MTV Unplugged
Ron's Review
One might say it's not possible to wear out a CD. They are wrong. I did it, with this CD. When it comes to great music that you can never get tired of this is the one. (PERIOD) This album will take you to wherever you want to go, weather just to mellow out and relaxes, or go on a drive and rock out. It never disappoints. To me what makes a Great Album is not knowing when to push the eject button and I haven't for over eight years in my truck. It is the only music CD that has ever been in my '97 Ford pickup truck. It's the only CD I ever bought a second one of just to continue to listen to in the home, and it's the only one that I bought a third one to replace the worn out one in my truck. If you don't have this CD in your collection, you are missing the greatest album of the 1990s.
Josh's Review
This type of album (Unplugged) strips the band down to acoustic. "Nutshell" starts off with the crowd cheering and Jerry starts playing. Followed by Mike's bass coming up and then after a bit the drums kick in right before Layne starts singing. His performance is breath-taking and earth shattering. "Brother" is a hopeful song that can't help but make you smile and bob your head. "No Excuses" is AMAZING. The harmonizing is spine tingling between Layne and Jerry, just wow. "Sludge Factory" is not only one of the coolest tunes but I say this is better unplugged, as in meant for it. Layne does another earth shattering job. "Down In A Hole" is probably one of my top songs b/c it hits so close to home and the harmonizing is phenomenal and I love it, amazing job, would have made me sad if Jerry never showed the guys this like he wasn't going to... "Angry Chair" goes from being haunting and scary to sorrowful, great job plus Layne on guitar. "Rooster" is an amazing song. There really isn't anything else to say. "Got Me Wrong" is a hopeful song that hits a little too close but I love it for that, wow. "Heaven Beside You" is done so well and makes you crack a nice ear to ear grin. "Would?" will always be a great song but this version makes it like a new song to me so great guys. "Frogs" is one of my favorites also, Layne does phenomenal along with instrumentals...Hypnotic..."Over Now" is a song that makes me tear up esp. the interludes and solos they just make me want to cry , I don't know how Jerry came up with it but Thank you. "The Killer is Me" is a treat indeed a new song out of nowhere, think the ppl there felt a little special :-) Last but not least Alice in Chains is in my eyes thee best band ever, where everything just flows together so perfectly like Destiny...
Brandon's Review
Unplugged is easily one of the most important albums of Alice in Chains' short, but prolific, musical career. In any case that a band is playing unplugged, they are also being stripped down to the core of their music, and musical talent. And for that very reason AiC's Unplugged is arguably their best album in the respect to musicianship. Alice in Chains undoubtedly shows that they are one of the best bands of all time. Anyone can make a studio album and sound good; AiC proves they are musically genius through and through. Layne Staley, in songs such as "Nutshell", and "No Excuses," displays his melody endued hardships through his empowering and soft voice. Yet, in contrast, in songs like "Sludge Factory" and "Angry Chair," Layne seems to keep his unique voice in tune to its roots. Jerry Cantrell shows yet again his versatility in "Sludge Factory" and "Rooster." Jerry also sings in perfect harmony with Layne in songs such as "Brother" and "Got Me Wrong". Sean Kinney transforms his balls-to-the-wall drumming into rhythmic hypnotism. In "No Excuses" Sean plays one of his best rhythms as perfect as can be. Mike Inez plays some of his best riffs in Unplugged. Songs like "Frogs" and "Would?" bring the element of terror to the table with Inez's low, throbbing bass. In whole, the band gains recognition, in my view, because they create a journey a music which ventures through anger, drugs, memories, and sadness. I'm a huge fan of music and while I'm only 17 and have only been listening to this music since I was 8, I have come to find that Alice in Chains is one of the best bands to ever graze the Earth's ears, and that their MTV Unplugged is one of the most important albums that made rock what it is today.
Sebastian's Review
I remember very well the day I picked this album up. It was a summer's day and the sun was shining and it was hot. I had just bought it and was going to listen to it on my way home to get a feel of the album. I was moved. The songs that just meant so much to me were given a new kind of meaning. The songs themselves are a lot less aggressive than the studio versions. You'll notice that on songs like "Angry Chair," where the angry, haunting quality is replaced by hopelessness and grief. Songs that were just beautiful from the beginning were given an even more sweet tone to them. "Over Now" and "Heaven Beside You" are just two examples of this. The performance is just as blistering as one might expect.
Layne gives a touching performance, himself marred by the decay of his drug-abuse, but he still manages to give a truly earth-shattering performance on "Would?," "Nutshell" and other songs. But he does seem tired at other points. "Down In A Hole" clearly suffers from this fact, as the song is honestly superbly instrumented, Layne is dragging the performance back as he isn't able to confidently sing his parts. But as far as looking at the whole performance, some will cry by the honest and gripping interpretations by their well-known material. A small gem is the new song "Killer Is Me." It is in my opinion a truly strange song. The dissonances make you cringe, but the guitar-melody and the vocal message is just so fitting of the whole atmosphere. A song truly worthy of the label, written by Alice In Chains, as well as this concert, which has been for ever immortalized on CD. PS: I like this concert better than the one by Nirvana, performance wise and song wise. Alice in Chains is just a far superior band than Nirvana.
