As classic as classic gets
Love this album and Kurt Cobain’s voice, I wonder what their work would have turned into if hadn’t died so young.
Not big on live albums but I’ll make an exception because this one was really good
Everyone is gay
4+
probably the best live album ever made
Maybe I’ve overheard this so my Abe se are a bit dulled. It was good at the time so my rating reflects that, but I’m just super tired of it. And the more I hear the guitar mistake in the The Man That Sold the World the more it irks me.
A perfect live album really, quality is amazing, performance is amazing, highlights was pretty much the entire album, I actually prefer most of the acoustic versions here than the studio ones. The covers as well were awesome especially the man who sold the world and lead belly.
Muy bueno
One of my all time favorites
finally some live albums. I adore live albums... I'd like more live albums. Live albums rock!
Oh yeah
Kurt can be quite expressive. I liked this unplugged live version
One of the greatest live rock performances ever captured, and to have it happen when these guys were at their peak right just a few months before it would all come to a tragic end gives it some extra weight.
Iconische set van een iconische band.
Some people have a weird hate boner for Nirvana. Maybe I'm one of them - but this is a great album. Absolutely owning a couple of covers? Owning a BOWIE cover? This is hits.
Immerno de grösst Fan vo Nirvana und nonie Fan gsi vo Livealbe. Live debi zsi würdi sicher es 4i hinefüre spienzle aber so ganz uf de auditive Ebene muss sich de Kurt&son mit mim saftige aber faire zwei Pünktler begnüege
What a fun album! I normally am not a fan of live albums, but this one just totally rocked. Come As You Are is always a total hit. Took a bit of a dip for a few songs after that. Then Plateau brought it back up and it stayed strong to the end. Where Did You Sleep Last Night was a good song to end a good album on. Best song: Come As You Are