The Worst Episodes of MTV Unplugged

The season premiere of ""MTV Unplugged"" features performances by British rockers Squeeze, solo artist Syd Straw, and Elliot Easton from The Cars. Musical highlights include Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford of Squeeze performing a rendition of their classic hit ""Pulling Mussels From The Shell,"" as well as a song from their new album Frank, ""She Doesn't Have To Shave."" The show is hosted by singer/songwriter Jules Shear. (The first episode of the season is an encore presentation of the pilot which aired November 26, 1989.) An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book...""October 1989....Our coming-out party almost didn't come off at all. For rehearsals, Chris Difford and Glen Tilbrook of Squeeze showed up with electric guitars. We thought the title of the show said it all, but it turned out we needed to be a little more explicit in our instructions: Unplugged wasn't exactly part of the American vernacular at this point. But after we scrambled around town for a pair of acoustic guitars, the two w

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""MTV Unplugged"" presents former James Gang member Joe Walsh accompanied by R&B great Dr. John. Recorded at the National Video Center in New York City, Walsh performs such hits as ""Desperado"" and ""Rosewood Bitters."" All involved come together for renditions of ""Cinnamon Girl"" and ""Let The Good Times Roll."" An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book...""This show was originally billed as 'Joe Walsh and Friends,' but Walsh arrived at the studio with only a bass player named Rick Rosas. We explained that 'Friends' is actually a plural word and that, notwithstanding Rick's musical proficiency, we had been expecting the 'Friends' to be somewhat recognizable to our television audience. Then we discovered that Dr. John was taping a television show in the same building, So we cornered the good doctor in the men's bathroom, and 'Joe Walsh and Friends' became 'Joe Walsh and Dr. John.'"" Set List: Desperado [Walsh] Rosewood Bitters [Walsh and Rosas] Repetition, Repetition, Repetition [Shear] (wr

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""MTV Unplugged"" devotes an episode to the work of two guitar virtuosos: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Joe Satriani. Satriani showcases his expressive guitar work with renditions of ""The Feeling"" and ""I Believe."" Vaughan performs memorable versions of ""Rude Mood"" and ""Pride And Joy."" An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book...""During 'Pride and Joy' Stevie Ray Vaughan provided two classic still lifes that deserve to be displayed in the Unplugged gallery. In the first - after he sang the line 'You mess with her you see a man get mean' - he made a fist to display an enormous ring on his finger. The audience exploded. The second was at the song's end. After he sang the last line he smiled the kind of smile that only someone who has just experienced perfection can project. Plans to end the show with Joe and Stevie playing together were scrapped because Stevie had to leave early. The chilling aspect of this was that Jules excused his absence by saying, 'Stevie's gotta go catch an airplane; he's outta

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Australian band The Church and Irish solo artist Sinead O'Connor are featured in this edition of ""MTV Unplugged."" The Church band members Steve Killbey (bass/vocals), Peter Koppes (guitar/vocals) and Mary Willson-Piper (guitar/vocals) perform a collection of songs, including ""Under The Milky Way,"" the band's first Top 40 hit, as well as ""Metropolis"" from their new album Gold Afternoon Fix. Sinead performs acappella versions of ""Black Boys On Mopeds"" and ""I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got."" An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book...""The other moments still resonate. The first is one of the most arresting moments in the Unplugged catalogue: Jules and Mary Willson-Piper of The Church came together for a tremendous rendition of the Beatles' 'Rain' (conceived the previous night as they stood waiting for a cab in a downpour) that reminded us of the purity that drove these shows in the first place. The second was the shock of discovering that Sinead O'Connor actually has a self-deprecating sens

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This special edition of ""MTV Unplugged"" takes an intimate look at Henley as he performs songs that span his career with the Eagles through his recent solo career. Joining him is a string quartet which was brought in to perform songs in arrangements that have never been heard before. Song selections include ""End Of The Innocence,"" ""Heart Of The Matter,"" ""Best Of My Love,"" ""Come Rain Or Come Shine,"" and ""Desperado."" An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book...""The day before rehearsals, we strolled into the L.A. studio only to see Glen Frey playing keyboards with Henley. Our collective mind spiralled. Eagles Reunion: Unplugged. No such luck. 'Don't get excited,' said Frey. 'I'm leaving for New York tomorrow.'"" Set List: End of the Innocence Heart of the Matter (written by Henley, J.D. Souther, and Mike Cambell) The Best of My Love (written by Henley, Glen Frey, and J.D. Souther) Come Rain or Come Shine (written by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arien) Desperado Featuring: Don Henl

