MTV Unplugged in New York is a live album by Nirvana. It was released on November 1, 1994 on DGC Records. Features an acoustic performance recorded at Sony Music Studios in New York City on November 18, 1993 for the MTV Unplugged television series.
The show was directed by Beth McCarthy and broadcast on the MTV cable television network on December 16, 1993. In a break from MTV Unplugged tradition, Nirvana played mostly lesser-known material and covers of songs by The Vaselines, David Bowie , Lead Belly and Meat Puppets.
Unlike previous MTV Unplugged performances, which were completely acoustic, Nirvana used electric amplification and guitar effects during the set. They were joined by rhythm guitarist Pat Smear and cellist Lori Goldston, as well as members of the Meat Puppets for a few songs. MTV Unplugged was released after plans to release the performance as part of a double live album compilation titled Verse Chorus Verse were dropped. It was Nirvana‘s first release after the death of singer Kurt Cobain seven months earlier.
Nirvana rehearsed for two days at the SST Rehearsal Facility, in Weehawken, New Jersey. Rehearsals were tense and difficult, with the band having trouble performing several songs. During the sessions, Cobain disagreed with MTV about the performance. Producer Alex Coletti recalled that the network was not happy with Nirvana‘s lack of hits and the choice of Meat Puppets as guests.
The day before filming, Cobain declined to play, but turned up at the studio the following afternoon. Cobain was suffering from drug withdrawal and nervousness at the time; one observer said, “There was no joking, no smiling, no amusement from him…everyone was more than a little worried about his performance.
Nirvana wanted to do something different than a typical MTV Unplugged performance; according to drummer Dave Grohl, “We’d seen the other Unpluggeds and didn’t like many of them, because most bands treated them like rock shows: they played their hits like it was Madison Square Garden, except on acoustic guitars.”
Nirvana recorded their performance on November 18, 1993 at Sony Studios in New York City. Cobain suggested that the stage be decorated with lilies, black candles, and a crystal chandelier. Producer Alex Coletti asked, “You mean like a funeral?” Cobain replied, “Exactly. Like a funeral.”
Nirvana were joined by guitarist Pat Smear and cellist Lori Goldston, who had toured with them. Despite the show’s acoustic premise, Cobain insisted on running his acoustic guitar through his amplifier and effects pedals. Coletti built a dummy box in front of the amp to disguise it as a monitor wedge. Coletti said, “It was Kurt‘s security blanket.
He was used to hearing this guitar through his Fender. He wanted those effects. You can hear it on The Man Who Sold the World. It’s an acoustic guitar, but it’s obviously going through an amplifier”.
Unlike many artists who appeared on the show, Nirvana filmed the entire 14-song performance in one take. It included one song from their debut Bleach (1989), four from their second album Nevermind (1991), three from the recently released In Utero, and six covers. As “All Apologies” from In Utero had not yet been released as a single, the only contemporary hit the band performed was the Nevermind single “Come as You Are“.
Cris and Curt Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets teamed up to perform three of their songs with Nirvana. “Kurt purposely wanted the Meat Puppets songs to be a struggle for him vocally,” Coletti commented. “So instead of finding a key that he could sing them comfortably, he chose to push himself.”
The set ended with a rendition of the traditional Where did you sleep last night?, following the arrangement by bluesman Lead Belly, whom Cobain described before the song as “his favorite rendition of him.” After the band ended, Cobain argued with the show’s producers, who wanted an encore. Cobain refused because he felt he couldn’t top performing that song.
The MTV Unplugged episode of Nirvana first aired in December 1993. It was 45 minutes long and omitted the songs Something in the Way and Oh Me. After Cobain was found dead in April 1994, MTV aired the episode repeatedly.
To meet Nirvana‘s demand for new material and to counter bootlegging, in August 1994, DGC announced a double album, Verse Chorus Verse, comprising live performances including the entire MTV Unplugged performance. However, the task of compiling the album proved too emotionally difficult for Novoselic and Grohl, so the project was canceled within a week of the announcement; the group opted to only release the Unplugged performance. Scott Litt, who produced the performance, returned to produce the record. The performance was released on DVD in 2007.
NIRVANA MTV Unplugged in New York debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 310,500 copies, the highest first-week sales of Nirvana‘s career. In March 1995, the album surpassed the sales of In Utero with 6.8 million copies sold and was certified eight times multi platinum by the RIAA in 2020. It won Best Alternative Music Performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards, Nirvana‘s only Grammy Award win, and has since been ranked as one of the greatest live albums of all time.
Tracklist:
- About a Girl (Bleach album)
- Come as You Are (Nevermind album)
- Jesus Doesn’t Want Me for a Sunbeam (The Vaselines cover)
- The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie cover)
- Pennyroyal Tea (In Utero album)
- Dumb (In Utero album)
- Polly (Nevermind album)
- On a Plain (Nevermind album)
- Something in the Way – (Nevermind album)
- Plateau (Meat Puppets cover)
- Oh Me (Meat Puppets cover)
- Lake of Fire (Meat Puppets cover)
- All Apologies (In Utero album)
- Where Did You Sleep Last Night (arranged by Lead Belly)
25th anniversary edition bonus tracks
- Come As You Are (rehearsal)
- Polly (rehearsal)
- Plateau (rehearsal)
- Pennyroyal Tea (rehearsal)
- The Man Who Sold the World (rehearsal)
Nirvana
Kurt Cobain lead vocals, electro-acoustic guitar (1,9, 13, 14)
Krist Novoselic acoustic bass (1, 2, 4, 6,9, 13, 14) accordion (3), acoustic rhythm guitar (10,12)
Dave Grohl drums (1, 2, 4, 6,14), backing vocals, acoustic bass (3)
Pat Smear acoustic guitar (1,4, 6:9, 13, 14)
Additional musicians
Lori Goldston cello (3, 4, 6, 9, 13, 14)
Cris Kirkwood acoustic bass, backing vocals (10,12)
Curt Kirkwood acoustic lead guitar (10,12)
Production
Alex Coletti production
Robert Fisher art direction, design
Scott Litt production
Stephen Marcussen mastering
Frank Micelotta photography
Jennifer Youngblood, Grohl photography
Nirvana production
Kurt Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994)
