I know I will get a lot of guff for this next comment, but I don’t care, because it is true, in my youth I did not like Nirvana as a band until I heard the “MTV Unplugged” session they did. That album was released at the very end of their career, which translates into, I wasn’t a fan of them until posthumously, and I am sure a lot of people are shaking their heads in disappointment and amazement. Whatever, get over yourselves. In the early 90’s I wasn’t down with hard rock, I liked mellow hippy hip hop like Arrested Development, and the soulful sounds of En Vogue, something that my young happy mind could relate to. It wasn’t until after I heard “The Man Who Sold the World” and “Plateau” I fell in love with the painfully mournful sound of Kurt Cobain. It was the “Unplugged” session/album that made me a Nirvana Fan. It was also the “Unplugged” album that introduced me to Eric Clapton and made “Tears in Heaven” a staple to my listening pleasure in middle school. Later, the “MTV Unplugged” cemented my belief that Jay-Z was the greatest hip hop artist alive, and that the Roots, were the best band in hip hop. Now MTV has turned their “Unplugged” attention to every one’s favourite little band that could Vampire Weekend.
I have to admit that I was pretty impressed how flawlessly the bands indie pop grooves translates so well to the “Unplugged” stage, chalked full of the standard “Unplugged” iconic items, tall stools surrounded by candles. Click here to watch the full video here, you will have to pretend to live in the United States to have access but it is worth it. As for a release date for the recorded “Unplugged” session, there isn’t one, but you can bet that MTV will not sit on it for long.