MTV Unplugged In New York

Difficult to rate. I know how enthusiastic people are about nirvana and this album, but it just doesn't resonate with me. I kind of liked it but I wouldnt listen to the whole album again. The highlight however is the last song, which pushes the rating up a bit

Very good

It is impossible to talk about Nirvana’s Unplugged album without mentioning Kurt Cobain’s death. The album was recorded at Sony Music Studios in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, on 18 November 1993. Less than six months later, on 8 April 1994, Cobain’s body was found. He had presumably shot himself in the head three days earlier. Six months after that, in November 1994, the album was finally released, although excerpts from the concert had already been broadcast on MTV's heavy rotation, including 'All Apologies' and the David Bowie cover 'The Man Who Sold the World'. Six of the 14 tracks are cover versions, whereas only one of their own hits, 'Come as You Are', was included in the setlist. Cobain and his band clearly did not want to follow the series' usual format, eschewing a 'best of' live set of acoustic versions in favour of obscure tracks from their catalogue and songs that had influenced them. The album also symbolises the turning point that came with Cobain’s death: grunge was dead, and its unwitting messiah had taken his own life. The movement that had sought to change so much in music and art imploded. The remnants were commercialised, and the focus soon shifted to entirely different genres. Of course, you can hear the band’s musical limitations. The guitars are far from cleanly played (and are perhaps even a little out of tune), and Cobain’s vocals aren’t always in tune. But that was virtually part and parcel of Nirvana’s musical identity. It wasn't about perfection, but about immediacy, spontaneity and authenticity. Never before or since has anyone sounded so raw, unpolished and unrefined on an MTV Unplugged performance. I would have loved to hear more from Cobain, one of the most talented songwriters of his generation. It would have been great to see him break away from grunge and develop musically. As it stands, 'MTV Unplugged in New York' is the only album on which he was able to present himself in a different context.

mostly bangers

la verdad es que tambien debería escuchar más nirvana. había escuchado las más conocidas de este concierto, pero algunas me gustaron mucho. no sabía que tocaban something in the way (Thursday, October 31st. The city streets are crowded for the holiday. Even with the rain.) y where did you sleep last night. también me llamó la atención que el público suena super claro y tbh eso me gusto. creeeo que 3.5 pero voy a bump it up a 4.

Live альбомы это немного чит, ведь на концертах поют обычно хитяры либо прикольные каверы. В целом мило, но не фанат.

Норм как материал Нирваны, но именно как лайв нейтральные ощущения у меня оставляет

Не самый большой фанат гранжа в целом, но это конечно база. Something in my ass, aahhhhh©️куртка бейн

There are a few excellent tracks on here - but call me unsophisticated, I just prefer the original versions in most cases. It's good as far as a live album goes, I'd just always rather either (a) witness the performance in person, or failing that (b) hear the originals. Still worth a 4/5.

My #3 Nirvana album. His voice on Where Did You Sleep Last Night? Amazing. About A Girl is probably the only song that isn't improved on. When this happened it was completely unexpected and I loved it.

Such an iconic album that I’ve heard so many things about, but never took the chance to actually listen to the full thing. I’m really glad I did.

super cool

Where Did You Sleep Last Night, one of the best songs I’ve heard by nirvana. Also liked On A Plain. Good grimey grungey dirty tunes.

just peak isnt it cheeky bowie cameo 8.8/10

I mean it is really good, but isn't entirely my thing, I do like the acoustic-ness thought, really lets you hear Cobain's voice better, which is peak.

Quintessential 90s grunge. I've been lucky enough to see The Nirvana exhibit at MoPop and this takes me right into that space. Such a loss with Kurt Cobain. I understand why this album is on the list--the live version of Nirvana's music is intimate and raw. Cobain was actually known for being somewhat shy--I feel like that comes out through this recording. Definitely worth additional listen-throughs in the future.

Love the Meat Puppets covers, Man Who Sold the World and the rawness of this Pennyroyal Tea. Vaselines cover was cool too. Interesting laid back takes on some of the other tracks but I’m reaching for Nevermind or In Utero over this any day.

Some history for the kids…Unplugged was a show on MTV… okay back up, MTV was a TV channel…back a little further?…okay a TV was like a big tablet that you put on a wall in your house…. Anyway in the before time, Unplugged had a moment as sort a cultural force in popular music. A simple concept of having contemporary and classic artists from various genres perform acoustic sets that took off like wildfire. From the humble early episodes that usually involved no more than a couple of acoustic guitars and a singer, the show became almost instantly successful. Viewers thrilled at seeing familiar bands playing familiar songs in an unfamiliar setting. The format was so successful that “bigger” acts, by acclaim and actual number of personnel, became enticed by this chance to reinvent themselves. Soon the quality of the performances increased and the production values to match. With popularity rising, some genius named Paul McCartney thought it might be a good idea to release his performance as a (bootleg) album. Eric Clapton did the same and won 6 Grammys in 1992. Wasn’t long before everyone was milking this cash cow. Which leads us to grunge superstars, Nirvana, sitting down to record an acoustic set in 1993. It was a moment in time. We didn’t know that they had already released all the studio music they would ever produce and Kurt would be dead in less than six months. This performance would become their coda. They were at the absolute height of their power having recently released the dark masterpiece In Utero. I was a fan. Of them and the show. So when this premiered my friends and I huddled around the TV, programmed the VCR to record it at the same time so we could watch it repeatedly (history lesson on some other time), and watched excitedly as they took the stage, eager to see what they did with the opportunity. To be honest at the time I was disappointed. The set was about a third covers of songs I’d never heard (including Man Who Sold The World which I didn’t know) that seemed designed, especially those in the latter half of the set, to challenge the lay listener’s expectations of Nirvana. The originals they chose were pretty obvious, mostly down tempo songs that didn’t have to be altered much to be performed acoustic like Polly and Something In The Way. Visually they seemed pretty spent or tired or fucked up or something and I remember feeling sorry or sad for Cobain because he was clearly struggling at times. The “Unplugged” banner became more and more a brand and not really an edict by which the artists had to abide and this performance really stretches the bounds of what could be considered “Unplugged”. Dave plays a full drum kit which wasn’t really de rigueur for the show. Chris has chorus on his “acoustic” bass that is definitely running into an amp somewhere. There are all kinds of effects, including distortion, on the guitars in parts, and they’re mic’d so hot they’re often overdriven. To me there was none of the anticipated reimagining of their formula or revelations to be had in the performance. The whole affair smacked of sellout. This listen proved that my feelings have mellowed somewhat in the intervening years. I’m not as connected to the source material so it’s just nice to hear some Nirvana tunes. I remembered it as sloppy, but the performance is tighter than I gave it credit for especially I think when divorced from the visuals. I like the sort of raw overdriven acoustic guitar sound. They found a way to “Nirvana-ify” the Unplugged format, and now I don’t mind the liberties they took. Many of the unfamiliar covers have slipped into the zeitgeist because of this recording like Lake Of Fire, and I still love this version of Bowie’s song almost as much or more than the fantastic original maybe because I heard theirs first. It’s hard for me to consider a live album more than just a collection of songs or a good set, but ironically the mildly enforced format ties this one together into something a bit more.

One of the few live albums that I’ve spent time listening to. Amazing performance.

I really like the Meat Puppets ones and that David Bowie cover.

Cool, I think nirvana were at their best when they *were* plugged so to speaker but this is a cool show of the bands musicianship with some highlight tracks.

Histórico

Vaya tracks, tú. Come As You Are, The Man Who Sold The World, Dumb, Lake Of Fire... On a Plain me ha gustado bastante

I should really listen to more Nirvana; great album, but they definitely have a style which works in a 'less is more' kinda way.

already listened to this one so nun special great

top 3 live albums of all time

The (mostly) Unplugged album is a classic. This is a great album. It's really a cover/live album. It's not an album in the traditional sense - but still great. Pitchfork: 9.5 Rolling Stone: Top 500 Albums #279 Best Songs Come As You Are The Man Who Sold The World (Bowie cover) Polly Something In The Way Lake Of Fire (Meat Puppets) All Apologies Where Did You Sleep Last Night (Lead Belly)

me gusto mucho y el hecho que no sea unplugged es más divertido

Still a bit hit and miss, but when it’s good, it’s very good

Elegiac

I find this album to be a very good introductory album to Nirvana. Not just if you’ve never listened to them but also if you’re like me and only knew nevermind. The songs off of nevermind were the only ones I knew at first from this album but I quickly grew to really appreciate these other ones. This album has incredible tracks spanning all 3 of the bands albums while also including really great covers of a few different songs. This album was my first introduction to “about a girl”. I really really like this song and it’s one of my favorite on the album. It goes so hard. “The man who sold the world” is a pretty controversial one but in my opinion I find bowies to be infinitely better than this cover. It’s definitely not bad by any means whatsoever but bowies is just better. I find it crazy how many people only know nirvanas version of this song. Maybe it’s just because I’m such a huge Bowie fan but I’d take the original version of the song any day. The other covers here are really good such as “Jesus doesn’t want me for a sunbeam” and “lake of fire”. I really like the meat puppets covers and it definitely intrigues me to listen to them. My favorite cover is also the closer of the album, “where did you sleep last night”. I really like Cobain’s vocals here. I think I prefer the acoustic version of “all apologies” to the original. The guitar is so so beautiful. This really is one of the best songs ever recorded and is easily my favorite Nirvana song. The guitar intro is also just so iconic. This album really left an impact on me after I first listened and I’ve continuously come back since. This may be my favorite Nirvana project just for how well spread it is throughout their whole catalog while including additional covers. It gets 4.5/5 stars, nearly flawless. My favorite song is “all apologies”

I hate that spotify just has the live recordings of this album. it was enjoyable though

Favourite songs: Polly, Come As You Are, The Man Who Sold the World, Jesus Doesn't Want Me For a Sunbeam

🥀

Good music, sounds great live.