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Australian rock sensation Crowded House, and solo artist Tim Finn, perform in this special edition of ""MTV Unplugged."" This program marks the first time Crowded House lead vocalist/guitarist, Neil Finn, and brother Tim Finn, have appeared together on U.S. television since the break up of their New Zealand band Split Enz in 1985. The Finn brothers are joined by Crowded House bassist Nick Seymour and drummer Paul Hester, and Crowded House producer Mitchell Froom, on keyboards. Song selections include ""Mean To Me"" from the band's debut album Crowded House, the Hunters & Collectors hit single ""Throw Your Arms Around Me,"" and ""Four Seasons In One Day,"" a new song from their upcoming album release. Also included is a rendition of ""Chocolate Cake,"" a new song from the Finn brothers soon-to-be-released collaborative work, Brothers Finn, and ""Not Even Close,"" a song from Tim Finn's current album release Tim Finn. An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book...""During one commercial break while the en

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Legendary rock veteran Elton John performs a memorable medley of hits past and present in a special one hour version of ""MTV Unplugged."" Viewers get the chance to see one of rock's most flamboyant showman performing live in an intimate studio setting. Song selections include ""Sad Songs,"" ""Sacrifice,"" ""Tiny Dancer,"" ""Daniel,"" ""Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me,"" ""Benny and the Jets,"" and ""Candle in the Wind."" An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book....""Somewhere near the end of 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down on Me,' it became obvious that Elton John was enjoying himself. There can be no other explanation for the fact that the song's ending actually times out longer than the tune itself. Elton's voice vacillated from falsetto to baritone and then drifted into gospel tones. It was a startling, awe-inspiring moment that demonstrated that careers like his don't happen by accident. Elton then asked if he could stay and do some more songs, giving us our first hour long show."" Set List: Sad Songs

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MTV viewers get the rare opportunity to see legendary hard rockers Aerosmith perform acoustically on this special edition of ""MTV Unplugged."" Taped live at the historic Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York City in High Definition TV, band members Steven Tyler (vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whitford (guitar) perform a rousing 30 minute acoustic medley of their hit songs past and present. Song selections include ""Toys In The Attic,"" ""Hang Man Jury,"" ""Big 10 Inch,"" ""Dream On,"" ""Walkin' The Dog,"" and ""Train Kept A Rollin'."" ""MTV Unplugged"" with Aerosmith, with high definition imaging by Captain of America, marks the first airing of a high definition program on the network. An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book.....""Despite the family entertainment angle, the boys were still boys. Aerosmith has never been a band to shy away from extreme, sometime slightly juvenile, sexual innuendo. But the painting of a topless woman on Joey Kramer's drum kit was

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The consummate hard rock quartet of Bret Michaels, Bobby Dall, Rikki Rockett and C.C. DeVille get back to basics with acoustic renditions of ""Talk Dirty To Me"" from their first album Look What The Cat Dragged In?, ""Your Mama Don't Dance"" and ""Every Rose Has A Thorn"" from their second release, Open Up And Say ... Ahh! and ""Good Love,"" ""Let It Play"" and ""Unskinny Bop"" off their latest release Flesh and Blood. An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book...""At the time of this taping, the members of Poison were still wearing makeup and were still among the best-selling MTV artists in the free world. And, despite occasional disagreements with guitarist C.C. DeVille over just what Unplugged really means (witness his semi-electric acoustic guitar). The band's seven-song selection-including 'Talk Dirty To Me' and 'Unskinny Bop'- was a huge hit with their fans."" Set List: Your Mama Don't Dance (written by Kenny Loggns and Jim Messina) Good Love Every Rose Has Its Thorn Let It Play Poor

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MTV showcases the multi-faceted musical talent of Elvis Costello in this new edition of ""MTV Unplugged."" Taped in Los Angeles in June of 1991, Elvis performs ""So Like Candy"" and ""The Other Side Of Summer"" from his new release Mighty Like A Rose, and more. An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book...""When we taped Unplugged, we arrange for a studio and tape a number of shows at one time. For this rotation, we planned on recording only Elvis Costello and Jane's Addiction. Jane's, however, was on the road to breaking up and decided to take this moment to enter the fast lane. The band said they knew nothing about their scheduled appearance. Guitarist Dave Navarro had disappeared. So the Jane's Addiction performance was cancelled. And with that, we almost cancelled the entire taping and nearly lost Elvis. But instead, clinging to a show biz cliche, we decided the show must go on."" Set List: Deep Dark Truthful Mirror So Like Candy (written by Costello and Paul McCartney) The Other Side

