Nirvana Unplugged VS Pearl Jam Unplugged....again!

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Comments

  • SmellymanSmellyman Asia Posts: 4,524
    I just don't think that Pearl Jam was ready to do a full unplugged set. Some of the set didn't really translate very well to the acoustic setting.

    I think this is right. Mike's Takamine sound was tinny and trebly, compared with the acoustic sound he would develop. It needed a lot more bass and mid. It was invisible at times and some of the solos came across as strangely weedy in tone. That was nothing to do with Mike's phenomenal playing in itself: it's just that the band hadn't found the right acoustic sound by trial and error, yet. Plus, Dave A's drumming didn't really suit the unplugged context: Even Flow is a bit of a strange mix of fat drums and thin guitar.

    It'll be interesting, however, if on this new release, they had access to master recordings of every channel on the sound desk from that MTV session. They could re-mix the thing themselves properly, and bring each instrument out more.

    Didn't they have all their instruments stolen right before that show? I thought they had said they played that unplugged with a bunch of instruments scrounged from friends at the last minute... might explain some of the technical shortcomings.

    I don't think stolen, but I believe all the equipment was rented and the first time they played them was at the show.
  • DewieCoxDewieCox Posts: 11,430
    I have seen a lot of people say that Nirvana Unplugged is better than Pearl Jam Unplugged!!...I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE!! while i do like Nirvana very much...Kurt can't fuck with Ed when it comes to vocals!

    Now that we are getting a "true" DVD release with all the bells and whistles (and 5.1!!) instead of the many fucked up bootleg copies on the net...I think some of you may change your mind!

    ............besides Alice in Chains Unplugged is 2nd...then Nirvana is 3rd.

    Wrong!!!!

    Nirvana actually made it special. PJ's had it's high moments, but basically just playing their songs acoustically. Woulda been nice if they had rearranged some of the tunes.

    AIC's completely destroys both. There is magical vibe over every facet of both the album and dvd.


    Fact is, there have been alotta people do the unplugged way better than PJ. They simply got up there and played their songs with acoustic guitars. Yeah, I guess AIC did it, but they skipped over Them Bones and Man In the Box. PJ Unplugged is pretty high on my list, for the fact that they are PJ. But, the fact remains, they are my 2nd favorite all time favorite band, and I can think of 4 Unplugged's that are better, off the top of my head.


    AIC
    Nirvana
    Unledded
    STP

    There isn't a doubt in my mind, if they had a waited til at least after Vitalogy, their Unplugged woulda been much better. Also, rearranging some tunes, esp the heavier ones, woulda made it more interesting.
  • I bought AIC Best of the Box and Unplugged DVD on the back of the comments here - absolutley cold, not heard a thing in the past -or if I did I didn't take it in.
    All I can say is that I am absolutely blown away, I need a daily fix of "Got me Wrong" or I feel ill, the CD and DVD both have the unplugged version so now I need to go back in the bands catalogue and explore.
    Some guidance then - what next?

    And sorry I know possibly wrong forum - I had this on in the car and one of the guys asked if it was Pearl Jam. I think the PJ unplugged is more raw and shows a band breaking through and so, so excited to be able to get their music and theeir message accross. Although I cringe at some of Eddie's comments on the boot DVD, the stuff between takes or during commercials I think they were there at the right time. If as some comments have suggested MTV waited until 98 we would have seen a much different show but my have lost some of the energy. Eddie was showing his skill with a guitar more - developing a different sound that allowed him to play and sing (I still cant manage that).

    How many of todays top selling artist will have forums talking about any of their shows in 15 years time?
    "oh when I was a kid, oh how magic it seemed"

    Manchester, England (June 04, 2000) £27.50
    Leeds, England (August 25, 2006) £40
    Manchester, England (August 17, 2009) £50 - I think
    Manchester, UK (June 20, 2012) £50 - I think
    American Express presents BST Hyde Park (July 08, 2022) £80
    Manchester, June 2024 - TBC £160!!!