Nirvana no falla, tiene tomones muy bueno

Gran álbum con los grandes exitos de Nirvana, los unplugged están hechos para que los puristas cierren la boca.

Cobain manages to be overstated and somehow an underrated musician. I think especially the more distance we get from Nirvana the clearer it is how singular he was as a writer of chord progressions, a guitarist and a voice. The cult of fandom can go. But I want his music to stick around for a long time

About a Girl — the guitar line is so catchy on this. The vocals aren't the cleanist, but they're definitely emotive. Come As You Are — the guitar line on this haunting and the lead guitar that comes in later is a big earworm. The harmonies on the final chorus are eerie and sound amazing. Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam — catchy rhythm guitar and chorus. Focused lyrics about rejection from traditional christian ideals. The Man Who Sold The World — that electric riff slaps. The best vocal performance up to this point. The prechorus does a great job at moving to the chorus in an unexpected and interesting way. The lyrics are sorrowful and regretful and the instrumental matches them in their own catchy way. Great close to the song too. Pennyroyal Tea — sweet depressing solo. Surprisingly catchy hook. Dumb — that's a really catchy string section. Bass line slaps. The lyrics are far from poetic, but are extremely honest and potent. The harmonisations at the end help the outro not fall flat and dull. Polly — haunting lyrics with almost lackadasical guitars matching the disturbed mind of the character Cobain is voicing. Don't really understand the chorus and don't find it that catchy, but it does help build the character. On A Plain — really catchy motifs. Cobain's voice is really good at feeling in pain at all times. Something In The Way — haunting and sorrowful. Best vegan song I've ever heard. The lyrics explore the uncomfortableness of living in a system that has carved up the world to serve its growth. Despite there being no evidence to make the life of other creatures feel as important as our own, that something is there, unexplainable but everpresent and vengeful; the looming strings exemplify this something. Plateau — an honest portrayal of settling for where you are out of fear of being somewhere higher. Catchy riffs. Cobain does sound like Shaggy on that high note. Oh Me — another slow, melodic, catchy song. The idea of an internal infinity feels dreadful. It's clear how Nirvana's songwriting set them apart in the mass's eyes to the rest of the grunge groups at the time. Lake Of Fire — Cobain refuses to sing normally. The bass, drums, and guitar all have a relentless groove. The vocals are catchy in all their quirkiness. All Apologies — again... that rhythm guitar is catchy af. Not sure what the "Everyone is gay" line is supposed to mean; can't tell if it was just the ignorant homophobia of the time or a very unclear attempt at LGBTQ support. Not as catchy to me as the other songs and Cobain's vocals don't quite do it for me on this one. Cobain, king of the (uncontrolled and self-damaging) vocal fry. Where Did You Sleep Last Night — one of the better Cobain vocal performance. The range and power and emotion he puts into this song probably stopped him from singing for the week after. That deep string is also amazing (for a band without a string specialist, it's amazing that every use of string is perfect). An amazing close to the set. Favourite song: Something In The Way Least favourite song: All Apologies Overall: the songwriting throughout this is impeccable. No song feels empty or too long. The only issues I have with some songs is that they don't leave as big an impression on me as some of the standouts here. The standouts are many though. Cobain's vocals can sometimes leave me wanting a more traditionally trained singer, but then equally his voice reaches emotions that a traditional singer would struggle to find. He is both what stops this from being perfect to me and what makes this a masterpiece. Rating: 4.6/5 Horses -> 4.6/5 Van Halen -> 3.0/5

Nirvana plays what is basically their greatest hits album in the form closest to how Kurt Cobain conceived these songs. The reason this album has the notoriety it has is because when stripped down to the bare essentials, the song writing speaks for itself and the band's tight performance proves why they reached the zenith of popularity at the time. About a Girl is the first great nirvana song, just a really interesting tune and dissonant chord progression. With this being played years later, the performance is even better. An excellent first song. Come As You Are is by all means a Classic and this performance is no detraction. The acoustic sound works so well despite the original using such heavy distortion. Jesus Doesn't Want Me For a Sunbeam is a cover originally by The Vaselines. The accordion adds a brightness not seen in nirvana songs and seems to just work. That being said, this is probably my least favourite cover on the album, because, despite being an alright song, it's not particularly interesting and the melody doesn't speak to me. The Man Who Sold The World has Nirvana covering a lesser known David Bowie song and completely surpassing the original in the way you wouldn't even realise it was a cover. The mostly acoustic instruments work extremely well with the cutting electric guitar soaring atop the rhythm section. Pennyroyal Tea is a great Kurt Cobain solo performance and features bare bones acoustic strumming that brings a spotlight to the really good song writing. Dumb is a self-deprecating song about being an outcast. Because the subject is different, he's led to believe he's dumb, not as good, etc. The blunt lyrics are the crux of the song. Musically, the song is really poignant, especially the bridge, which is one of Nirvana's best instrumentals. Being an acoustic set, this song benefits from its dark string backing and contrasts nicely after Pennyroyal Tea. Polly has some of the darkest lyrics in all their music and the music matches the misery of Polly, the girl Kurt is talking about. This is a great performance of the song, might be better than the original recording. On a Plain is one of nirvana's catchiest songs; not mentioned enough if you ask me. The melody is simple, its lyrically succinct. The acoustic guitars sound really good too. What more do you want? Something In The Way, The Batman song ~ song from The Batman. Its so bleak and depressing, it's immediately clear why a Nirvana song written about living under a bridge is the theme song for Batman. Apparently Kurt possibly did live under a bridge for some time. This song is perfect for a unplugged gig - one of the highlights of the album for sure. Plateau is the first Meat Puppets cover and stands out on the album stylistically. It's not my favourite, however Nirvana make pretty good work with the song. Kurt Cobain uses falsetto and it sounds really good with the redneck accent. Oh Me is another Meat Puppets cover. The instrumental is pretty damn fine and the bass lick is really cool. Solid performance and a good tune. Lake of Fire is the last Meat Puppets cover and it is legendary as far as covers go. Kurt kills the vocals on this one, never heard the original but I'm not sure the original dudes would've sung it better. All Apologies has one of Nirvana's best riffs and is one of the best songs so it's interesting to hear how it sounds live. I do think its a bit empty compared to the original but either way its a solid rendition. Where Did You Sleep Last Night as the final song is the chef's kiss, the ideal send off. Nirvana smashed this cover. Their style of grunge compliments Lead Belly's bluesy folk, Nirvana smashed this cover. Kurt's screaming vocal in the later verses sound immense, its heavier than a lot of heavy metal. Favourite Songs: About a Girl, Come As You Are, The Man Who Sold The World, Polly, Something In The Way, Lake of Fire, All Apologies, Where Did You Sleep Last Night Least Favourite: Jesus Doesn't Want Me For a Sunbeam Overall, this album stands to be one of the finest live albums in the popular canon. No doubt I would buy this on vinyl. Still can't believe I have never listened to it in full. Nirvana at their peak performing their greatest hits and a few of the best covers out there makes this an essential. Rating: 4.75/5

very basic songwriting (the guest artist tracks are the best of the lot) but sold by the performances. lead vocals in particular are compelling despite (or perhaps because of) clearly struggling at times.

Not the biggest fan of live albums, some good renditions and such. Man who sold the world for one

I hate live albums. My standard is: how easily can you tell that this nonsense was recorded live (outside of applause between sets and such). This is an excellent album and an excellent Nirvana showcase. Love the acoustic touches here.

A lot of track I've not heard here, but like several rock bands their song translate to acoustic really well. One of the best Quireboys gigs I've ever been to was an acoustic one. Anyway back to the case in point. I enjoyed this. It will definitely be on my look out for list at festivals. Worth a four any day.

I remember being a bit underwhelmed by this at the time. I preferred my Nirvana plugged in and loud. And I wasn’t familiar with many of the cover versions. Listening again, I can really appreciate the talent, and the arrangements. Pennyroyal Tea was a bit too strained, but when the rest of the musicians participated more there were some beautiful noises. Something In The Way, Oh My and Come As You Are the standouts.

