Not by a long shot, PJ's unplugged was 100% original music(on the broadcast) and only one cover in total, PJ did theirs with only one album of material, Pj may have the BEST MTV Uplugged ALL TIME, not being released was a choice the band made and not MTV, if you think for a second that MTV didn;t want to cash in at least once in the 90's in the gold mine that would have been you are crazier than Charlie Manson Ted bundy AND richard Ramirez combined.
"So forget the other boys because my love is real.
Come off your battlefield."
I love PJ's Unplugged. Their performances of Oceans and Black are two of the greatest versions of these songs the band has ever done. But someone brought up a great point -- with only one studio album completed at the time, they were somewhat restricted in what they could play. I'd certainly like to see what they could do playing Unplugged with Vs., Vitalogy, and No Code songs in their arsenal.
Nirvana's Unplugged is simply magical. It's not just the fact that they had more albums under their belt, it's the fact that they essentially shocked everyone in attendance with their choice of songs, the beauty of the songs, and the emotion behind the songs. Remember, they were just supposed to be a grunge band playing grunge songs -- everybody expected Teen Spirit, Lithium, etc. Instead, they played About a Girl, Polly, a David Bowie cover, and a slew of other songs that were unexpected but totally in the moment, and they played them all beautifully. I just watched the DVD for the umpteenth time yesterday, and the passion and intensity in Kurt's voice is absolutely numbing. Even if he had not committed suicide soon after, there is something in his eyes that reflects a burning soul that is far behind my comprehension. It is painful, powerful, poetic, and beautiful.
So yeah, I love PJ, but I'm going to have to give Nirvana the nod on this one. It's not that PJ's performance wasn't awesome...it's just that Nirvana's was transcendent.
Everything has chains...Absolutely nothing's changed. - PJ
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” - Albert Camus
Just curious to get some feedback on the above topic. I have always wondered what PJ would've been w/ Cobain as a front man instead of Vedder, but that another discussion in itself. I personally have always felt Nirvana's unplugged set T bagged PJ's , anyone else felt the same? Thoughts...
I agree that it was presented better. Don't forget... Pearl Jam did it when the show was in it's infant stage.
The producers obviously had come a long way with the show by the time Nirvana did it. Not to take anything away from Nirvana...but MTV clearly rolled out the red carpet for them.I don't think it's fair to compare the two because of that.
However...Nirvana's performance was amazing and memorable. Pearl Jam's performance (as good as it was IMO) is only kept alive by us die hard fan's.
"Had my eyes peeled both wide open, and I got a glimpse...of my innocense, got back my inner sence, baby got it...still got it"
I say Pearl Jam's was and is the best unplugged. Vedder's voice is just unbelievable! I love all 3 albums, I'm actually listening to Alice In Chains unplugged right now. That's another incredible album. Nirvana's is really good too, but as for my favourite it's Pearl Jam!
Does anyone in here who has a mac have it the Alice in Chains unplugged? For some reason I don't have and would appreciate getting it from anyone here
PJ at MSG in 2008! Mission Accomplished
The band all knows. We're too afraid to mention.
Don't want to be part of Frank's luncheon.
Lose weight. Be safe. Where's Mike McCready?
My god he's been ate!
Just curious to get some feedback on the above topic. I have always wondered what PJ would've been w/ Cobain as a front man instead of Vedder, but that another discussion in itself. I personally have always felt Nirvana's unplugged set T bagged PJ's , anyone else felt the same? Thoughts...
Pearl Jam's Unplugged was during the beginning of their debut album. Nirvana was already 2 or three albums in. I think PJ's was more of a quick put together. And it was still a great show.
just thinking out loud, but were the AIC and Nirvana ones the last performances of Curt and Layne???
Just love Kurts rasp that night
My Girl, My Girl, Don't Lie to me......I will shiver the whole night through
Layne---Down in hole and I don't know if I can be saved......
anyone who does not like Black or Porch unplugged just insn't a pearl jam fan- we belong....we belong together!
My vote is easily for Pearl Jam. It's appeal on this board should not require explanation. I see the appeal with AIC and but I for one am not a big fan of the Nirvana unplugged.
