Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions

Live R.E.M. album released in 2014

Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions

Live album by

R.E.M.

Released| April 19, 2014 (2014-04-19)
Recorded|

* April 10, 1991
* May 21, 2001

Venue|

* Chelsea Studios, New York City, New York, US
* TRL Studio at MTV Studios, New York City, New York, US

Genre| Alternative rock
Length| 134:56
Label| Rhino
R.E.M. chronology
| Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011
(2011)  | Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions
(2014)  | Complete Rarities: I.R.S. 1982–1987
(2014)

|
|

Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions is a 2014 live album from alternative rock band R.E.M., released initially on vinyl recordings through Rhino Records for Record Store Day, and later made available on compact disc and digitally. The album is composed of two performances that the band made on the U.S. television show MTV Unplugged. Among the album's 33 tracks are 11 performances which were not aired on either broadcast.[1] To promote the album, Mike Mills signed copies at independent record store Bull Moose in Scarborough, Maine.[2] Video of the concerts was released later that year on REMTV.[3]

## Reception

[edit]

### Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsAggregate scores

Source| Rating
Metacritic| 73[4]
Review scores
Source| Rating
Allmusic| [5]
American Songwriter| [6]
Clash[7]| 6/10
Drowned in Sound[8]| 7/10
Popmatters[9]| 7/10
Rolling Stone| [10]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 from 10 critic scores.[4] Andrzej Lukowski of Drowned in Sound gave the album a positive review, commenting that R.E.M. was "a great live band, and the acoustic format is a fine showcase for Stipe's remarkable voice" and "1991 and 2001 complement each other well, as contrasting mood pieces".[8] Rolling Stone's Will Hermes gave the album four out of five stars remarking, "No band but Nirvana made more breathtakingly transformative use of MTV Unplugged than R.E.M."[10] Mike Diver of Clash considers the album inessential in R.E.M.'s catalogue but still welcome and a "fan-pleasing release".[7] Similarly, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic calls this release a "treat for hardcore R.E.M. fans" and contrasts the baroque pop of the 2001 set with the folk rock of the 1991 performance.[5] Alternately, American Songwriter's Lynne Margolis considers the album an important document of R.E.M.'s history writing, "By stripping their work to its most elemental form, this collection expresses their artistry in a truly definitive way."[6]

### Sales

[edit]

Chelsea Studios was the home for taping MTV Unplugged when R.E.M. performed in 1991

The album debuted at number 21 on the Billboard 200 in late May 2014 after having its wide-scale release on compact disc and digital download.[11] It also peaked at number 27 on the Italian Albums Chart.[12]

## Track listing

[edit]

All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe, except as indicated.

### Disc 1 (1991 Unplugged)

[edit]

1. "Half a World Away" (from Out of Time) – 3:58
2. "Disturbance at the Heron House" (from Document) – 3:47
3. "Radio Song" (from Out of Time) – 4:19
4. "Low" (from Out Of Time) – 5:09
5. "Perfect Circle" (from Murmur) – 4:13
6. "Fall on Me" (from Lifes Rich Pageant) – 3:21
7. "Belong" (from Out of Time) – 4:30
8. "Love Is All Around" (Reg Presley) (cover) – 3:22
9. "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (from Document) – 4:36
10. "Losing My Religion" (from Out of Time) – 4:53
11. "Pop Song 89" (from Green) – 3:28
12. "Endgame" (from Out of Time) – 3:41
13. "Fretless" (from Until the End of the World soundtrack) – 5:33
14. "Swan Swan H" (from Lifes Rich Pageant) – 3:00
15. "Rotary Eleven" (from "Losing My Religion") – 1:48
16. "Get Up" (from Green) – 2:53
17. "World Leader Pretend" (from Green) – 4:57

### Disc 2 (2001 Unplugged)

[edit]