Its not quite 'Unplugged' is it? It was great to hear some old favourites played in a semi-accoustic way, especially the songs from Nevermind as I cannot bear to listen to them in their original form now due to being overplayed to death. With everything dialled back to 1 or 2 on the amplifiers, which they weren't supposed to be using, you can appreciate Cobain's songwriting and musicianship. With the tracks stripped back, rather than jump up and down in a mosh pit spilling your beer all down ones self, it makes you want to sit down with a glass of fine wine and listen. I'm not sure if that was the desired effect, but at my age it's probably a safer course of action. What makes this even more refreshing is I never bothered with this when it came out, so to listen with fresh ears after all this time was a good thing.

i mean it's nirvana and mtv unplugged. can't really get much better besides dark side of the moon. 4 stars.

Estuvo bien. Me gustó.

When you want to listen to Nirvana but you also want to chill

Really fun and relaxed ? recording in a way I didn’t know nirvana could be. Really pleasant surprise

4 stars My third day in a row of live albums and another positive one after shitting on many of them. This is unique in it being recorded for television broadcast and acoustic-ish, so less harsh instruments to negatively impact the sound quality. It’s why I feel like live jazz albums play better, this more toned down presentation of rock is more pleasant to listen to live than a full on live Nirvana album would have been. The vocals can standout in the way they are meant to and not strain to be heard over screeching guitars. Additionally, the presentation of covers provides a unique variety to what would be expected from a Nirvana album during their huge rise to success, shunning nearly all of their singles from Nevermind in place of the lesser known deeper cut tracks that are more fitting for the softer set. This is a fitting farewell to the group, as it displays the power of the music stripped of the screaming, blaring guitar, and smashing drums. Dave Grohl’s restraint is particularly impressive, given how much he can do on a drum set. It’s definitely a live album worth revisiting and worthy of this list.

Knew this would be an enjoyable listen. Also knew it wouldn't truly blow my mind, in that Nirvana has never been THAT band for me in the same way they were for everyone else. Still, a solid live unplugged album.

Nirvana is one of those bands that I’ve always been meaning to listen to, so I’ve been excited to get their albums on here so that I had to listen to it. As expected, they’re pretty great. This sounds exceptionally good for a live performance. I only knew one or two songs on here so it was a good exposure to their other stuff. Excited to hear them on the original albums soon!

I wish this could have been a double album. It is so very good

It's kinda sad. Melancholy might be the right word.

Wow. This is a really good live album. It takes these otherwise grungy, heavy and distorted songs and transforms them into introspective and melancholy songs. The lyrics really take centre stage on this album. This was Kurt Cobain's last album with Nirvana before he died and his whole soul is bared on this album. This is a fantastic album through and through. The cover of David Bowie's The Man Who Sold The World is particularly a standout. Highlights: Come As You Are The Man Who Sold The World Dumb Polly On A Plain Where Did You Sleep Last Night

Just a banger album. 4.5/5

About A Girl - 4/5 Come As You Are - 4.5/5 Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam - 3/5 The Man Who Sold The World - 4/5 Pennyroyal Tea - 3.5/5 Dumb - 4/5 Polly - 3.5/5 On A Plain - 4/5 Something In The Way - 3.5/5 Plateau - 4/5 Oh Me - 3/5 Lake Of Fire - 4/5 All Apologies - 4/5 Where Did You Sleep Last Night - 3/5

not my style but good

Gran álbum para arrancar con esta pagina. Chill para una tarde de otoño. Empezamos con 4 estrellas. Recomendado

Solid

This might be my favorite nirvana record. Gen X apathy and artistic integrity rolled into a nice, eerie acoustic package. 4/5

Very meaningful

Banger of an album

Beautiful songs and covers. Not really a big nirvana listener but was a pleasure to listen to.

Overwhelmed with a sad melancholic nostalgia and this was my first time even listening to the album

I know many have this as 5/5 but I say 4/5 because this is the best version of maybe one or two of these songs and the rest are better on their respective albums. However it is a legendary live album. 4.5/5

I hadn't listened to Nirvana in ages and, I realise never to this record in full. Intimate and unpolished, but musically very accomplished at the same time. Kurt's voice is excellent. Really enjoyed this and forgot how good some of their songs are, and how well they translate to being performed acoustically. I just don't think I'll get the urge to rush back and put it on repeat

425/1089 - Is this album redundant because of songs existing on different albums on this project? Yes. Is it not really "unplugged" because his instrument has electric pickups and is plugged into an amplifier? Also yes. Is the best song a David Bowie cover and not a band original? Positively. Is Kurt Cobain himself a cynical drug addict which makes the interludes on the video annoying to listen to? Again, yes!

i know people love Nirvana and I can see why. only problem I had is that I don't typically like vocalists with scratchier voices unless they're women. was still very good and listening to this taught me the names of some songs I've heard before without knowing. very cool.

No logro entender porque todo el mundo es tan hater la verdad, me molesta un poco la comunidad que hay acá que se quieren creer mejores que el resto por no gustarles algo que claramente si marco una generación es porque algo bueno debe tener. La voz de Kurt rota pero clarísima, la performance que hacen, que hayan fundado básicamente un género. A mi Nirvana me acompaño en mi adolescencia y me hizo ser muchas cosas que soy hoy y que no soy. Hizo que empezara a adentrarme en la música y mucho de lo que hoy escucho y que estoy abierta a escuchar. Esta plataforma la descubrí en twitter en base a un hilo de gente que comentaba que ya no podian encontrar nueva música que les gustara y me puso triste ver que tanta gente piensa eso y me doy cuenta que mucha de las personas que estan acá son esas personas que en realidad parece ser que no les gusta la música en si. Bueno el album muy bueno, la gente de esta plataforma deja que desear. Besos Rosa 💋

I don't put Nirvana on the same pedestal as others. Even at the time, they didn't get with me nearly as much as most. That being said, this is their masterpiece. The moment we can truly feel the pain and sadness that the world put in Him. It is haunting and sad and brilliant and beautiful.

Finally hearing this legendary concert in its entirety (although I heard the edited version, not the unedited one). It is very interesting to hear a band that its very well known by its powerful performances and raw energy, playing acoustic versions of their themes in addition with some other covers. Obviously they picked the tracks that could work the best with this performance, like "Come As You Are", "Polly", "Something in the Way" and "All Apologies", which are songs that are already acoustic or emphasises on being very melodic and not so frenetic. I will say that I think it could having being super interesting to see how they would adjust more chaotic songs like "Territorial Pissings", "Very Ape" or even "Endless,Nameless" to fit this act. As I was saying, it is a very toned down recording compared to their studio albums, yet, still has a great display of energy, mainly coming from Kurt Cobain's screams. That's right, despite being acoustic, nothing stops this man for giving all he has in songs like "About a Girl", "Lake of Fire" and specially "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" with probably the most powerful and most passionate performance in the whole concert. And when it comes to the more subtle moments, they are also fantastic. Pieces like "Polly", "Something In the Way" and "Oh, Me" are super serene and pleasant to listen to. Another of my favourite traits are the accompanying instruments, like the accordion in "Juses Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam" which adds a nice folk feeling, or the cellos in "Dumb" and "All Apologies". Finally, a little complain I have is that the vocals feel a bit forced when Kurt Cobain try to reach the high notes in the songs "Plateau" and "Lake of Fire". Apart from that, I think this is a incredible performance. I personally prefer when they are at their most frenetic and chaotic, but it doesn't bother me or make this experience any less enjoyable. Postscript: it is incredible hard to listen to "About a Girl" without thinking of the terrible cover Puddle of Mud did. Damn it was awful.

16/03/2026 It's a solid album. No more, no less. Spotify listeners: 37.1 million

Connu. Un classique des albums live. Que des sons incroyables, une performance de Kurt Cobain (surtout sur la dernière) impeccable. Mon album préféré de Nirvana. J'ai bien envie de lui mettre 4.5 mais pas possible. Possible révision plus tard

Really good jam session. Loved the ending track really sticks the landing

Sad listening to this one knowing the very known history of how close it was to his death. They were at the peak of their power and the confidence in these recordings is reflective of that. I don't think this is as good as their studio stuff, but is still kicks you in the gut.

i loved that! i feel like nirvana has grown on me and i like hearing the emotion in kurt's voice even if it didn't used to be my favorite voice itself to listen to; it feels like there's more to the performance than his literal voice and i think this record allows me to hear that. fav tracks: About A Girl; Something In The Way; All Apologies

Heartfelt outing from an important band and important time

It’s a snapshot in time performance. Taking away the production leaves the songs and the band shown in better focus. They were a good band. 4

Top three live albums of all time for sure.

haven’t listened to the whole album but from what i heard it’s gas 4/5

What an experience it is to watch this on YouTube in 2009 when you start to discover “good music”. Imagine hearing Man Who Sold the World for the very first time, ever! Imagine then listening to the David Bowie original and being like wow I literally am the first 14 year old who has ever discovered - and enjoyed- David Bowie. This is solid, this is quintessential teenage music. You gotta love a bit of Nirvana whether you grow out of it or not, you gotta give something to your inner teenage child and be like here’s one for you. So here’s one for you teen Sarah, you’re loving listening to this for the first time and then putting it through a YouTube to mp3 converter to listen to again and again on your little hand me down iPod.

Dripping, nay, SWIMMING in angst, I enjoyed this a lot and it hit the spot for a sleepy commute. Naturally the Nirvana album that includes folk songs and spirituals is gonna be my fave, but I think Kurt’s voice genuinely works best over minimal backing

Very intimate & personal.

