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In Concert/MTV Plugged

 
Album Review: In Concert/MTV Plugged
 

Review

Released in Europe to coincide with Bruce Springsteen's spring 1993 tour of the continent, this album is a 13-track, nearly 72-minute audio version of Springsteen's video concert broadcast on MTV in the fall of 1992. It was part of the network's Unplugged series, but after performing the first, previously unheard song "Red Headed Woman" alone on guitar, Springsteen shouted, "All right, let's rock it!," and departed from the acoustic format. (The album's title has an "X" drawn through the "Un" of "Unplugged.") Eight of the selections come from Springsteen's 1992 albums Human Touch and Lucky Town, and the relatively minor tracks from the former benefit from being sequenced among the more ambitious songs from the latter and such old favorites as "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "Thunder Road." Though Springsteen and his new band don't "rock it" too hard for the most part, a notable exception is a performance of the previously unrecorded "Light of Day," a title song Springsteen wrote for a 1987 movie. Here, he gives a taste of the enthusiasm and spontaneity he can bring to his live performances. But this is an album of small pleasures rather than a major performance statement. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Red Headed Woman Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen (2:51)
Better Days Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen (4:27)
Atlantic City Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen (5:37)
Darkness of the Edge of Town Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen (4:40)
Man's Job Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen (5:43)
Human Touch Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen (7:29)
Lucky Town Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen (5:03)
I Wish I Were Blind Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen (5:18)
Thunder Road Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen (5:28)
Light of Day Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen (8:17)
If I Should Fall Behind Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen (4:44)
Living Proof Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen (6:04)
My Beautiful Reward Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen (5:57)

Credits

Bobby King (Vocals), Bruce Springsteen (Guitar), Bruce Springsteen (Vocals), Bruce Springsteen (Producer), Bruce Springsteen (Main Performer), Patti Scialfa (Vocals), Zachary Alford (Drums), Roy Bittan (Keyboards), Gia Ciambotti (Vocals), Bob Clearmountain (Remixing), Bob Clearmountain (Mixing), Alex Coletti (Producer), Carolyn Dennis (Vocals), Shane Fontayne (Guitar), Greg Goldman (Assistant Engineer), Jon Landau (Producer), Jon Landau (Executive Producer), Angel Rogers (Vocals), Toby Scott (Engineer), Tommy Sims (Bass), Crystal Taliefero (Guitar), Crystal Taliefero (Percussion), Crystal Taliefero (Vocals), Scott Hull (Mastering), Neal Preston (Photography), Sandra Choron (Design), Sandra Choron (Package Design), Larry Jordan (Director), Joel Gallen (Producer), Carol Dennis (Vocals), Bobby "Blanco" King (Vocals)
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Wikipedia: In Concert/MTV Plugged
Top
In Concert/MTV Plugged
Live album by Bruce Springsteen
Released April 12, 1993 (International)
August 26, 1997 (United States)
Recorded September 22, 1992
Warner Hollywood Studios, Los Angeles
Genre Rock
Label Columbia Records
Professional reviews
Bruce Springsteen chronology
Lucky Town
(1992)
In Concert/MTV Plugged
(1993)
Greatest Hits
(1995)

In Concert/MTV Plugged is a 1992 concert video and 1993 live album by Bruce Springsteen.

It is part of MTV's Unplugged series, recorded on September 22, 1992 at the Warner Hollywood Studios in Los Angeles during the midst of Springsteen's "Other Band" Tour.

Bruce Springsteen famously played one song, the previously unreleased "Red Headed Woman", solo on acoustic guitar, then he and the "Other Band" (this was during the time the E Street Band was dissolved) used amplified instruments the rest of the show; hence, the concert was called MTV Plugged (sometimes written XXPlugged after the album cover art). Reportedly Springsteen had been unhappy with the touring band's rehearsals of acoustic arrangements, and this is what led him to break the Unplugged format.

Contents

Album

The album had a lukewarm reception; Entertainment Weekly would later refer to "In Concert/MTV Plugged, which, with E Street ringers focusing on Bruce's 'solo' material ... well, we won't go there."[1]

The album was not immediately released in the United States, and when it was released in 1997, it reached number 189 on the album charts — which remains the worst such position of any album in his entire career — failing to achieve gold record status. This may be largely due to its being his only album with a delayed American release. It was more popular in the United Kingdom, where it reached number 4 on the album charts.

Track listing

All songs written by Bruce Springsteen

  1. "Red Headed Woman"
  2. "Better Days"
  3. "Atlantic City"
  4. "Darkness on the Edge of Town"
  5. "Man's Job"
  6. "Human Touch"
  7. "Lucky Town"
  8. "I Wish I Were Blind"
  9. "Thunder Road"
  10. "Light of Day"
  11. "If I Should Fall Behind"
  12. "Living Proof"
  13. "My Beautiful Reward"


Video

A VHS release of the show preceded any audio release, coming on December 15, 1992 and running 120 minutes. More songs were present here than on the later audio incarnation and on what actually aired on MTV.

On November 9, 2004, a DVD reissuing of this performance was made.

Selection listing

  1. "Red Headed Woman"
  2. "Better Days"
  3. "Local Hero"
  4. "Atlantic City"
  5. "Darkness on the Edge of Town"
  6. "Man's Job"
  7. "Growin' Up"
  8. "Human Touch"
  9. "Lucky Town"
  10. "I Wish I Were Blind"
  11. "Thunder Road"
  12. "Light of Day"
  13. "The Big Muddy"
  14. "57 Channels (and Nothin' On)"
  15. "My Beautiful Reward"
  16. "Glory Days"

Bonus songs not included in the MTV show:

  1. "Living Proof"
  2. "If I Should Fall Behind"
  3. "Roll of the Dice"

The "Other Band"

  • Bruce Springsteen – lead vocals, guitar & harmonica
  • Zachary Alford – drums
  • Roy Bittan – keyboards
  • Shane Fontayne – guitar
  • Tommy Sims – bass
  • Crystal Taliefero – guitar, percussion & background vocals
  • Gia Ciambotti – background vocals
  • Carol Dennis – background vocals
  • Cleopatra Kennedy – background vocals
  • Bobby King – background vocals
  • Angel Rogers – background vocals
  • Patti Scialfa – guitar & harmony vocals on "Human Touch"

References

  1. ^ Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live in New York City | Music Review | Entertainment Weekly

 
 

 

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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
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