1. "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)" (Buck, Mills, Stipe) (from Reveal) – 4:27
2. "Electrolite" (from New Adventures in Hi-Fi) – 4:05
3. "At My Most Beautiful" (Buck, Mills, Stipe) (from Up) – 3:25
4. "Daysleeper" (Buck, Mills, Stipe) (from Up) – 3:12
5. "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" (from Reckoning) – 4:05
6. "Losing My Religion" (from Out of Time) – 4:43
7. "Country Feedback" (Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe, Bob Dylan)1 (from Out of Time) – 5:25
8. "Cuyahoga" (from Lifes Rich Pageant) – 4:30
9. "Imitation of Life" (Buck, Mills, Stipe) (from Reveal) – 4:12
10. "Find the River" (from Automatic for the People) – 3:59
11. "The One I Love" (from Document) – 3:33
12. "Disappear" (Buck, Mills, Stipe) (from Reveal) – 4:00
13. "Beat a Drum" (Buck, Mills, Stipe) (from Reveal) – 4:27
14. "I've Been High" (Buck, Mills, Stipe) (from Reveal) – 3:20
15. "I'll Take the Rain" (Buck, Mills, Stipe) (from Reveal) – 5:36
16. "Sad Professor" (Buck, Mills, Stipe) (from Up) – 4:29

### Notes

[edit]

1 Although uncredited, the Unplugged rendition of "Country Feedback" contains lines from "Like a Rolling Stone", written by Bob Dylan.[13]

## Personnel

[edit]

R.E.M.

* Bill Berry – congas, tambourine, bass guitar, backing vocals (1991 performance)
* Peter Buck – acoustic guitar, mandolin; banjo, bass guitar (2001 performance)
* Mike Mills – bass guitar, backing vocals; Hammond organ (1991); piano, acoustic guitar, pump organ (2001)
* Michael Stipe – vocals, cover art design

Additional musicians

* Peter Holsapple – guitar, bass guitar, Hammond organ (1991)
* Scott McCaughey – piano, acoustic guitar, vibraphone, pump organ backing vocals (2001)
* Ken Stringfellow – piano, acoustic guitar, backing vocals (2001)
* Joey Waronker – drums, percussion (2001)

Technical personnel

Note that this list excludes the television executives credited with creating the television program

* Chris Bellman – mastering
* Chris Bilheimer – package design
* Jamie Candiloro – engineering
* Carol Field – art direction
* Todd Kilponen – engineering
* Scott Litt – engineering
* Pat McCarthy – audio supervision, remixing
* Tom McPhillips – production design
* Joe O'Herlihy – engineering
* David Vanderhayden – mixing

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Newman, Jason (March 17, 2014). "R.E.M. to Release 2 'Unplugged' Concerts for Record Store Day". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media, LLC.
2. ^ Pierce, Kathleen (April 15, 2014). "'We Were Pretty Damn Good Songwriters' Says Mike Mills of R.E.M. in Advance of Record Store Day Visit to Scarborough". Bangor Daily News. Bangor Publishing Company.
3. ^ Rosen, Craig (November 18, 2014). "Shiny Happy Records: R.E.M.'s Peter Buck Talks 7IN— 83–88 and REMTV Reissues". Yahoo! Music.
4. ^ a b "Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions by R.E.M. Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
5. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Unplugged 1991 & 2001: The Complete Sessions – R.E.M." AllMusic. AllRovi.
6. ^ a b Margolis, Lynne (June 10, 2014). "R.E.M.: R.E.M. Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions". American Songwriter. ForASong Media, LLC.
7. ^ a b Diver, Mike (May 30, 2014). "R.E.M. – Unplugged 1991/2001". Clash. Music Republic Ltd.
8. ^ a b Lukowski, Andrzej (May 12, 2014). "Album Review: R.E.M. – Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions". Drowned in Sound.
9. ^ Gu, Marshall. "R.E.M.: Unplugged 1991 & 2001". PopMatters. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
10. ^ a b Hermes, Will (March 17, 2014). "R.E.M. Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions Album Review". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media, LLC.
11. ^ "Chart Moves: R.E.M. Gets 'Unplugged' With 18th Top 40 Album, Billy Joel's 'Russia' Concert Returns". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. May 30, 2014.
12. ^ "Artisti – Classifica settimanale WK 22 (dal 26-05-2014 al 01-06-2014)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
13. ^ Deusner, Stephen M. (July 7, 2014). "Documents: The Best (And Weirdest) R.E.M. Rarities". The Pitch. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved August 20, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Announcement from R.E.M.'s homepage
* Trailer for the album

* v
* t
* e

R.E.M.