Surprised how many songs I knew

Classic Nirvana songs packaged in a solid live album. Nice to hear Cobain sounding just as good live.

I liked Nirvana at first but something happened and they got totally off the rails in terms of making music. Unplugged really shows that they can be artists and were very talented. But his use of certain substances sort of derailed the whole thing quite quickly.

Nirvana’s sound is so much better when it’s raw and stripped back. I’ve always thought this watching their live performances. After Bleach, the biggest thing that bugged me was how commercialized that edgy sound became. I’ve heard some of MTV’s unplugged before, and now I wanna go binge those. There’s tons more artists I like that did these. This was a really fun listen, and the fact that it’s a live album definitely makes it okay for having so many covers. They rock. Where did you sleep last night is a certified hood classic.

My Favorite Nirvana album

Album 69 Top 3 favorites off the album: Lake Of Fire, Something In The Way, Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam I wasn't looking forward to listening to this one because I'm not a fan of Nirvana. I'm happy to say that this turned out to be a good listening experience. Similar to my experience of Zeppelin, this has not converted me to a Nirvana enjoyer, but has drawn me away from being a Nirvana avoider and put me in the solidly curious about Nirvana category. I think it's a case of, "everyone goes on and on about how incredible they are, and they're good, and they made big waves, but not in the pool I chose to steep myself in." It's not their fault that I just wasn't listening to grunge during my formative music years. Really, it's not anyone's fault; it's just what it is. Smells Like Teen Spirit has also been so crazy overplayed that I've had little to no interest in consuming more of their work. Come As You Are was on my radar, too, and slightly less overplayed (very, very slightly). I enjoy live albums, sometimes more than the studio ones. This sampling of their discography feels manageable and gave me a better feel for what directions they've gone in. I even liked Cobain's voice a little bit more than before. Character development! Lower distortion on some of the guitars + quieter background instrumentation = more room for me to appreciate some riffs and general construction. I'll be going ahead and listening to the studio recordings when I get caught up on my other listening. This could be a one-off enjoyment of unplugged versions. I can't say for certain, but I'm happy with this for the time being, and that's enough.

Literally know all these songs but it was nice to hear a live version of it. Made me remember nirvana even existed, defo going to add them into more playlist.

I've found through the first year-ish of this project that I guess I'm not much of a Nirvana fan. That said, this is excellent.

Schpa Mange bangers, men noen sanger mangler god harmoni og melodi 4/5

The more I go through this list, the harder I find to determine what makes a 5 a 5… if I could give it a 4.5 I would. This album is so beautiful, pure talent just gorgeousss. I’m not giving it a 5 as it’s a bit mellow for my personal taste.

Pretty ait. Good tunes. Decent! Nothing bad to note and the music is just generally high quality.

Sounds incredible for a live recording, each band member is on point throughout this

Bolje nego nevermind, neironičo mi se više svidjaju kad sviraju akustične verzije. Ocena 3,75/5

Slušala sam u srednjoj mrzi me sad iznova, tad mi je bilo odlično pa nek ostane tako

Geiles Album, tolle Songs, ich lieeeebe the man who sold the world die Gitarre am Anfang klingt toll, auch wenn ihh cm im Refrain eine andere gitarrenmelodie genutzt hätte, tolles Album besonders für eine unplugged Version, die Lieder klingen fast wie im Orginal nur wirken sie persönlicher was toll ist

good for chilling

peak

I really liked this performance. I liked that it was a lot of deep cuts.

buen tracklist

9/10

LOVE the guitar tones throughout this. Not very ‘Unplugged’ however lmfao. Kind of wish the accordion was used on a few more occasions beyond just Jesus Don’t Want Me for a Sunbeam which surprise surprise is my favourite here. Then again that would probably lessen its effect in that one song (: My attention did waver a bit towards the end, this is likely my own bias against stuff I’m not v familiar with but I suspect were a few tracks left out of the performance it would be just as, if not more, impactful. In general I preferred the covers as compositions to the originals. very haunting to think that the man singing here would no longer be alive less than 5 months after this performance. 3.75/5

Courtney: still great! Craig: remember it being a little better…

Come on, you mean the legendary live show recording of Nirvana?

Enjoyed this album, captures a unique moment in Nirvanas career. Some great arrangements.

This is stripped back, messy, and at times out of tune, but compelling. The cover choices are great and the songs in general are fittingly haunting. I can see why this is a commonly a 5; it’s an essential part of rock music history, but I now only enjoy it enough for a 4.

This is fabulous. I think I like nirvana more than I’d perhaps like to admit … they are slowly crawling up my rankings ! A great live album too - polly and all apologies sound great. Almost all the songs I really liked that I hadn’t heard of were Meat Puppets covers so I must check them out

Ya entendí el hype 🚬

3.5/5

Clapton probably put Unplugged on the map, but this is the first one I remember taking over the zeitgeist. I remember when this started popping up in kids' CD cases in 5th grade or so, and all I knew at the time was it had a few cool versions of the hits we'd all heard at that point, and a bunch of weird cover songs that I had no context for (at the time I probably didn't even know who David Bowie was let alone the Meat Puppets). Both parts of this album though just work - awesome alternate versions of huge songs, and cool interpretations of the work of others. The memories of hearing songs like Plateau for the first time still stick with me - such an odd song, with an odd delivery, and weirdly haunting lyrics. Cobain's deadpan patter between songs is sort of funny and endearing, and the rawness of the vocals is so apparent with the stripped-back instrumentation. Really good stuff.

Love the raw vocals, guitar tonality, and retrained drums. I prefer this version of About a Girl and is actually the one I hear in my head when I think of it. Love a live album that is actually meaningfully and significantly different than the studio.

i'm not the biggest nirvana fan out there but this was a great live album. very raw, very intimate. did not miss any of their biggest songs, they were not needed here.

An absolutely solid live album; showing the best of Nirvana and Kurt Cobain. Raw vocals, raw performances. Lovely guitar. Some might say they reached their peak with this album. I can certainly see why it's considered one of the best live albums of all time. For me, Nirvana hits hardest as a teenager or early twenty something. As a 25 year old, less so. Still, I really like it a lot. I knew most of the songs but their cover of the meat puppet's plateau was new to me, and I enjoyed that. How can ya rate this lower than 4 glowing stars??

This album is so fun as it is like I am just sitting in a green room with Nirvana as they pick away and play and have a good time. While it is not what I expect to hear when I see the name Nirvana, it showcases how great of performers they were. I would listen to this album again.

Uma visita à Tita adolescente. Mais melancolia que raiva, agora, não combinou bem com a sessão de ginásio onde escolhi ouvir o álbum, mas as palmas ao vivo deu motivaçãozinha extra.

I usually skip live albums in any artist's discography (3rd live album I've listened to so far). This one made me fall in love with Nirvana completely. The grunge sound of their normal albums needs a certain mood so I can enjoy them, but this one was a joy from start to finish. The first time I've cried actual tears listening to a song (Where did you sleep last night) without seeing the performance too.

if i had to show someone one nirvana album that would make them understand why they're such an important and iconic band i would show them this one

Was surprised how much I liked this.

Jag har lite svårt för livealbum generellt, och är inte heller förtjust i rockmusik-fast-akustiskt-version. Nirvana var dock ettt band jag lyssnade ganska mycket på som barn. En av mina första två CD-skivor var Nevermind så det spelades mycket Nivrana på min freestyle. Var måttligt imponerad efter första lyssningen. Efter lite Wikipedia-läsande och en andra lyssning (med film denna gång) drogs jag med mycket mer. Han har ju en jäkla ball röst ändå. Mitt agg mot akustisk live platta fick visst se sig besegrat av Wikipedia och nostalgi. Polly var för övrigt en favorit när jag var typ 11. Fattade nog inte alls vad den egentligen handlade om, utan trodde att det var en fin sång om en papegoja haha.

Kände efter en halvfokuserad lyssning: meh. Men efter tips från Jonas kollade jag hela skiten på Youtube, med mellansnack och allt, och fan vad mycket mer det ger. Utsmyckningen av scenen är magisk, och det avslappnade käftslängandet med publiken ger verkligen känslan av att vara i ett vardagsrum. Gillar också vägran att köra helt akustiskt. Rockhistora! 4a med video!

Lesser known songs that I prefer more than the super popular songs I've heard, a different sound I haven't heard from Nirvana. I can see how this is considered one of the best live performances, the setlist is great and the playing was perfect.

Really enjoyed!!

Live albums on the list are always great. This is absolutely no exception. My only qualm with this is purely that the album needed more Nirvana tracks. But as a performance, a moment in musical history and an insight into the group, it is mightily impressive.

About a Girl 5/5 Come As You Are 5/5 Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbean 4/5 The Man Who Sold the World 5/5 Penny RoyalTea 3/5 Dumb 4/5 Polly 4/5 On A Plain 4/5 Something in the Way 4/5 Plateau 2/5 Oh Me 3/5 Lake of Fire 5/5 All Apologies 5/5 Where Did You Sleep Last Night 4/5

super good stuff. I don't have mixed feelings about this particular live album; this version of "all apologies" and "about a girl" are my favorite versions of those songs. i'm not a huge nirvana fan to begin with, but this album is really good and I hadn't revisited it since I was in maybe late middle school or early high school. this was a fun thing to revisit, and now that I remember it exists, i'll probably revisit it again.

