The Unplugged series of concerts broadcast on MTV were a huge success in the mid nineties and helped revive interest in recordings of live music.
It’s particularly interesting to see the back to basics emphasis on the song rather than the noise and flash that can surround a rock band in concert.
For some acts, the Unplugged recordings may provide the definitive live recordings (I’m thinking about you Rod Stewart) but for other acts, the performance may be enthralling but not typical. Nirvana Unplugged in New York is generally recognised as an exceptional album but is it one that Nirvana fans will turn to regularly?
Other bands swapped their electric guitars for acoustic instruments but weren’t featured in the MTV Unplugged series. These are included here as well as they don’t fit well into the artists normal categories.
A Little Light Music is a live album by Jethro Tull.
It was recorded in Europe in May 1992 while the were experimenting by playing semi-acoustic. What does that mean? Martin Barre still sometimes used his electric guitar but a lot of the time, acoustic guitars are played.
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Live At HomeGrownRadioNJ.com is a live acoustic album by Rhett Tyler.
It was recorded in October 2006 in Blairstown, New Jersey.
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Live At Bonnaroo is a solo live album by Warren Haynes.
It was recorded at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee on June 15, 2003.
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Live Acoustic Live At The Jam House is a live album by Ocean Colour Scene.
It catches an acoustic gig recorded at the Jam House in Birmingham in, February 2006.
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Perfect Night: Live in London is a live album by Lou Reed.
It was recorded at the Meltdown Festival on July 3, 1997 as Reed follows the trend for (semi) acoustic live albums due the the popularity of MTV Unplugged.
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Learning To Flinch is a live album by Warren Zevon.
It was recorded at various venues around the world between June 24, 1992 and October 13, 1992.
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Live at the Rams Head is an acoustic live album by Little Feat.
It was recorded at the Rams Head in Annapolis, Maryland on June 19, 21 and 22, 2001.
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Live No Electricity Required is an acoustic live album by UK AOR band FM.
The album was released in 1993 but I haven’t been able to find out where or when it was recorded. If you know, please tell me in the comments section below.
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Skin And Bones is a live album and DVD by Foo Fighters.
This was recorded at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles on August 29, 30 and 31, 2006 and captures the Foo Fighters in an acoustic mood.
The band are joined by guest players Petra Haden (violin), Rami Jaffee (keyboards), Drew Hester (percussion) and former Foo Fighter Pat Smear (guitar).
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Friday Night in San Francisco is a live acoustic album by Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin and Paco DeLucia.
It was recorded at The Warfield Theatre in San Francisco on December 5, 1980 except for the final track, Guardian Angel which was recorded in the studio.
Continue reading Al DiMeola John McLaughlin Paco DeLucia Friday Night in San Francisco 1980