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Taped at the Bray Studios in Windsor, England in January of 1992, Clapton is accompanied by Nathan East (bass), Andy Fairweather-Low (guitar), Ray Cooper (percussion), Steve Ferrone (drums), Chuck Leavell (keyboards) and Katie Kissoon and Tessa Niles on backing vocals. Song selections include ""Tears In Heaven"" (from the motion picture release ""Rush""), ""Running On Faith,"" ""Before You Accuse Me,"" a song by early musical inspiration Bo Diddley, and a new version of ""Layla."" Clapton also performs some new never-before-recorded material, including ""Lonely Stranger,"" a song which he wrote in Los Angeles in 1991 during the recording of the soundtrack for ""Rush"" and after the death of his son Conor, and ""The Circus Left Town,"" which is about the last night Clapton spent with Conor at the circus. ""MTV Unplugged"" with Eric Clapton introduces a new element into the series where artists will talk about the songs they perform. Throughout the special, MTV airs liner note style interview clips in

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""MTV Unplugged"" presents the series' first ever R&B edition featuring Boyz II Men, Shanice and Joe Public. Teenage R&B sensation Shanice got her first record contract with A&M Records at the age of 11. As an eight-year-old child singer, she sang in a Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial with Ella Fitzgerald. Shanice performs ""I Love Your Smile."" Philadelphia R&B band Boyz II Men formed in 1988 at Philadelphia's High School Of Creative and Performing Arts. Band members Wayna ""Squirt"" Morris, Shawn ""Slim"" Stockman,"" Mike McCary and Nate ""Alexvanderpool"" Morris are proteges of Bell Biv DeVoe's Michael Bivens, who is the band's manager. Boyz II Men were honored with a Grammy this year for best R&B performance by a duo or group for their debut album, CooleyHighHarmony. Boyz II Men perform ""Motown Philly,"" ""Uuuh, Aaah,"" and ""Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday."" Buffalo, New York natives Joe Public are currently riding high on the success of their first release, the self-titled Joe Public. Band me

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One of the hottest new bands to emerge out of music hot bed Seattle at the time of this taping, Pearl Jam was currently riding high on the success of their debut album Ten, which spawned the smash hit single "Alive." Taped at midnight at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in March of 1992, Pearl Jam band members Mike McCready (guitar), Stone Gossard (guitar), Jeff Ament (bass), Eddie Vedder (vocals) and Dave Krusen (drums) perform "Alive," "State of Love and Trust," "Black," "Jeremy," "Even Flow," and "Porch."

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Singer/songwriter Mariah Carey, known for her phenomenal vocal range, burst onto the music scene in 1990 with her debut album Mariah Carey, and went on to win two Grammy awards in 1991 for best new artist and best female pop vocal performance. Carey performs ""Vision Of Love,"" ""Someday,"" ""Emotions,"" ""Make It Happen,"" ""If It's Over,"" and the Jackson 5 song ""I'll Be There."" An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book...""To accompany Mariah's incredibly powerful vocals, she recruited the Saturday Night Live horn section, the late David Cole (of C & C Music Factory) on keyboards as well as a full gospel choir. It was a night that helped us mature-spreading successfully into more and more vocal genres without sacrificing the intimacy that is the cornerstone of the program.""

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MTV presented the planetary premiere of ""MTV Unplugged"" with Paul Simon. This marked the first time since the series' debut in 1990 that an episode of ""MTV Unplugged"" aired globally within a 24 hour time frame. The special presentation of ""MTV Unplugged"" with Paul Simon was taped at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York City in March of 1992. Backed up by the band members from his recently completed ""Born At The Right Time Tour,"" Simon performs classics and new material spanning his over two decade career. Song selections performed include ""Homeward Bound,"" ""Boy In The Bubble,"" ""Late In The Evening,"" ""Something So Right,"" ""Bridge Over Troubled Water,"" ""Mrs. Robinson,"" ""Still Crazy After All These Years,"" ""Graceland,"" ""Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard,"" and ""Born At The Right Time."" Band member credits go to Michael Brecker (saxophone), Chris Botti (trumpet), Steve Gadd (drums), Cyro Baptista (percussions), Mingo Araujo (percussions), John Selolwane (guitar), Ray Phiri (guitar), Ar