Classic Live Album. Wow. rip Kurt you woulda loved TinyDesk

Nirvana has never really been my cup of tea, but I can't deny their impact. This performance specifically, as a legendary live set, was something that I've seen many times and have always respected. Unfortunately, Grunge has never been music that I enjoy listening to on a day-to-day basis. 3.5-4

I don’t like every song on this set, but Kurt Cobain is undeniably good throughout. Highlights for me were Lake of Fire and when Kurt lets it fucking rip in Where Did You Sleep Last Night

Ive never been a huge fan of nirvana or kurt curban but this is an iconic album

Hey, I’ve reviewed this one already! (Reposted from before) I don’t consider myself a particular fan of grunge, but I know many people who do, and I’ve noticed they tend to make a point about how their favorite grunge band is one other than Nirvana. I think they do this because, at least in the greater cultural conscience, Nirvana is THE quintessential grunge band. And though they are the quintessential band of a genre typified sonically by heaviness and distortion, this stripped-down performance is what comes to mind when I think of Nirvana. One of the most striking things about this album and one of my favorite things about it is the number of covers. I love this for two reasons. The first is that it gives the listener very interesting insights into the way Cobain thought about music, both in the choice of songs to cover and the way they are done. Choosing to do three covers in a row of another band is a bold move that speaks to the respect and appreciation he held for them. The second reason is because they’re all very good covers. “The Man Who Sold the World” is one of my favorite David Bowie songs, and this version is way better. “Plateau” and “Lake of Fire” were always two of my favorite tracks from this album, even before knowing they were covers. Their rendition of “In the Pines”, styled after Leadbelly’s version, is very good as well. As for the original material included on this album, Nirvana decided to eschew most of their biggest hits, which is a decision I agree with for the format and again, I think it’s very interesting insight into how Nirvana—I’m assuming Cobain mostly made the executive decisions on the set list but I don’t know—viewed their own work. Although “Dumb” is lyrically one of my least favorite Nirvana songs, I can’t help but love this version, in no small part due to the cello part. The cello throughout this album is really beautiful. Another favorite is “All Apologies”, which I think is suited much better to this acoustic style than the album version. My favorite, though, is “Something in the Way” — this song has such a crushing, hopeless feeling, and the harmonies and its subdued nature just really set it apart for me. Obviously, the success and the impact of this album were hugely impacted by Cobain’s death before its release. It’s likely that this would have been true for any old string of mediocre recordings they managed to dig up, but for this posthumous release to be so intimate, so different from Nirvana’s other material, and so insightful into Cobain’s broader sensibilities as a musician is really wonderful. I can only imagine it must have consoled and comforted many people who felt the loss of such a massive (counter)cultural icon very personally. Regardless of his death, this is a fantastic album and one of very few live albums worth listening to imo. 9/10 ⭐️

Favorite songs: About A Girl, Come As You Are, The Man Who Sold The World, Dumb, On A Plain, Something In The Way, Plateau, Lake Of Fire, All Apologies, Where Did You Sleep Last Night

Yes sir, a classic that doesn’t disappoint

Enjoyed this

it's

Great Songs: Come As You Are, The Man Who Sold The World, Pennyroyal Tea, Something In the Way, Apologies, Where Did You Sleep Last Night? Good Songs: About a Girl, Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam, Dumb, Polly, On Plain, Plateau, Oh, Me, Lake of Fire Mid Songs: Bad Songs:

Classic acoustic bangers

Brilliant.

Clássico

Det her e sikkert kjempestas om man like Nirvana og har et forhold til sangan demmes og alt det der, men Nirvana har aldri helt vært min greie, sjøl om det ikke e nokka galt med det som sådan, og det kommer nok til å fortsette å ikke være helt min greie i framtida også.

Incredible vocalist

This was my favorite Nirvana album. Kurt really can sing. I even enjoyed the Meat Puppets section.

At first I thought this would be a clear five star album, but it seems I only had in mind the songs I really enjoyed. Do not get me wrong, there are no bad songs exactly, but there are a few that just do not hit the same as the rest, which makes them seem worse by comparison. Plateau is the worst in my opinion. Cobain just is not hitting those notes in the chorus and it hurts my ears a bit. The same goes for Lake of Fire. Some songs work well as background music and they sound nice, but I would not necessarily seek them out. Because of that, it is not worthy of a five in my eyes. Half of the songs are amazing and the other half are just good. I need more than that to rank an album higher. Call me pretentious or a perfectionist all you want, but an album has to deserve the highest ranking. The same goes for a one star rating. The lowest and highest ratings require a lot of thought, and I do not just hand them out to any album that I slightly dislike or like.

Top 20

I went through a Nirvana phase in high school so I know and love most of the songs on this album. Gotta love some classic 90s grunge!

Great! Like the songs a lot. The sound of an audience can be distracting

Dangerous territory, but imo this album was a little aggrandized in context of the band’s life. It’s a mostly bootleg-quality record, but after Kurt died it became hagiography. There are stellar moments where everyone is together and sounds different and haunting and true, like Man Who Sold The World, Lake of Fire, All Apologies and Polly. But there’s other parts — particularly the beginning — where the sound is bad, the guitar is tinny and flat and the feel is plodding and muddy. Perhaps the press was right: this is an eerie capture of an artist near his end. Or maybe a weak recording became squished into a sad painting because the label had found a terribly reluctant hero, and it wasn’t done with him.

Yeah it’s very good isn’t it, lovely atmosphere. 4 stars

I'm not really a big Nirvana fan, but all the accolades for this set are deserved. There are a few tracks I could have done without, including 2 out of 3 of the Meat Puppets songs, but the rest is top notch.

Rare I prefer more or less the whole album of live covers but all great love his voice xx

++: About a Girl, Come as You Are, The Man Who Sold the World, Dumb, On a Plain, Something in the Way, Plateau, Oh Me, Lake of Fire, All Apologies, Where Did You Sleep Last Night +: Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam, Pennyroyal Tea, Polly 9,1/10

Best Track - "About A Girl"

Still not a Nirvana guy but none the less amazing album wouldn't add any of my playlists but still enjoyed the ride

Amazing album I love

Good album but not my favorite genre

I really appreciate the mix of covers and their own songs on this album. The raw performance, the instrumentation and the vocals sound amazing and fit the songs perfectly.

Great album. Kurt sounds awesome.

If you want to be interesting, you say this album is Nirvana's best. (Don't forget to mention how Die Hard is your favorite Christmas movie too.) An album that's almost half covers—three of them Meat Puppets songs—is disqualified from such a distinction, in my mind at least. While Cobain definitely curated his picks, and these versions of "The Man Who Sold the World" and "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" are especially great, it's hard not to wish for more Nirvana. These are the definitive versions of "About a Girl" and "All Apologies" as far as I'm concerned.

A classic performance that drags a bit around the middle. It goes from profound to dull and back again, and there will always be the ghoulish connotation of Kurt's impending suicide. Easy to pick apart everything looking for answers, hard to make any sense of it. The Bowie cover is phenomenol but ¨Where Did You Sleep Last Night¨ is one of the greatest of all time.

a classic

A GREAT album. "The Man Who Sold The World" and "All Apologies" are my favorites.

Great album. Not the biggest fan of Nirvana, but its easy to see why this album is so beloved. Their covers are great. Their original arrangements are great. The vibe is great. Its not an album I'll come back too all the time, but its great.

NOTHING ON THE TOP BUT A BUCKET AND A MOP AND AN ILLUSTRATED BOOK ABOUT BERRRDS Highlights: Come as You Are, The Man Who Sold the World, Dumb, On a Plain, Something in the Way, Plateau, Oh Me, Where Did You Sleep Last Night

The quintessential MYV unplugged album.

YESSSSSSSS

top 3 - the man who sold the world, where did you sleep last night, something in the way would listen again

This is probably Nirvana’s best album. It has all the pain and tortured angst of Nevermind and In Utero but the quiet serenity of this album conveys it far better.

Absolutely unreal live performance. The vocals are insane. The covers are beautifully done. Effortless flow from one song to the next. Incredible

Yeah

Peak Nirvana, probably my favorite album by them-in part because it strays enough from the groups core grunge identity and through a live acoustic performance softens the aggressive instrumentation and replaces it with Kurt’s Vulnerable and at times indulgent vocals

I have always enjoyed — not *loved* — Nirvana, but I've pretty much only listened to their biggest songs and one or two lesser known songs thanks to an old roommate of mine who obsessively listened to them. I think this has given me a new appreciation of Kurts raw vocals (which I'm enjoying much more live than the studio versions) and the simple yet engaging melodies. I can see why they were as popular as they were, even if I believe their music blew up much more after his tragic death. I decided to watch most of these songs as the videos instead of just listening which made them have a bigger impact, imo. I liked the little bits of him talking. He really didn't understand how good he truly was. My favorite songs - About a girl Jesus don't want me for a sunbeam Dumb Polly Something in the way All apologies Where did you sleep last night Rating 1-5 4

7 - GOOD

One of the best live albums for sure.