    "Don't sweat the petty things, don't pet the sweaty things"
  • dannydanny Posts: 2,279
    I have seen a lot of people say that Nirvana Unplugged is better than Pearl Jam Unplugged!!...I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE!! while i do like Nirvana very much...Kurt can't fuck with Ed when it comes to vocals!

    Now that we are getting a "true" DVD release with all the bells and whistles (and 5.1!!) instead of the many fucked up bootleg copies on the net...I think some of you may change your mind!

    ............besides Alice in Chains Unplugged is 2nd...then Nirvana is 3rd.


    eds the man!
    danny d
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    I bought AIC Best of the Box and Unplugged DVD on the back of the comments here - absolutley cold, not heard a thing in the past -or if I did I didn't take it in.
    All I can say is that I am absolutely blown away, I need a daily fix of "Got me Wrong" or I feel ill, the CD and DVD both have the unplugged version so now I need to go back in the bands catalogue and explore.
    Some guidance then - what next?

    And sorry I know possibly wrong forum - I had this on in the car and one of the guys asked if it was Pearl Jam. I think the PJ unplugged is more raw and shows a band breaking through and so, so excited to be able to get their music and theeir message accross. Although I cringe at some of Eddie's comments on the boot DVD, the stuff between takes or during commercials I think they were there at the right time. If as some comments have suggested MTV waited until 98 we would have seen a much different show but my have lost some of the energy. Eddie was showing his skill with a guitar more - developing a different sound that allowed him to play and sing (I still cant manage that).

    How many of todays top selling artist will have forums talking about any of their shows in 15 years time?

    The album Dirt is widely considered their masterpiece, but it's a pretty harrowing album. Very dark and heavy. If you like Got Me Wrong, I might recommend getting the 'Jar of Flies' album. It's only an EP so it's kind of short, but it is once of the most amazing pieces of music I've ever heard.
  • Not to put art into a competition (though it might be appropriate given the grammy's are going on right now), but I would give the nod to Nirvana on this one. Nirvana's Unplugged could (and should) have been the foundation for the next era of Nirvana--shame we never got to see it happen. Pearl Jam unplugged was raw and had some great moments like every show they played back then did--but it was not groundbreaking quite the same way Nirvana Unplugged was.
  • Red Mosquito75Red Mosquito75 Moline IL Posts: 1,037
    they were both great unpluggs. At the time i thought nirvanas was better but looking back and listening i would say it is a tie. Pearl Jam is definitely the better band
    This is Not For You
  • LONGRDLONGRD Posts: 6,036
    Without a doubt Nirvana's Unplugged is better than PJ's but LL Cool J's Unplugged was the best of all the Unplugged series.
    PJ- 04/29/2003.06/24,25,27,28,30/2008.10/27,28,30,31/2009
    EV- 08/09,10/2008.06/08,09/2009
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    LongRd. wrote:
    Without a doubt Nirvana's Unplugged is better than PJ's but LL Cool J's Unplugged was the best of all the Unplugged series.

    Must've missed that one, but Jay-z's unplugged with the Roots as his backing band is awesome!
  • Red Mosquito75Red Mosquito75 Moline IL Posts: 1,037
    now i want to go watch all of the unplugged in row to see what i really think....What could have been....It sucks the music we are missing right now
    This is Not For You
  • LONGRDLONGRD Posts: 6,036
    LongRd. wrote:
    Without a doubt Nirvana's Unplugged is better than PJ's but LL Cool J's Unplugged was the best of all the Unplugged series.

    Must've missed that one, but Jay-z's unplugged with the Roots as his backing band is awesome!
    :lol: Sorry, I put that out of my ass. After looking through the Web, LL actually didn't have his own Unplugged show.
    it was part of the Yo! MTV Raps set. Jay-Z's set was good too.