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""MTV Unplugged"" taped an acoustic performance with Seattle power rockers Queenryche in Los Angeles in April of 1992. Queensryche band members Geoff Tate (vocals/keyboards), Chris DeGarmo (guitar/backing vocals), Michael Wilson (guitar), Eddie Jackson (bass/backing vocals) and Scott Rockenfield (drums) perform a medley of hits, including ""I Will Remember,"" ""The Killing Words,"" ""Della Brown,"" ""Scarborough Fair,"" and ""The Lady Wore Black."" An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book...""In a moment of strange synchronicity, Queensryche became the second Seattle-area band in three shows to cover 'Rockin' in the Free World.' Stranger still, Neil Young himself bypassed the song when he eventually recorded his own Unplugged. The most lasting memory of this taping is of the ease with which the band worked. Their relationship with both their vocal fans and the entire staff at MTV was both sincere and professional, even after technical problems forced them to run through four takes of 'Silent Lucidity

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""MTV Unplugged"" presents a one-hour episode with beloved American rocker John Mellencamp. The program, which was taped in Los Angeles in April of 1992, features a medley of Mellencamp hits, past and present, including ""Love And Happiness,"" ""Paper In Fire,"" ""Check It Out,"" ""Rain On The Scarecrow,"" ""Jackie Brown,"" ""Small Town,"" ""Minutes To Memories,"" ""Big Daddy,"" and ""Pink Houses,"" as well as the Bob Dylan song ""All Along The Watch Tower."" Mellencamp, who was just wrapping up a worldwide concert tour at the time of the taping, was accompanied by touring band members Mike Wanchic (guitar), Kenny Aronoff (drums), Toby Myers (bass), David Grissom (guitar), John Cascella (accordion), Lisa Germano (fiddle) and Pat Peterson and Jenny Douglas-McRae (background vocals). An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book...""The night before the Mellencamp Unplugged, John decided to carve 'F..K fascism' into his guitar. Because we've stated over and over that the purpose of the show is to showcase the songs a

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""MTV Unplugged"" presents an episode with the soulful chanteuse Annie Lennox. The program which was taped at the Montreux Jazz Festival features hit songs from both past and present including ""Here Comes The Rain Again,"" ""Why,"" ""You Have Placed A Chill In My Heart,"" and ""Walking On Broken Glass."" Lennox is accompanied by Steve Lipson (guitar), Peter-John Vetesse (keyboards), John Giblin (bass), and Neil Conti (drums). An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book...""Annie sounded beautiful. Everything else was a disaster. We had decided to tape this show at the opening of the Montreux Jazz Festival. The venue was a casino and the drinks were flowing freely. To make matters worse, the Swiss crowd had paid to see a concert, not a television show. What they wanted--besides for the show to proceed without the breaks needed for taping-- was the producer's head on a stick."" Set List: It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back) (Written by Lennox and Dave Stewart) Little Bird/Walking on Broken Glass C

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Eurythmics the British synth pop contemporaries performed their Unplugged at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux, Switzerland. It was filmed July 5th 1992. Recorded 7/5/1992 at Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux Switzerland. Set List: 01. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) 02. Here comes The rain 03. Personal Jesus 04. Irresponsible Hate Anthem 05. Reflecting God 06. Love Is a Stranger 07. Revolution In The Summertime

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Bruce Springsteen made a rare television appearance when he performed on MTV in November of 1992 in his first-ever televised concert performance. The Springsteen performance, which was taped in Los Angeles in September of 1992 while he was there for his World Tour, features ninety electrifying minutes of no-holds-barred rock n' roll with Springsteen and his touring band members. Springsteen and his band perform material spanning the early days through the latest hit albums Lucky Town and Human Touch. Song selections include ""Better Days,"" ""Human Touch,"" Light Of Day,"" ""Glory Days,"" and ""Thunder Road."" An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book... ""By the time we got the phone call, everything had been set. The taping was going to take place in Los Angeles. We were doing Bruce Springsteen Unplugged. It was a dream come true. And then the call came. His new band hadn't rehearsed enough in the acoustic format, so the show would have to be electric. We had never thought it could be possible to