Another glaring difference between the Nirvana and PJ Unplugged was that PJ performed this set as the band appeared on it's only studio release. Nirvana on the other hand while not to discredit them brought on additional musicians for their set. In addition to the three piece that they were (Kurt, Dave and Krist) they also brought out Pat Smear and the Meat Puppets. Maybe this adds to the appeal ... I don't know .....food for thought I guess.
How may Pearl Jam's Unplugged have been viewed if the had brought on guest performers? While I like this aspect of Nirvana's Unplugged the songs they played were largely not theirs and they had accompanying support.
So I agree with most I suppose. Hard to compare but I prefer Pearl Jam's.
Before I get blasted .... I thought I better add that yes I know Dave A filled in for Dave K but this was a one for one and both play the drums. No additional members or instruments so I know it wasn't the original line up for the one studio album as I indicated above
Monkey Wrench
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I think there are a lot of good points here but what makes this comparison a little unfair is that Unplugged may be the high point of Nirvana's career.
I think there are a lot of good points here but what makes this comparison a little unfair is that Unplugged may be the high point of Nirvana's career.
I love PJ's Unplugged. Their performances of Oceans and Black are two of the greatest versions of these songs the band has ever done. But someone brought up a great point -- with only one studio album completed at the time, they were somewhat restricted in what they could play. I'd certainly like to see what they could do playing Unplugged with Vs., Vitalogy, and No Code songs in their arsenal.
Nirvana's Unplugged is simply magical. It's not just the fact that they had more albums under their belt, it's the fact that they essentially shocked everyone in attendance with their choice of songs, the beauty of the songs, and the emotion behind the songs. Remember, they were just supposed to be a grunge band playing grunge songs -- everybody expected Teen Spirit, Lithium, etc. Instead, they played About a Girl, Polly, a David Bowie cover, and a slew of other songs that were unexpected but totally in the moment, and they played them all beautifully. I just watched the DVD for the umpteenth time yesterday, and the passion and intensity in Kurt's voice is absolutely numbing. Even if he had not committed suicide soon after, there is something in his eyes that reflects a burning soul that is far behind my comprehension. It is painful, powerful, poetic, and beautiful.
So yeah, I love PJ, but I'm going to have to give Nirvana the nod on this one. It's not that PJ's performance wasn't awesome...it's just that Nirvana's was transcendent.
can't say it better than this, so i won't even try.
If you are being technical, but Incesticide was a compilation of b-sides and previously unreleased songs, so I don't count that as a brand new studio album.
My god its been so long, never dreamed we'd return.
Nirvana, hands down. People criticizing the fact that there are covers in that performance I think underestimate how well-chosen they are, and that that was a risk in and of itself. It's easy to go on Unplugged and play stripped-down versions of 'the hits' but Nirvana's choice of songs and how they were presented showed how much thought they put into that performance. It's a shame that the band's career was cut short afterwards, because the main reason Unplugged is so powerful in my opinion is that it considerably widened the expectations of what the band was capable of; a grunge band from Seattle playing a Lead Belly song, and making it their own? I don't think anyone would have expected that from Nirvana (or Pearl Jam for that matter).
Although I do think Pearl Jam has proven to be the better band, Nirvana's Unplugged is undeniably the more powerful of the two.
Nirvana's was clearly better. One of the best recordings of all time.
agree, although PJ is a much better band. Nirvana's Unplugged was one of those special moments
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I thought the world...Turns out the world thought me
Interestingly, I have read multiple accounts of Kurt Cobain becoming very close to Michael Stipe in the months before his death. Around the time of Unplugged, he had indicated a desire to take Nirvana in a more R.E.M.-ish direction. Watching Unplugged only makes me wish more strongly that we would have been able to see this happen.
Everything has chains...Absolutely nothing's changed. - PJ
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” - Albert Camus
Interestingly, I have read multiple accounts of Kurt Cobain becoming very close to Michael Stipe in the months before his death. Around the time of Unplugged, he had indicated a desire to take Nirvana in a more R.E.M.-ish direction. Watching Unplugged only makes me wish more strongly that we would have been able to see this happen.
