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''MTV Unplugged in New York'' is a live album by the American grunge band Nirvana. It features an acoustic performance taped at Sony Music Studios in New York City on November 18, 1993, for the television series ''MTV Unplugged''. The show was directed by Beth McCarthy and first aired on the cable television network MTV on December 16, 1993. As opposed to traditional practice on the television series, the band played a setlist composed of mainly lesser-known material and cover versions of songs by The Vaselines, David Bowie, Lead Belly, and Meat Puppets, whose Cris and Curt Kirkwood joined Nirvana onstage. ''MTV Unplugged in New York'' was the first Nirvana album released following the death of Kurt Cobain. The album debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, and has become the group's most successful posthumous release, having been certified 5x platinum in the United States by 1997.〔(Search "Nirvana" -RIAA ) riaa.com. Retrieved 17 April 2013.〕 It also won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1996. The performance was released on DVD in 2007. ==The performance== Nirvana had been in negotiations with MTV to appear on its acoustic-based show ''MTV Unplugged'' for some time. It was while touring with the Meat Puppets that Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain finally accepted.〔Cross, p. 302〕 The band wanted to do something different from a typical ''MTV Unplugged'' episode for its performance. According to drummer Dave Grohl, "We'd seen the other ''Unpluggeds'' and didn't like many of them, because most bands would treat them like rock shows—play their hits like it was Madison Square Garden, except with acoustic guitars." The group looked at Mark Lanegan's 1990 album ''The Winding Sheet'' as a source of inspiration. Among the ideas the band members came up with included covering David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World" and inviting members of the Meat Puppets to join them on stage.〔Scaggs, Austin. "(On an Honor Roll )". ''Rolling Stone''. July 14, 2005. Retrieved on June 26, 2008.〕 Still, the prospect of performing an entirely acoustic show made Cobain nervous.〔 The band dedicated two days to rehearsals. The rehearsal sessions were tense and difficult, with the band running into problems performing various songs. During the sessions, Cobain disagreed with MTV as to how the performance should be presented. Producer Alex Coletti recollected that the network was unhappy with the band's choice of the Meat Puppets as guests ("They wanted to hear the 'right' names-Eddie Vedder or Tori Amos or God knows who", Coletti recalled) and the dearth of hit Nirvana songs on the setlist.〔di Perna, Alan. "Season Finale". ''Guitar World''. March 1995.〕 Upset, the day before filming was set to take place, Cobain refused to play. However, he appeared at the studio the following afternoon. Cobain was suffering from drug withdrawal and nervousness at the time; one observer said, "There was no joking, no smiles, no fun coming from him... Therefore, everyone was more than a little worried about his performance."〔 Nirvana taped its performance for ''MTV Unplugged'' on November 18, 1993, at Sony Studios in New York City. Despite the show's premise, Cobain insisted on running his acoustic guitar through his amplifier and effects pedals. Coletti built a fake box in front of the amplifier to disguise it as a monitor wedge. Coletti said, "It was Kurt's security blanket. He was used to hearing this guitar through his Fender. He wanted those effects. You can hear it on 'The Man Who Sold The World.' It's an acoustic guitar, but he's obviously going through an amp." Nirvana was augmented by guitarist Pat Smear and cellist Lori Goldston, who had been touring with the band.〔 Cobain suggested that the stage be decorated with stargazer lilies, black candles, and a crystal chandelier. Cobain's request prompted the show's producer to ask him, "You mean like a funeral?", to which the singer replied, "Exactly. Like a funeral."〔Cross, p. 304〕 Unlike many artists who appeared on the show, Nirvana filmed its entire performance in a single take.〔"Bare Witness: Nirvana Unplugged". ''Nirvana: MTV Unplugged in New York'' (). Geffen Records/MTV Networks, 2007.〕 The band's fourteen-song setlist included a single song from its debut album, ''Bleach'', four songs from the 1991 album ''Nevermind'', three tracks from the then-recently released ''In Utero'', and six cover versions.〔 The group shied away from playing its better-known songs; the only hit the band performed was its 1992 single "Come as You Are".〔 Ten songs in, Cris and Curt Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets joined the band onstage to perform three of their group's songs with Nirvana. The set ended with a performance of a traditional song "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" arranged by blues musician Lead Belly. This rendition has been regarded by many as one of the greatest live single song performances of all time.〔Chamings, Andrew Wallace. "()". ''The Atlantic''. December 12, 2013.〕 As The Atlantic critic Andrew Wallace Chamings described, "For the final line, 'I would shiver the whole night through,' Cobain jumps up an octave, forcing him to strain so far he screams and cracks. He hits the word 'shiver' so hard that the band stops, as if a fight broke out at a sitcom wedding. Next he howls the word 'whole' and then does something very strange in the brief silence that follows, something that’s hard to describe: He opens his piercingly blue eyes so suddenly it feels like someone or something else is looking out under the bleached lank fringe, with a strange clarity. Then he finishes the song."〔 After the band finished, Cobain argued with the show's producers, who wanted an encore. Cobain refused because he felt he could not top the performance of that song.〔Cross, p. 305〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「MTV Unplugged in New York」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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