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Roxette was the first non English speaking band, that was invited to play at MTV Unplugged. They recorded their show in Sweden early in 1993. They played at the Stockholm Circus. Set list: 01. The Look 02. Queen Of Rain 03. Hotblooded 04. I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Loved You) 05. It Must Have Been Love 06. Fingertips 07. Heart Of Gold 08. Church Of Your Heart 09. Listen To Your Heart 10. Here Comes The Weekend 11. Joyride 12. So You Wanna Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star 13. Watercolours In The Rain [Originally Unaired] 14.

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One of the hottest and most original bands on the rap music scene, Arrested Development, performs ""unplugged"" yet electrifying in a set of songs off their debut multi platinum album, 3 Years,5 Months and Two Days I The Life Of... The songs are linked together with dance pieces and short stories narrated by Speech, Headliner, and Oje (""O.J.""), Arrested Development's spiritual adviser and group elder. An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book...""Between songs there were spoken word and dance performances, and at one point, during the group's spiritually charged 'Raining Revolution,' the stage was littered with umbrellas. Arrested Development had always referred to their shows not as concerts but as 'celebrations'; this theatrical performance allowed us finally to understand why."" Set List: Give a Man a Fish The Gettin' Natural Raining Revolution Fishin' 4 Religion Mama's Always on Stage U Mr. Wendel People Everyday Featuring: Arrested Development: Todd ""Speech"" T

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Comedian Denis Leary, one of the hottest comics of the nineties, unplugged his unique comedic style at a studio in Los Angeles for the first-ever music/comedy edition of the series. Leary combines original comic material with music to deliver selections from his January '93 album release No Cure for Cancer. Songs include ""Life's Gonna Suck When You Grow Up,"" ""Elvis and I,"" ""The Kennedys,"" ""Immigrant Song,"" ""Love Boat"" and ""The Man in My Little Girl's Life."" An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book... ""Besides the biting commentary, Denis also arranged a short parody that sounded like a bunch of R.E.M. songs thrown together. The only problem was that the show's breakout moment-- a cheerful little tune called 'Asshole'-- could only be shown on the network after 11:00 p.m. So if you ever tune in for a repeat performance, tune in late."" Set List: Is She Really Going Out With Him? (Written by Joe Jackson) 9 a.m. Love Boat Immigrant Song (Written by Robert Plant and Jimmy page) T

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""MTV Unplugged"" presents Canadian-born singer/guitarist k.d. lang for an acoustic performance at the historic Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City. lang performs such hits as ""Constant Craving"" off of her Ingenue album in addition to ""Save Me,"" ""Season of Hollow Soul,"" ""Wash Me Clean,"" and more. An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book...""I actually like the concept of Unplugged because it really cuts to the quick. I think it really establishes musicianship, which in today's scene gets obscured, and I think that MTV is doing a service to the young viewers by providing this vehicle."" Set List: Save Me The Mind of Love Still Thrives This Love Miss Chatelaine Season of Hollow Soul So it Shall Be Outside Myself Wash Me Clean Constant Craving Black Coffee (Written by Webster and Burke) Crying (Written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson) So in Love (Written by Cole Porter) Barefoot Featuring: k.d. lang - vocals Ben Mink - musical director, string arrangements

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Veteran British rocker and multi-platinum superstar Rod Stewart makes his first ever appearance on ""MTV Unplugged."" Taped in Los Angeles in February of 1993, Stewart reunites with Faces partner Ron Wood for a portion of his riveting ninety minute acoustic performance. This marks the first time in nearly twenty years that Stewart and Wood performed together. Stewart performs a medley of classics from his early years, as well as selected tracks from his most recent solo album, Vagabond Heart. Song selections performed by Stewart with Wood include ""Reason To Believe,"" ""Every Picture Tells A Story,"" ""Maggie May,"" ""People Get Ready,"" ""Mandolin Wind,"" and ""Stay With Me."" Stewart's solo renditions include ""Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright),"" ""Hot Legs,"" ""Handbags & Gladrags,"" ""Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?,"" ""Tom Traubert's Blues,"" and ""We're Havin' A Party."" A 16-piece string section accompanies Stewart on selected songs. The band is comprised of Rod Stewart (vocals & banjo),

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