Details
Track Listing
1. Old Laughing Lady, The
2. Mr. Soul
3. World on a String
4. Pocahontas
5. Stringman
6. Like a Hurricane
7. Needle and the Damage Done, The
8. Helpless
9. Harvest Moon
10. Transformer Man
11. Unknown Legend
12. Look Out For My Love
13. Long May You Run
14. From Hank to Hendrix
Album Notes
Personnel: Neil Young (vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, pump organ); Nils Lofgren (vocals, guitar); Nicolette Larson, Astrid Young (vocals); Ben Keith (dobro); Spooner Oldham (piano, pump organ); Tim Drummond (bass, guitar); Oscar Butterworth (drums); Larry Cragg (broom).
Engineers: David Briggs, John Hanlon, John Nowland, John Hausmann.
Recorded at Universal Studios, Los Angeles, California on February 7, 1993.
For all its shortcomings, MTV's UNPLUGGED series, presenting artists in an ostensibly stripped-down, acoustic setting, has provided the world with a few recorded gems, including this album. Young's turn on the show amounts to a live best-of, focusing (out of necessity) on the ballad end of his repertoire. Supported by longtime cohorts like Nils Lofgren, Tim Drummond, and Ben Keith, Young reaches back to his earliest solo recordings ("The Old Laughing Lady") as well as offering up some new tunes ("From Hank to Hendrix," "Unknown Legend").
Amid the electrical storm of Crazy Horse, it's often easy to forget how brightly Young shines as an acoustic balladeer, his high, lonesome whine taking on a plaintive quality. From the surrealism of "Pocahontas" to the existential angst of "World on a String," Young works his idiosyncratic magic. As a bonus, UNPLUGGED offers some interesting rearrangements of old tunes, particularly "Like a Hurricane," which is presented as a pump organ-driven slow burner.
Industry Reviews
Included in Q's list of 'The 50 Best Albums Of 1993' - ...a spellbinding hour's music....
Q (01/01/1994)
Ranked #26 in New Musical Express' list of 'The Top 50 LPs Of 1993' - ...old faves and obscurities from as far back as '69, made quietly reflective with guitar, harmonium and Neil's prarie dog howl. A negative image of the stormy ARC WELD....
NME (12/25/1993)
3 Stars - Good - ...Young flashes both sides of his musical personality: the earnest folkie and the edgy heretic....the music has the relaxed aura of a friendly folkside folk sing...
Rolling Stone (08/19/1993)
5 Stars - Indispensible - ...Just when Unplugged ought to be running out of steam, Neil Young has taken the measure of its possibilities, picked exactly the right balance of material and put one over on everybody who's been there before, including Clapton and Springsteen...
Q (07/01/1993)
...while many of these songs sound like earlier versions, there are thrilling exceptions: 'Helpless' takes on a gospel longing, and 'Mr. Soul' becomes a despondent dirge... - Rating: B
Entertainment Weekly (06/18/1993)
4 Stars - Excellent - ...[a] willingness to re-mold songs by means of unusual instrumentation...marks out this show as probably the best in MTV's UNPLUGGED series...
Q (08/01/1993)
...Young confidently recasts 'Transformer Man', 'Like a Hurricane' and other classics. The nearest thing to a career-spanning retrospective, and probably the best place for a novice to start.
Mojo (11/01/2001)
Ranked #26 in New Musical Express' list of 'The Top 50 LPs Of 1993' - ...old faves and obscurities from as far back as '69, made quietly reflective with guitar, harmonium and Neil's prarie dog howl. A negative image of the stormy ARC WELD....
NME (12/25/1993)
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