Hey, hey, my, my Rock and roll will never die Just hang your hair down in your eyes You'll make a million dollars

An iconic album in Nirvana's offerings

Already listened to before thhis but amazing live album and my favourite Nirvana Album

Go good!!

Obviously have heard of nirvana, never listened to this album. Not sure how I feel about acoustic but let’s see. Kurt cobain can fuckin sing. About a girl is really good. Can’t believe it’s live. Guitar solo is great. Come as you are is a classic. It’s crazy because it doesn’t sound acoustic at all. That guitar riff is just so good. “Jesus” is fine. Not my fave but good enough song. Woah what a rendition of the man who sold the world. Immediately makes me want to listen to the original then go back and listen to this one again. Pennyroyal tea is another really good song. Definitely had heard it prior to this. Great songwriting and guitar. Cello on dumb 🔥🔥🔥. Bass too is so good. Polly is fine. Nothing special. I feel similarly about on a plain, but I’d say the songwriting is really good. Woah I like something in the way a lot. Again the cello is so cool. Plateau was pretty cool. Not much more to say than that. I like oh me better. Good songwriting, good guitar which is a theme throughout. Lake of fire is another really good song. All apologies is one of the best nirvana songs without a doubt and I can’t believe they did this live. Sounds better than the real album version. Cello again is sweet. And I like where did you sleep as a closet. This is a really good album, and the story behind it adds to it as well. Will listen again. 3.9 stars.

Fun to listen to, waaaay more up my alley than expected. Would definitely listen to again.

Ya había escuchado algo de Nirvana, pero me sorprendió mucho lo bien que se escuchan en vivo. La voz de Kurt Cobain es increíble, y las guitarras y la batería suenan de lujo. Me sorprendió mucho este álbum, me gustó mucho. Me apetece seguir escuchándolo, siento que me puede seguir gustando más.

My first 1001 album review starting of with a banger. Having been a bit of a nirvana fan prior to listening this live album I had an idea of what I was getting into, I also already had a couple songs saved to my likes. That being said it is not much of a surprise that I liked this album however there were a couple songs that they covered which I had not heard before, but I felt are well suited to nirvanas style so enjoyed listening to them as well. I normally don’t particularly like live albums but this one I really enjoyed, what I did like is the raw sound of Kurt’s voice where you can really hear the emotion alongside the instruments, the recording is also super crisp which I think factors to my positive review. The songs from the album transition so smoothly into one another but that’s presumably because the recording was done all on one go, I rate it as personally I love that continuous sound. Standout song for me is definitely ‘The man who sold the world’ the gritty guitar riff is just amazing and I am considering buying the vinyl for this album.

Good Didn’t like how it was live

Yeah I'm sitting here singing along with "Jesus Doesn't Want Me For a Sunbeam." This record was on constant rotation in my household when it first came out. I never play my old Nirvana records anymore, I guess I got a little tired of them and what I like to listen to has changed a lot since then. But I really enjoyed hearing this one again today. I think it feels fresher than the others because of the mix of covers and less-played originals and of course the acoustic setting. 4/5

There is no voice like Kurts. So much emotion, soul, pain. And the song choices are incredible. Bowie??? What an album. Wish I were alive for this moment.

soothing & fun

Pretty good. Chill album, a little longer than expected

great live album, i mean obviously it is THE mtv unplugged performance where did you sleep last night and the man who sold the world are standout tracks most of the other covers are pretty underwhelming

Kocham te utwory. Ale album na żywo nigdy nie zrobi na mnie wielkiego wrażenia. Szczególnie jeśli większość utworów już na tej liście było. 8/10

live albums are rarely good, and this one somehow manages to be charming even though the interludes are weirder than you'd normally expect and the entire concept of unplugged immediately goes out the window as they are playing decidedly not acoustic instruments. it feels almost lucky that this works as well as it does given the source material and how unprepared they seemed to be.

ooh wow the performance that helped get me into David Bowie because of the cover of "The Man Who Sold the World" but also the version of "Pennyroyal Tea" that I find most strained/hard to listen to. Overall a fun listen, really wish uhhh well that Cobain hadn't killed himself but you get what you get and you don't throw a fit, I guess

Yes cool

Pretty good

Nirvana has always been a fringe band to me. Knowing them from the radio but not deeper. My friend Said is a big fan and loves them.. I heard a story about how Kurt recorded a song and then everyone left the studio and he was laying on the couch with the guitar on him playing quietly and the producer made him stay there, moved the equipment into the room and re recorded it to get the raw heavy, yet gentle version. That song was something in the way… If you are feeling lonely or suicidal please reach out to someone. Even me if your reading this.

Possibly my favourite Nirvana album. I think the stripped-back treatment of the songs really suits (and enhances) their trademark uneasy chord progressions, and Kurt sounds great. The cover versions are great choices to sit amongst the Nirvana songs, too. I remember watching the MTV version occasionally in the 90s, and always found Kurt's performance magnetic. I'm not quite there for five stars but it's great.

“I think im dumb” - mood. A Polly é simplesmente um sequestro? “Im on a plain, i cant complain” uhum, os mamonas assassinas discordariam 💀 “And I'm living off of grass (…) t's okay to eat fish 'cause they don't have any feelings” - como vegetariana identifico me com a primeira parte. O mini solo de guitarra na “oh me” ✨✨ “Everyone is gay” - well não há muito a discordar Um álbum bem chill vibes Músicas que conhecia: - come as you are - The man who sold the world (não conhecia a versão dos nirvana) - Something in the way (nunca tinha ouvido com muita atenção)

Un album normal de nirvana, no soy muy fan de la banda pero personalmente me gustaron varias canciones que se presentaron

Iconic. I didn't realize the timing of this, released 4 months prior to his death. This was another album in the heavy rotation at my house growing up and at first glance i would have thought easy 5 stars, but didn't really blow me away on the re-listen. It is definitely impressive they sound this good with an "acoustic" set, but the self depreciation and silliness of the songs are clashing with the highly serious presentation. Cobain wanted the set to look like a funeral... I also don't think I would send any of these tracks to a friend "Have you fucking heard this!" Some cool moments - the cello and guitar solo at the end of Man Who Sold the World. Cobain missing the initial note to the riff was very relatable. Novoselic playing accordion with Grohl on bass, also cool. One less cool moment was seeing Cobain grinding his jaw, wonder if he was also doing uppers. Good album, probably the second thing I'd point to after Nevermind if someone asked why they were the best Grunge band or if they were overrated etc.

Det er sku et godt album med fede vers og mellemspilninger/outroer

This album generator has graced me with Nirvana appreciation. That doesn't mean I need an acoustic Nirvana recording, I think the mood for Nirvana rarely merits an acoustic version. This is still a lovely sound, and it's offering something special for the fans, authenticity and intimacy. I feel like Kurt fucked the intro to Come As You Are, but we're human, and his vocal performance is top notch everywhere else. We also see the interactions between the bandmates, the audience, the energy of the night, attitude and respect. It's probably my 2020s devolved cell-phone-brain, but visually this was a chore. I like this one, just because I'm a fan. I'm not super excited about the covers, I prefer their original work. I'm sure a lot of people could get into this project because it features a lot of quality Cobain poetry under a more generally accepted guitar sound. Otherwise, it's fun to see the body language, the cigarettes, the sarcasm. 3.8/5

Yes this is still very good.

Enjoyed this album. I understand why it is held in such high regard. Nirvana is iconic and this is obviously their best performance.

Great listen, live version of the Lead Belly cover is amazing. Love the stripped back approach, a wonderful record.

I used to love this album. Now it’s sad and strange. This is the version of Cobain that people wanted. The sensitive, troubled rock star in the frayed sweater, striped down, intimate, unplugged. But this was contrived. It feels like a proximate cause of Cobain’s death. The sanded-down anaesthetized version of the man they could put in the spotlight and make millions of dollars from. Still a decent listen though.

Lo volví a escuchar luego de mínimo 10 años y puedo decir que aún le guardo mucho cariño a este álbum. Agradezco haberlos encontrado a los 12 años y no hoy (porque sé que hoy no me gustaría), pero como crecí con Nirvana solo tengo buenas sensaciones al escucharlo. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I liked this album. Not all the songs tho. Since I've never listened to Kurt Cobain sing live, this was a new experience in the sense that i got to hear his raw vocals. That said, most of the songs I've liked on this album were covers of the Meat puppets songs. So I'll definitely give them a listen. The last song was amazing because he let all the rage out. The songs also taught me about his tragic life story where he drew most of the inspiration from. We'll see if i go back to it.

firre

Cool and nostalgic. Glad to have revisited

Another classic

Great album, captured the band really well. Prefer this to the studio albums

It's an iconic performance from the 90s. I'm not sure I can give it a 5, though, as I generally prefer the original album versions of each track.

