Listening to it, you wonder how nobody could see Kurt, whom the performance is all about, and his descent into the abyss of his depressive misery. His agonised howl is absolutely chilling, and when he holds the final note of SHIIIVVEERR, he stands alone on the stage.ДЄ short breath, perhaps to compose himself. He roars out the lyrics with no constraint, just primal emotion. With the beautiful, mournful groans and cries of LoriвЂ™s cello and the deafening whisper of the riff, this is stunning even before the final two minutes.ДЄ romantic would love to think the Kurt decided, spur of the moment, to give it everything he had. Listening to this masterpiece, it is undeniable to think that Kurt knew he was going to die. A cover by CobainвЂ™s вЂњfavourite performer.our favourite performerвЂќ Lead Belly, Where Did You Sleep Last Night is a complete summation of Kurt: about a man who uncovers his wifeвЂ™s infidelity, staggers out into the night, deep into a freezing, black forest and kills himself. But nothing at all can match Where Did You Sleep Last Night, the most powerfully harrowing song on one of the most powerfully harrowing albums of all time. About the regret he felt for everything he became, couldnвЂ™t be and never would be, CobainвЂ™s pain in the chorus line вЂњMarried.buriedвЂќ is difficult to listen to, and impossible to not feel some emotion over.ДЄll Apologies and About A Girl may be the biggest hits and, pure and simple, the best songs off the album. Exceeding the self hatred of Dumb and the internal pain of the Meat PuppetвЂ™s set All Apologies is the saddest song on the album. Together, they perform three standout tracks: Plateau, with its chilled side-to-side riff (in which Cobain holds some brilliant low notes) the Old Testament style Lake Of Fire and the subtly painful Oh, Me, with a line so ironic you canвЂ™t help but smile sadly: вЂњWould you like to hear my voice sprinkled with emotion?вЂќД¬oming towards the end, and climax, of the album, is All Apologies. Their gregarious confidence starkly contrasts KurtвЂ™s quietly conversed crowd interaction. Nirvana are joined onstage by the two brothers from Meat Puppets: Curt and Cris Kirkwood. Something In The Way, with LoriвЂ™s cello pushing and pulling more than ever, sounds as excellent as the Nevermind version, but it lacks the contrast to the rest of the album that served it so well on its release. The smart cynicism and teenage exasperation of On A Plain is as good as the studio version, and the crowd gets into it. Anyway, the MTV Unplugged version is nigh on identical to the Nevermind version. I have always found Polly too disturbing to listen. She delivers brilliantly and contributes some wonderful emotion throughout the album. This is the first song in which cellist Lori Goldstein, who was touring with the band, can be heard prominently. Dumb, however, with a nice groove and livelier delivery, is probably better than the studio effort. Pennyroyal Tea, with its drowsy verses and pushed chorus, isnвЂ™t as good as the In Utero version. It does sound like a hymn you would find in a country church with the delightful shine of Krist NovoselicвЂ™s accordion. Jesus DoesnвЂ™t Want Me For A Sunbeam is the albumвЂ™s first cover song: вЂњa rendition of an old Christian song.but we do it the VaselinesвЂ™ way,вЂќ Cobain says softly, with the hint of a grin. The famous riff of Come As You Are receives a delighted welcome from the crowd itвЂ™s the only song that had been a previous hit on the album. The deathly cold solo is what defines this as a top song. The first track is one of the albumвЂ™s best: the dark, wretched, glowering About A Girl, in which Cobain hauntingly prolongs the вЂI do.вЂ™ like itвЂ™s a confession to a wicked act.

Opening with the applause of a modest crowd of delighted fans and Cobain, showing his chronic shyness and self-consciousness, quiet, awkwardly murmurs вЂњThis is off our first record.most people donвЂ™t know it.вЂќ A blend of old Nirvana songs and covers of CobainвЂ™s favourite artists (The Vaselines, David Bowie, The Meat Puppets, Lead Belly), MTV Unplugged is such an open display of emotion and pain that it is impossible to listen to without being moved. MTV Unplugged is a farewell note that it is, all at once, heart wrenching, brilliant, and an open summation of Kurt CobainвЂ™s torment and talent.

Review Summary: Shiver the whole night through.

Nirvana mtv unplugged album cover