Apparently, Michael Stipe was going to produce an album with Kurt Cobain; the plan was for Michael to fly out to him the week after his death. Michael's said in interviews that Kurt was very interested in producing something closer to the sound of Automatic for the People. I'm with you; I would have loved to have seen what came about from that. Kurt had an unbelievable amount of respect for R.E.M., judging from the interviews he gave.
I actually enjoyed the high number of covers on the Nirvana unplugged session. I was about 12 when the Nirvana unplugged premiered on Mtv, and at that time my only source of new music was coming from the radio or Mtv. So to see a band like Nirvana playing The Vaselines, Leadbelly, Meat Puppets, Bowie, really opened my ears to new bands (new to me anyways).
I think that is why it works so well as an album on its own, because in a way, it kind of is a new recording. If I want to hear Polly or Dumb, I can go to Nevermind or In Utero, but you won't find Nirvana's version of Plateau on any of those albums.
In P.J.s defense, they were working with less material, and the version of Porch on their unplugged is my favorite version of that song.
Nirvana's unplugged was probably better in its entirety, but Porch and RITFW from Pearl jam's unplugged set is better than anything off Nirvana's and Alice In Chains EASILY!!
I really love all 3 albums for different reasons.
Pearl jam- yeah, I like theirs best because they are in fact the band that got me into my own musical taste. As a matter of fact I remember being in 4rth or 5th grade and flipping the tv channels and happened to land on pj's unplugged. I was in awe. I had never heard music so catchy and good. I remember watching Ed surf the stool during "Porch" and was just like "wow" Just catchy song after catchy song. so great. It was short but it's been noted that they only had one album which is why it was short, but my god, they did an excellent job, considering (after obtaining a copy and re-watching it countless times the band didn't really want to be up there, they weren't to fond of the whole MTV media thing as we all know.
Nirvana- An epic performance because it showcased a side of Nirvana I had never seen. Dave used Brushes for the drums, and the arrangements on the originals were done flawlessly. I thought the covers were done really well, and I actually thought it was cool that Kurt invited the meat puppets to pertake in the performance while Nirvana covered their songs. They were done very nicely though way too many covers for one unplugged show I think. It would have been interesting to hear an acoustic "heart shaped box" or even some more stuff from "bleach" For the person who mentioned Pat Smear being there on stage well I believe he was a touring member of Nirvana during the career for quite some time. He is pictured in the Muddy banks cd booklet too.
Alice in chains- Agreed on all accounts. Honestly, I really didn't think their unplugged would ever work, I never envisioned them doing one, their sound was just too heavy. The show absolutely blew me away. I am honestly quite surprised how good it is considering how fucked up Layne was during the show. He was so sick and just out of it. You could so tell he was in the "nod" phase of a heroin high. It really is sad to see him so whacked out to that degree. He could barely even hold his guitar for the dong he played on. The show was so good though. i love it's rawness, especially on the dvd. When he screams "fuck" during "sludge factory", that was priceless. At first I was like "what the hell?" (I didn't recall that being on the cd version). reemed but this performance really showcased Jerry's work for me cause I got to see him in action. All original songs too. "Killer is me" is one of my favorite AIC songs and so haunting, Really liked "Got me wrong and Heaven beside you" too.
I think one other thing I prefer about Nirvana's Unplugged is the way they adapted their material; there were some pretty big re-inventions from songs that were extremely loud. Pearl Jam really just played the songs like they usually played them, except not electrified. They didn't really play around with them at all. Like most, I think they might have done it a bit too early; I would have loved to have seen a Vitalogy/No Code era Unplugged. And who's to say they won't do one in the future. But the way Nirvana adapted some of their songs to suit the evening was stellar.
State of Love and Trust, however...that is a hell of a version.
Just curious to get some feedback on the above topic. I have always wondered what PJ would've been w/ Cobain as a front man instead of Vedder, but that another discussion in itself. I personally have always felt Nirvana's unplugged set T bagged PJ's , anyone else felt the same? Thoughts...
PJ would be non existent because Cobain's repetitive lyrics and dull sound would kill the band quicker than he killed himself.
yikes. that's f-ing ugly.