It’s iconic, and I get why this album means so much to people

I don't think it's an unpopular take that Nirvana is the band that mastered the format of MTV Unplugged. While there have been some great performances since that day in 1993, when people think of Unplugged they think of Nirvana. Fresh off the release of In Utero, the band was arguably at their best, and playing a show combining some of their great originals with absolutely brilliant covers cemented their legacy. I believe in letting the covers shine above their originals, they really set this performance apart from others who have historically just "played the hits". The Man Who Sold the World and Where Did You Sleep Last Night steal the show, offering a completely new side of Nirvana and reinventing incredible songs for the modern generation. The track selection perfectly complements the acoustic environment combined with the roots of everything that made Nirvana so memorable. There's a good reason that this is THE MTV Unplugged recording and frequently considered among the greatest recorded live performances of all time.

After over 200 albums I've finally found one i actually owned at some point in my life. This is a great album.

love live recordings so personal and special

Spotify now has a feature where you can sometimes watch a video associated with the song. It was pretty cool to watch, especially unplugged like this. They still acted a bit like a house band even while playing such a big show

It’s always somewhat bitter-sweet reviewing albums that you thrashed in an earlier stage of life. This was still a great listen, but couldn’t quite recreate the highs of experiencing the record while young and impressionable

I like it but I don’t think the lyrics relate to me. Alternative.

3.5/5

Day 5 of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die with @marmeu. I honestly was expecting more. Just from how highly praised it is being one of the highest rated live albums of all time, but to be fair, I don't have much experience with live albums OR Nirvana. I liked the folk songs on this like Polly by far the most out of any track on this record. All the others seem so like, solid but a bit boring at the same time? Like I didn't LOVE it, but I still liked it quite a bit, this doesn't have a standout track like Birth Of The Cool by Miles Davis had (Move), But it certainly had better consistency, so I'm giving it one more point then the jazz album, although this will probably change at some point if I ever decide to relisten to either, which probably won't be anytime soon. Overall great record, doesn't make me the most eager for more nirvana, but still great, not amazing. 86/100

surprisingly i quite enjoyed it!!

enjoyed it more than i thought i would!

Still don’t quite get the adulation for this album. Very good but not the perfection that some claim

Banger. 4/5

I remember watching this when it aired live on MTV. It really changed the public perception of Nirvana.

December 10, 2025 Album #830: MTV Unplugged in New York by Nirvana Genre: Alternative Rock, Acoustic Rock, Folk Rock Being one of the most iconic live performances of all time, I think it’s safe to say that Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged session would make for a very good live album. I’ve watched the performance before, so I didn’t mind giving the live album a listen. And what do you know, it really is a very good live album, haha. There’s so many good cuts off of this thing. Kurt Cobain really sets his stage presence in the opener, *About A Girl*. It sets the tone of the live set so wonderfully. The band’s Cobain’s performance is so iconic and charismatic, and that shows throughout the set. Whether it be on the superb and catchy Bowie cover, *The Man Who Sold The World*, the melancholic and moody *Dumb* with its haunting cello, the minimalist renditions of *Penny Royaltea* and *Polly*, the assortment of Meat Puppets covers, and many more songs. There’s so many emotionally resonant songs to be found here. The band really showcases their musical abilities here. The closer though, the cover of *Where Did You Sleep Last Night*, is absolutely legendary. It’s so coldly intimate and feels so personal and emotional. It’s my favorite song here out of many great songs by a long shot. As I said, Nirvana’s *MTV Unplugged in New York* is a legendary performance. I highly recommend watching it and giving this a listen. I’m very happy that I revisited it today, it’s really something, haha. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, Strong 8 to a Light 9 Favorite Tracks: About A Girl, Come As You Are, The Man Who Sold The World, Dumb, Polly, On A Plain, Something In the Way, Oh, Me , Lake of Fire, All Apologies, Where Did You Sleep Last Night

well i already know i love this one and today, wed morning 12/10/25 AD, i wanted a 90s album. was actually listening to nirvana yesterday too so why not!

Bra album. Foretrekker nok ikk live men

Most of the live versions add some degree of uniqueness, giving this live album a rare fresh spin instead of just "relive a concert"

So special to have this much banter on the record. The best part to me was when Kurt says “I guarantee you I will screw this song up” and then delivers one of the greatest covers in history.

Nirvana was big when I was young. I was even a contrarian then. I didn’t like nirvana. I started understanding they were good from the Batman. Something is hard to listen to while walking and not thinking your Batman. After listening to the album I watched it on YouTube. This is a masterpiece, I’m excited to listen to a full nirvana studio album but I’ll wait till this app tells me to. Stand out songs Something The man who sold the world

Probably then at their height.

Surprisingly good but still not big on nirvana's sound

Classic. Little overplayed with obvious flaws. Covers are better than their own songs, so good choice. Fav: Jesus don't want me for a sunbeam

New nirvana for me this. Enjoyably soft

I bought this album when it came out when I was in college.

Class act

A very natural feeling, laid back sound and ambiance which I wasn’t expecting They sound so shy lmao Let’s go Nirvana The call to Seattle

Considering how long I've lauded Nirvana as the most overrated band of all time, I surprisingly enjoyed this.

This is one of the best stripped back live sessions recorded. But I do believe that the lore around it has inflated its quality slightly. I like the idea of one of the biggest bands in the world doing a show for the biggest tv channel in the world and not playing any of their hits and instead doing covers

Iconic beast live album

I was obsessed with this in high school. Original, I know.

I have this album in my collection having bought it very cheap at a charity shop (part of 3 CD’s for a £1). I’m not a big Nirvana fan so I must admit it was bought on the strength of the albums good reputation rather than an album I would play a lot. In fact after ripping it to SSD and then stored I haven’t given it another thought until today. I now realise what a big mistake this was. What I like about the album is that the acoustic versions of these songs have reduced the grunginess of them to something more palatable to me. So much so that I can actually hear the lyrics clearly. This is also owed to the good production which gives the songs a lot more width and air. So different to what I know of Nivana’s normal work which quite frankly is hard on the senses. This is what I expected of this album also but I was very pleasantly surprised. 4/5 23/11/25

Kinda great, espacially for a live performance. There are a couple of songs I dont vibe with, but it is an important archive in music history I understand why it is here.

That was nice! I liked the vibe of the recording

This was cool - soft melodic acoustics and the harshnesss of his voice together. I don’t love the Nevermind ‘secondary’ album tracks but the covers were great

Don't like Nirvana, particullary I don't like Kurt's voice. But I must admit that they are much better unplugged! I enjoyed some of the stuff here.

This was the only Nirvana CD I ever owned. I am/was a big fan of the unplugged sessions MTV produced back in the day, and I remember that many people were uncertain that Pearl Jam or Nirvana would make any sense in this setting. There is no getting around the tour-de-force nature of Kurt's performance. He does a great job, and the rest of the band just joins flawlessly into the moment. Good stuff.

Absoluut een klassieker. Ook erg leuk dat ik hem op cd kon luisteren, sinds ik hem al in de kast heb staan.

Love this

They were better electric

The world would be poorer without it.

Very cool. I guess I should watch the video version. I have tons of respect and awe for Nirvana and Cobain and the values and shifts in the industry that they represented, but I’ve never really loved their music. This is probably the most I’ll enjoy a full project by them. It sounds great; the mixing is super clear and the instruments sound rich and full. I really dig that they played a bunch of covers and only one of their own hits. Must-listen #247.

Like an all-time rock band playing their own funeral. Some of these are definitive versions of the songs for me. You're not crazy if this is your favorite Nirvana album.

Classic. 4.5/5

It's too seminal

Nice to hear this again after so many years. Still sounds great! Kurt always seemed to know where he'd come from and was so helpful to other artists he admired. I loved The Vaselines at the time, but they would have remained completely obscure without Nirvana's covers. I like to think that Kurt would have remained a decent guy if he'd lived. I genuinely can't imagine he'd be a MAGA numpty. A sad loss to music and humanity in general.

Unplugged sessions were supposed to be a chance for rock bands to prove they could play without distortion as a crutch—but Nirvana approached the format like a séance. Stripping away the noise exposes the fragile, beautifully frayed wiring beneath these songs, turning even pop-grunge staples into haunted folk confessionals. It’s not exactly an album you throw on to brighten your day—and knowing what would follow for Kurt Cobain adds a chill you can’t shake—but that uneasy intimacy is the point. “About a Girl” gets recast as earnest Brit-pop, “Jesus Doesn’t Want Me for a Sunbeam” benefits from Krist Novoselic’s wheezing accordion, and a solo “Pennyroyal Tea” feels like Cobain bleeding straight into the mic. Even “Dumb” becomes a slow-moving heart-bruise with cello swelling in all the right places. Their take on “The Man Who Sold the World” might sneak in an electric flourish or two, but the spirit remains: Nirvana turning quiet into an act of rebellion.

plug em back in

Great live album, classic songs

still good after all these years

Maybe one of the most important live albums ever released, they say. I get it. I'm not really a Nirvana guy, as we've established, but deep diving them has been fun (we did Nevermind a few weeks ago and I enjoyed it very much!) This is great and raw and important. Not a 5. Strong 4.

It's been a very long time since I've listened to this album. I'd grown a little tired of hearing the same 5 or so Nirvana radio songs for decades and had forgotten just had good this album was. Tempted to give it 5 but ultimately landed on 4 after sitting on my decision over the weekend. 👍About a Girl, Lake of Fire, Where Did You Sleep Last Night

I was hoping to be introduced to music I haven't heard 1002 times already. Love this album.

