Unplugged
Neil Young
Unplugged is a live album by Neil Young recorded on February 7, 1993 at Universal Studios in Los Angeles as part of the celebrated MTV Unplugged series, and released on June 15, 1993 via Reprise Records. Produced by Young's longtime collaborator David Briggs, the session brought together a carefully chosen ensemble of musicians Young had worked with across his career, including guitarist Nils Lofgren, dobro player Ben Keith, pianist Spooner Oldham, bassist Tim Drummond, and drummer Oscar Butterworth, along with backing vocalists Astrid Young and Nicolette Larson. The 14-track, 65-minute set spans Young's career from his late 1960s Buffalo Springfield days through to his then-recent Harvest Moon (1992), drawing on folk, country, and rock material that lent itself naturally to the acoustic format — though the recording sessions were reportedly tense, as Young was dissatisfied with the initial attempt, and the released version was the second take at recording a suitable set.
What distinguishes Unplugged from a simple greatest-hits run-through is the number of unexpected choices and revealing reframings. The set includes "Stringman," a song written in 1976 that had been slated for the legendary unreleased Chrome Dreams album and never officially appeared before; it remains one of the most notable rarities in Young's catalogue. "Like a Hurricane," originally a blistering electric track, is here performed on pump organ, while "Transformer Man" — originally buried under heavy vocoder processing on 1982's Trans — is stripped to its skeletal emotional core and presented with spare drums and female harmonies. Apple Music notes that the album "proved that through the timely trappings of the early '90s, the song still remained paramount," and commercially it performed strongly, reaching No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart — Young's best UK chart position since Harvest in 1972 — and No. 23 on the Billboard 200.
Unplugged is a live album by Neil Young recorded on February 7, 1993 at Universal Studios in Los Angeles as part of the celebrated MTV Unplugged series, and released on June 15, 1993 via Reprise Records. Produced by Young's longtime collaborator David Briggs, the session brought together a carefully chosen ensemble of musicians Young had worked with across his career, including guitarist Nils Lofgren, dobro player Ben Keith, pianist Spooner Oldham, bassist Tim Drummond, and drummer Oscar Butterworth, along with backing vocalists Astrid Young and Nicolette Larson. The 14-track, 65-minute set spans Young's career from his late 1960s Buffalo Springfield days through to his then-recent Harvest Moon (1992), drawing on folk, country, and rock material that lent itself naturally to the acoustic format — though the recording sessions were reportedly tense, as Young was dissatisfied with the initial attempt, and the released version was the second take at recording a suitable set.
What distinguishes Unplugged from a simple greatest-hits run-through is the number of unexpected choices and revealing reframings. The set includes "Stringman," a song written in 1976 that had been slated for the legendary unreleased Chrome Dreams album and never officially appeared before; it remains one of the most notable rarities in Young's catalogue. "Like a Hurricane," originally a blistering electric track, is here performed on pump organ, while "Transformer Man" — originally buried under heavy vocoder processing on 1982's Trans — is stripped to its skeletal emotional core and presented with spare drums and female harmonies. Apple Music notes that the album "proved that through the timely trappings of the early '90s, the song still remained paramount," and commercially it performed strongly, reaching No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart — Young's best UK chart position since Harvest in 1972 — and No. 23 on the Billboard 200.
Unplugged
Neil Young
Unplugged is a live album by Neil Young recorded on February 7, 1993 at Universal Studios in Los Angeles as part of the celebrated MTV Unplugged series, and released on June 15, 1993 via Reprise Records. Produced by Young's longtime collaborator David Briggs, the session brought together a carefully chosen ensemble of musicians Young had worked with across his career, including guitarist Nils Lofgren, dobro player Ben Keith, pianist Spooner Oldham, bassist Tim Drummond, and drummer Oscar Butterworth, along with backing vocalists Astrid Young and Nicolette Larson. The 14-track, 65-minute set spans Young's career from his late 1960s Buffalo Springfield days through to his then-recent Harvest Moon (1992), drawing on folk, country, and rock material that lent itself naturally to the acoustic format — though the recording sessions were reportedly tense, as Young was dissatisfied with the initial attempt, and the released version was the second take at recording a suitable set.
What distinguishes Unplugged from a simple greatest-hits run-through is the number of unexpected choices and revealing reframings. The set includes "Stringman," a song written in 1976 that had been slated for the legendary unreleased Chrome Dreams album and never officially appeared before; it remains one of the most notable rarities in Young's catalogue. "Like a Hurricane," originally a blistering electric track, is here performed on pump organ, while "Transformer Man" — originally buried under heavy vocoder processing on 1982's Trans — is stripped to its skeletal emotional core and presented with spare drums and female harmonies. Apple Music notes that the album "proved that through the timely trappings of the early '90s, the song still remained paramount," and commercially it performed strongly, reaching No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart — Young's best UK chart position since Harvest in 1972 — and No. 23 on the Billboard 200.
Unplugged is a live album by Neil Young recorded on February 7, 1993 at Universal Studios in Los Angeles as part of the celebrated MTV Unplugged series, and released on June 15, 1993 via Reprise Records. Produced by Young's longtime collaborator David Briggs, the session brought together a carefully chosen ensemble of musicians Young had worked with across his career, including guitarist Nils Lofgren, dobro player Ben Keith, pianist Spooner Oldham, bassist Tim Drummond, and drummer Oscar Butterworth, along with backing vocalists Astrid Young and Nicolette Larson. The 14-track, 65-minute set spans Young's career from his late 1960s Buffalo Springfield days through to his then-recent Harvest Moon (1992), drawing on folk, country, and rock material that lent itself naturally to the acoustic format — though the recording sessions were reportedly tense, as Young was dissatisfied with the initial attempt, and the released version was the second take at recording a suitable set.
What distinguishes Unplugged from a simple greatest-hits run-through is the number of unexpected choices and revealing reframings. The set includes "Stringman," a song written in 1976 that had been slated for the legendary unreleased Chrome Dreams album and never officially appeared before; it remains one of the most notable rarities in Young's catalogue. "Like a Hurricane," originally a blistering electric track, is here performed on pump organ, while "Transformer Man" — originally buried under heavy vocoder processing on 1982's Trans — is stripped to its skeletal emotional core and presented with spare drums and female harmonies. Apple Music notes that the album "proved that through the timely trappings of the early '90s, the song still remained paramount," and commercially it performed strongly, reaching No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart — Young's best UK chart position since Harvest in 1972 — and No. 23 on the Billboard 200.