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nirvana's was better than pearl jam's. alice in chains beat pearl jam too.***
this is a pearl jam board and pearl jam is my favorite band of all time whereas nirvana nor alice in chains even crack my top 15 or 20...but those were just two really special performances by bands at very special times in their careers. each, in their own right, was an incredible performance whereas pearl jam's simply isn't on that level.
someone earlier even mentioned benaroya hall being a better comparison for pearl jam, and while that is a great album and a great show, it's still not better than nirvana unplugged or aic unplugged.
just the way i see it.
***haven't seen/heard many other of the MTV unplugged performances, but i have the feeling that there are other ones better than pearl jam's as well.
Amen to that one...this isnt a discussion without AiC which blew away both the unplugged shows we are talking about now
no better tandem of Layne Staley and Cantrell...only thing that could have made the unplugged better if they played Love, Hate, Love, other than that the setlist was original and some of their best material
Nirvana unplugged is good, but not as connecting and doesnt give you the goosebumps that AiC does
Comments
Come off your battlefield."
Nirvana's Unplugged is simply magical. It's not just the fact that they had more albums under their belt, it's the fact that they essentially shocked everyone in attendance with their choice of songs, the beauty of the songs, and the emotion behind the songs. Remember, they were just supposed to be a grunge band playing grunge songs -- everybody expected Teen Spirit, Lithium, etc. Instead, they played About a Girl, Polly, a David Bowie cover, and a slew of other songs that were unexpected but totally in the moment, and they played them all beautifully. I just watched the DVD for the umpteenth time yesterday, and the passion and intensity in Kurt's voice is absolutely numbing. Even if he had not committed suicide soon after, there is something in his eyes that reflects a burning soul that is far behind my comprehension. It is painful, powerful, poetic, and beautiful.
So yeah, I love PJ, but I'm going to have to give Nirvana the nod on this one. It's not that PJ's performance wasn't awesome...it's just that Nirvana's was transcendent.
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” - Albert Camus
I agree that it was presented better. Don't forget... Pearl Jam did it when the show was in it's infant stage.
The producers obviously had come a long way with the show by the time Nirvana did it. Not to take anything away from Nirvana...but MTV clearly rolled out the red carpet for them.I don't think it's fair to compare the two because of that.
However...Nirvana's performance was amazing and memorable. Pearl Jam's performance (as good as it was IMO) is only kept alive by us die hard fan's.
The band all knows. We're too afraid to mention.
Don't want to be part of Frank's luncheon.
Lose weight. Be safe. Where's Mike McCready?
My god he's been ate!
Pearl Jam's Unplugged was during the beginning of their debut album. Nirvana was already 2 or three albums in. I think PJ's was more of a quick put together. And it was still a great show.
they all have their own special qualities
just thinking out loud, but were the AIC and Nirvana ones the last performances of Curt and Layne???
Just love Kurts rasp that night
My Girl, My Girl, Don't Lie to me......I will shiver the whole night through
Layne---Down in hole and I don't know if I can be saved......
anyone who does not like Black or Porch unplugged just insn't a pearl jam fan- we belong....we belong together!
Another glaring difference between the Nirvana and PJ Unplugged was that PJ performed this set as the band appeared on it's only studio release. Nirvana on the other hand while not to discredit them brought on additional musicians for their set. In addition to the three piece that they were (Kurt, Dave and Krist) they also brought out Pat Smear and the Meat Puppets. Maybe this adds to the appeal ... I don't know .....food for thought I guess.
How may Pearl Jam's Unplugged have been viewed if the had brought on guest performers? While I like this aspect of Nirvana's Unplugged the songs they played were largely not theirs and they had accompanying support.
So I agree with most I suppose. Hard to compare but I prefer Pearl Jam's.
Before I get blasted .... I thought I better add that yes I know Dave A filled in for Dave K but this was a one for one and both play the drums. No additional members or instruments so I know it wasn't the original line up for the one studio album as I indicated above
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can't say it better than this, so i won't even try.
fantastic post.
best unplugged song ever...
tough call between Nirvana and AiC. I've kinda worn out both though.
Although I do think Pearl Jam has proven to be the better band, Nirvana's Unplugged is undeniably the more powerful of the two.