This is the first full Nirvana album I have listened to. I have heard some of the songs on the radio but wasn't really into it. In all, it was a good album. I wish the cellos could be heard as part of the melodies. It would have made this acoustic, unplugged album better (in my view). 4/5

this album has long been on my list of concerts I'd travel back in time to attend if I could. also on that list: -Alive 2007 (obviously) -Sinatra at the Sands in 1966 -at least half of the performances featuerd in "Desolation Center" (2018)

Hm, nicht ihre besten Songs :-/ Schwanke zwischen 3-4 Sternen, ich geb mal 4 weil mir eine Shotgun vors Gesicht gehalten wird.

sehr gutes Album generell, mag den sanfteren Stil. Ansonsten ist mir Nirvana teilweise zu aggressiv. 1-2 Coverlieder haben nicht so gezündet, daher nur 4.

8/10 - solid live album, watched the live performance as well as listened, great seeing a young Dave Grohl and Kurt Cobain, and the whole group interacting with the crowd

Actually don’t get why this is one of the highest rated albums ever. Wouldn’t even call it best acoustic set ever. Still good though I guess.

3.8/5 (2.8/5 imho but there's people pointing guns at me 😅) I'm gonna make some enemies with this one. First of all, I don't hate Nirvana; I hate the hype around them and the people wearing their t-shirts as fashion and not as a representation of their taste in music. I never disliked the idea of exploring new musical ways, it's necessary for it to evolve. It just doesn't mean that the outcome is great all the time. This album (and the genre as a whole) is a good example of that. Nirvana was never a great band imho, nor was Kurt Cobain a great artist. Most of their songs sound very similar, carry a pretty depressive and bored sound with them. I just don't enjoy stuff like this. With all honesty, Nirvana got hyped into oblivion because they did something different and gave the 90s teens something to flock to. Cobain's suicide accelerated that. The way both the media and his then gf Courtney Love handled the situation was cringey and disrespectful. It made a whole generation cry cuz their idol was gone, but I'd cry as well if I'd only have Alice In Chains to listen to afterwards. This unplugged album was a big thing back in the day since it was released after Cobains self-unaliving. Regarding the overall ratings, it's save to say that there's many people here who absolutely love it. I don't share that opinion, but it's not as bad as some of the shit my ears had to endure the weeks prior. It's good enough to be background music for me, but it doesn't reach higher than that. Mediocrity in musical form. Also wtf are lines like "I'm on a plane/I can't complain"? Is this considered lyrical gold these days? Probably yes if I look at any lyrics of popular music today... So yeah, all in all not bad, not great either. Would I listen to this again? Probably not if I didn't have to. Did I make aeqnx and Daimon mad? Probably yes. Am I getting offered as a tribute in late December? Most definitely.

Emotional and powerful. ★★★★

A very good album, but it does suffer from The Curse of The Critics. Made when Nirvana were at the height of their fame, and Kurt could have made armpit noises, and the music papers would have praised it to the sky. But Nirvana put together a very good album, and the praise made it sound like The Rapture. The Bowie cover is the highlight.

Given Nirvana's short timespan of existence, they did not hand us many albums, and this as the only official live album they published in the band's existence. I've never listened to it in full before this, although I've heard over half the songs from this show many times. I'm making this review short: good album, kind of overrated (the Lake of Fire cover is horrible), probably belongs in the 1001+ albums (definitely more than some other albums I've gotten to), I only plead that people listen to other grunge music that isn't just Nirvana. The genre has plenty to offer.

4.07

Good grunge album, Kurt seemed like a lovely guy

I think that the Nirvana songs working so well acoustically shows how strong Kurt’s songwriting is, proving that grunge is way more than just noise. The covers being show off Nirvana’s ability to adapt songs, as they all fit well with the rest of the music. It highlights the band’s musicianship and Kurt’s singing ability, even if it isn’t a traditionally pleasant voice. 4/5

It's fitting to review Nirvana's Unplugged in New York right now, as it coincides with MTV's announcement that they're discontinuing their last dedicated music channels. This album is a monument to what MTV once was: a channel that could launch a culturally impactful event like the MTV Unplugged series. Originating in 1989 with acts such as Squeeze, these televised concerts, including this one by Nirvana, were defining cultural moments that the network promoted at its peak. Nirvana recorded their performance on November 18, 1993, the album was released November 1st 1994, nearly seven months after Cobain's death. My relationship with Nirvana's catalogue has always been a little uneven; I never disliked their music, but I didn't connect with it as universally as many others did. In a sense, I feel the same about "Unplugged in New York." It's a very good live album from a band whose output can sometimes leave me indifferent. Do I consider it a five star essential album? No, but I certainly appreciate its quality and why it resonates so deeply with others. Four stars. 1 "About a Girl" (5/5) 2 "Come as You Are" (5/5) 3 "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam" (4/5) 4 "The Man Who Sold the World" (5/5) 5 "Pennyroyal Tea" (3/5) 6 "Dumb" (4/5) 7 "Polly" (5/5) 8 "On a Plain" (4/5) 9 "Something in the Way" (4/5) 10 "Plateau" (Meat Puppets cover) (3/5) 11 "Oh Me" (Meat Puppets cover) (4/5) 12 "Lake of Fire" (Meat Puppets cover) (4/5) 13 "All Apologies" (5/5) 14 "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" (4/5) Total - 59 Average - 4.21 134/1001 68/134 albums reviewed were new to me.

Slow but a couple songs on there that I’ve already got favourited

perfect album for a misty autumn afternoon. a little bit of a hazy, tired, soft feeling seems to surround it. it melts into itself again and again.

It’s good but it lacks the shit kicking raucous intensity of Nevermind. It’s also not fully acoustic…

Excellent live and acoustic album

Sounds good but still whiny

Classic album. The sound of Cobain's voice on some of the tracks is so emotive.

Perhaps the best way to assess this record is forgetting what a new phenomena MTV Unplugged was (which only briefly preceded its becoming a cliche), ignoring the rest of the catalog and pretending one'd never heard Nirvana before. In that view, this is straight-up interesting on its own terms, a creaky-voiced though impassioned singer, playing brooding, sometimes raw, vaguely psychedelic folkie rock, with a few intriguing and well selected covers. (One's always been annoyed by the intelligence-insulting introduction of "Man Who Sold the World" as a Bowie song, though a charitable interpretation would be that KC was trying to be helpful to the benighted and wanting people to know bettter.) The cello adds depth (even if seeming slightly affected) and Greil Marcus is right that this gets deeper and more hauntingly musical across multiple listens. Certainly, it's more inventive than Pearl Jam's set and one likes it better than Nirvana's studio albums but then again one has always (then / now) found them to be pretty overrated.

Great

𝘔𝘛𝘝 𝘜𝘯𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬 strips Nirvana down to their rawest form, showing a vulnerability that was often buried under distortion. The setlist is daring — cover-heavy and far from a greatest-hits showcase — and it works beautifully, highlighting Kurt Cobain’s fragile intensity. Knowing that just five months later he would take his own life makes the performance all the more haunting.

A couple of really cool songs, chill vibes

Sweet

Heavy.

In the 90s, this set was reverently mentioned like it was The Beatles playing Ed Sullivan. Even the phrase "MTV Unplugged" just kinda meant THIS set (never mind all the other artists who appeared on the show). As someone who only got 'plugged in' to Nirvana after Kurt Cobain's death, these tracks were always just part of their catalog of hits to me, even though most of them were obscure album tracks or covers. It's a little crazy to think about them doing this and NOT playing the hits; the fact that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" isn't part of this show is a wild (but very punk rock) move! I have deep respect for the consideration that went into this setlist, it's clear that they considered which of their songs would fit the setting instead of just strumming out their classics on acoustic instruments. Recorded just months before Cobain's death, this would be Nirvana's final act; a requiem for their short reign at the top of rock & roll. If anything, I think the earnestness of this set helped cement Nirvana's legacy - before Unplugged they were easy to dismiss as a bunch of angsty boys making noise, but this evening revealed a deeper musicianship that nobody really expected. And with no follow-up albums, this just pours gasoline on the "what could have been" fire. Had Kurt lived, I wonder what would have happened next. Maybe Nirvana break up anyway and we get Lennon/McCartney 2.0 where Dave Grohl goes off to do Foo Fighters and Kurt Cobain starts a new project too. What would that have looked like? I guess we'll never know.

Loved this!

bellissimo ma perché l'album della performance live quann ten'n certi fatt incredibili bo

enjoyed

Vabbè dai i Nirvana sono i Nirvana, anche se il loro mtv unplugged, osannato da tutti, onestamente è carino ma le versioni in studio dei vari brani sono decisamente superiori

I don’t normally enjoy listening to live albums, but there is so much raw emotion in Cobain’s voice that each song feels different to its studio version in a good way. The little ad libs in between songs are endearing as well. Only thing is listening to a bunch of Nirvana songs in a row gets kinda fatiguing.

Pretty cool.

íkonískt dæmi...vissi ekki að þetta hafi komið út eftir að kirk cobain féll frá