    I think my personal favorite is the Oasis performance, where Noel sang all the tracks because Liam was "ill" or something but we see him drinking and having a ball in the balcony section.
    PJ- 04/29/2003.06/24,25,27,28,30/2008.10/27,28,30,31/2009
    EV- 08/09,10/2008.06/08,09/2009
  • I have seen a lot of people say that Nirvana Unplugged is better than Pearl Jam Unplugged!!...I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE!! while i do like Nirvana very much...Kurt can't fuck with Ed when it comes to vocals!

    Now that we are getting a "true" DVD release with all the bells and whistles (and 5.1!!) instead of the many fucked up bootleg copies on the net...I think some of you may change your mind!

    ............besides Alice in Chains Unplugged is 2nd...then Nirvana is 3rd.


    Pearl Jam of course it's my favorite band but as far as the Unplugged goes for it's:

    #1 Nirvana
    #2 AIC
    #3 Pearl Jam
  • HorosHoros Posts: 4,518
    As much as I like Nirvana, I LOVE PEARL JAM!

    That said, Nirvana Unplugged is far better than Pearl Jam Unplugged, both of which I remember watching when they were broadcast. I really disliked Nirvana then but that Unplugged was great.
    #FHP
  • a few things need to be put into perspective

    1 Nirvana was at the height of their fame and had about...what..5 albums out by the time they did unplugged(even though 90% of the songs they do are covers!!) Pearl Jam was new and fresh at the time they did unplugged and only had 10 out at the time..yet they managed to do their own songs (except RITFW)

    2 I love Kurt and he had a cool & unique voice..but come on now..we all know Ed blows him out of the fucking water when it comes to vocals!! and in the early days when Ed was young and didn't smoke his voice was more powerful than it is now after almost 2 decades of abuse(to his vocal chords)

    3 Pearl Jam is a better band period!! bass for bass, guitar for guitar, drum for drum, singer for singer...Mike,Stone,Jeff,Dave & Ed are all better musicans than the guys in Nirvana IMO.

    4 Just compare song for song...Is Polly better than Porch? Is on a plane better than Oceans? are the meat puppets songs better than Black and State of Love and Trust?? Is the man who sold the world better than RITFW?? I DON'T THINK SO!!

    but hey..that's just my opinion
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    a few things need to be put into perspective

    1 Nirvana was at the height of their fame and had about...what..5 albums out by the time they did unplugged(even though 90% of the songs they do are covers!!) Pearl Jam was new and fresh at the time they did unplugged and only had 10 out at the time..yet they managed to do their own songs (except RITFW)

    2 I love Kurt and he had a cool & unique voice..but come on now..we all know Ed blows him out of the fucking water when it comes to vocals!! and in the early days when Ed was young and didn't smoke his voice was more powerful than it is now after almost 2 decades of abuse(to his vocal chords)

    3 Pearl Jam is a better band period!! bass for bass, guitar for guitar, drum for drum, singer for singer...Mike,Stone,Jeff,Dave & Ed are all better musicans than the guys in Nirvana IMO.

    4 Just compare song for song...Is Polly better than Porch? Is on a plane better than Oceans? are the meat puppets songs better than Black and State of Love and Trust?? Is the man who sold the world better than RITFW?? I DON'T THINK SO!!

    but hey..that's just my opinion

    On a Plain is definitely better than Oceans, that version of Where Did you Sleep Last Night mops the floor with the unplgged RITFW, and Lake of Fire, Oh Me, and Plateau are all more interesting than the unplugged SOLAT. PJ played their songs note for note the same as they always do, Nirvana offered a glimpse of a completely different band. Nirvana wins. PJ was generally a better live band with better songs, but not on these nights.

    Yes, Ed has the better voice, PJ has better musicians, and the band as a whole is far superior to Nirvana. But those performances don't compare.

    However, Benaroya is better than Nirvana's unplugged.
  • SmellymanSmellyman Asia Posts: 4,524
    Can't get passed Kurts terrible voice. Not made for an unplugged show.
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