I thought the world...Turns out the world thought me
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” - Albert Camus
Apparently, Michael Stipe was going to produce an album with Kurt Cobain; the plan was for Michael to fly out to him the week after his death. Michael's said in interviews that Kurt was very interested in producing something closer to the sound of Automatic for the People. I'm with you; I would have loved to have seen what came about from that. Kurt had an unbelievable amount of respect for R.E.M., judging from the interviews he gave.
But I'll take Pearl Jam's storytellers over any of 'em.
-Eddie Vedder
6/24/06 Cincinatti, Ohio
6/14/08 Manchester, Tennessee
I think that is why it works so well as an album on its own, because in a way, it kind of is a new recording. If I want to hear Polly or Dumb, I can go to Nevermind or In Utero, but you won't find Nirvana's version of Plateau on any of those albums.
In P.J.s defense, they were working with less material, and the version of Porch on their unplugged is my favorite version of that song.
Pearl jam- yeah, I like theirs best because they are in fact the band that got me into my own musical taste. As a matter of fact I remember being in 4rth or 5th grade and flipping the tv channels and happened to land on pj's unplugged. I was in awe. I had never heard music so catchy and good. I remember watching Ed surf the stool during "Porch" and was just like "wow" Just catchy song after catchy song. so great. It was short but it's been noted that they only had one album which is why it was short, but my god, they did an excellent job, considering (after obtaining a copy and re-watching it countless times the band didn't really want to be up there, they weren't to fond of the whole MTV media thing as we all know.
Nirvana- An epic performance because it showcased a side of Nirvana I had never seen. Dave used Brushes for the drums, and the arrangements on the originals were done flawlessly. I thought the covers were done really well, and I actually thought it was cool that Kurt invited the meat puppets to pertake in the performance while Nirvana covered their songs. They were done very nicely though way too many covers for one unplugged show I think. It would have been interesting to hear an acoustic "heart shaped box" or even some more stuff from "bleach" For the person who mentioned Pat Smear being there on stage well I believe he was a touring member of Nirvana during the career for quite some time. He is pictured in the Muddy banks cd booklet too.
Alice in chains- Agreed on all accounts. Honestly, I really didn't think their unplugged would ever work, I never envisioned them doing one, their sound was just too heavy. The show absolutely blew me away. I am honestly quite surprised how good it is considering how fucked up Layne was during the show. He was so sick and just out of it. You could so tell he was in the "nod" phase of a heroin high. It really is sad to see him so whacked out to that degree. He could barely even hold his guitar for the dong he played on. The show was so good though. i love it's rawness, especially on the dvd. When he screams "fuck" during "sludge factory", that was priceless. At first I was like "what the hell?" (I didn't recall that being on the cd version). reemed but this performance really showcased Jerry's work for me cause I got to see him in action. All original songs too. "Killer is me" is one of my favorite AIC songs and so haunting, Really liked "Got me wrong and Heaven beside you" too.
EV Solo: 7/11/11 11/12/12 11/13/12
Pearl jam...not as good, but have them plug in their instruments and we''ll see who is the best live.
nirvana.....nirvana itself is an oxymoron. that band is anything but a "nirvana"
8/7/08, 6/9/09
State of Love and Trust, however...that is a hell of a version.
if released pj all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yikes. that's f-ing ugly.
this is a pearl jam board and pearl jam is my favorite band of all time whereas nirvana nor alice in chains even crack my top 15 or 20...but those were just two really special performances by bands at very special times in their careers. each, in their own right, was an incredible performance whereas pearl jam's simply isn't on that level.
someone earlier even mentioned benaroya hall being a better comparison for pearl jam, and while that is a great album and a great show, it's still not better than nirvana unplugged or aic unplugged.
just the way i see it.
***haven't seen/heard many other of the MTV unplugged performances, but i have the feeling that there are other ones better than pearl jam's as well.
what he said
Amen to that one...this isnt a discussion without AiC which blew away both the unplugged shows we are talking about now
no better tandem of Layne Staley and Cantrell...only thing that could have made the unplugged better if they played Love, Hate, Love, other than that the setlist was original and some of their best material
Nirvana unplugged is good, but not as connecting and doesnt give you the goosebumps that AiC does