Recorded in 1993 for a television special (an installment of MTV’s Unplugged series), Neil Young’s Unplugged is a fairly standard offering at a time when unplugged albums were being released at a rate of one a week.
Apparently, the released version is Young’s second attempt at a live set and the recordings were fraught with tension (Neil was not pleased with the performances of the other musicians), which is not unheard of when it comes to Neil Young albums.
The choice of songs is fairly interesting; it is not exactly a greatest hits set, although it’s nice to hear faithful versions of The Needle And The Damage Done and Harvest Moon. Mr Soul, on the other hand, and the ominous version of Like A Hurricane are really intelligent reworkings of old favourites and demonstrate that old Neil still had it after 30 years in the business. Helpless sounds a little 1993 and there are a few tracks from his current album at the time which may not be on the next greatest hits release, but overall Unplugged is a rewarding listen.
An affecting metaphor for the ravages of alcoholism, The Old Laughing Lady, originally appeared in a much more produced format on Neil’s eponymous début Neil Young, which was released in 1969. The version which opens Unplugged is a simple singer-with-guitar setup and is all the better for it.