* Bill Berry
* Peter Buck
* Mike Mills
* Michael Stipe

* Bertis Downs
* Jefferson Holt

Studio albums|

* Murmur
* Reckoning
* Fables of the Reconstruction
* Lifes Rich Pageant
* Document
* Green
* Out of Time
* Automatic for the People
* Monster
* New Adventures in Hi-Fi
* Up
* Reveal
* Around the Sun
* Accelerate
* Collapse into Now

Live albums|

* R.E.M. Live
* Live at The Olympia
* Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions
* R.E.M. at the BBC
* Live at the Borderline 1991

Compilations|

* Dead Letter Office
* Eponymous
* The Best of R.E.M.
* The Automatic Box
* Singles Collected
* In the Attic
* In Time
* iTunes Originals
* And I Feel Fine
* Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011
* Complete Rarities (I.R.S. · WB)
* 7IN—83–88

EPs|

* Chronic Town
* Not Bad for No Tour
* Vancouver Rehearsal Tapes
* Live from London
* Reckoning Songs from The Olympia

Other albums|

* Man on the Moon
* r.e.m.IX

Singles|

* "Radio Free Europe"
* "Talk About the Passion"
* "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)"
* "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville"
* "Cant Get There from Here"
* "Driver 8"
* "Wendell Gee"
* "Fall on Me"
* "Superman"
* "The One I Love"
* "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"
* "Finest Worksong"
* "Orange Crush"
* "Stand"
* "Pop Song 89"
* "Get Up"
* "Losing My Religion"
* "Shiny Happy People"
* "Near Wild Heaven"
* "Radio Song"
* "Drive"
* "Man on the Moon"
* "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite"
* "Everybody Hurts"
* "Nightswimming"
* "Find the River"
* "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?"
* "Bang and Blame"
* "Crush with Eyeliner"
* "Strange Currencies"
* "Tongue"
* "E-Bow the Letter"
* "Bittersweet Me"
* "Electrolite"
* "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us"
* "Daysleeper"
* "Lotus"
* "At My Most Beautiful"
* "Suspicion"
* "The Great Beyond"
* "Imitation of Life"
* "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)"
* "I'll Take the Rain"
* "Bad Day"
* "Animal"
* "Leaving New York"
* "Aftermath"
* "Electron Blue"
* "Wanderlust"
* "#9 Dream"
* "Supernatural Superserious"
* "Hollow Man"
* "Man-Sized Wreath"
* "Until the Day Is Done"
* "Mine Smell Like Honey"
* "Überlin"
* "Oh My Heart"
* "We All Go Back to Where We Belong"

Other songs|

* "Sitting Still"
* "Gardening at Night"
* "Perfect Circle"
* "Pretty Persuasion"
* "7 Chinese Bros."
* "Begin the Begin"
* "Cuyahoga"
* "Ages of You"
* "Turn You Inside-Out"
* "Texarkana"
* "Country Feedback"
* "First We Take Manhattan"
* "Ignoreland"
* "Dark Globe"
* "Star 69"
* "New Test Leper"
* "All the Right Friends"
* "Out in the Country"

Videos|

* Succumbs
* Tourfilm
* Pop Screen
* This Film Is On
* Parallel
* Road Movie
* In View
* Perfect Square
* When the Light Is Mine
* R.E.M. Live
* Live from Austin, TX
* REMTV

Support and
side projects|

* Nathan December
* Buren Fowler
* Peter Holsapple
* Barrett Martin
* Scott McCaughey
* Bill Rieflin
* Ken Stringfellow
* Joey Waronker
* The Baseball Project
* Filthy Friends
* Hindu Love Gods
* The Minus 5
* Tanzplagen
* Tuatara
* Tired Pony

Related articles|

* Discography
* List of songs
* Awards
* Tours
* 170 College Avenue
* Peter Buck
* Athens Andover
* "I Belong to You"
* Hib-Tone
* Surprise Your Pig: A Tribute to R.E.M.
* Drive XV: A Tribute to Automatic for the People

Category

* v
* t
* e

MTV series albums

Amp|

* Amp
* Amp 2

The Grind|

* MTV Grind 1

Party to Go|

* 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5
* 6
* 7
* 8
* 9
* 10
* Platinum Mix
* '98
* '99
* 2000
* Remixed

MTV Unplugged|

* 10,000 Maniacs
* A-ha
* Bryan Adams
* Alice in Chains
* Arrested Development
* Aterciopelados
* Babyface
* Tony Bennett
* Biffy Clyro
* Björk (audio)
* Café Tacuba
* Mariah Carey
* Charlie Brown Jr.
* Eric Clapton
* The Corrs
* Dashboard Confessional
* Bob Dylan
* Cássia Eller
* Florence and the Machine
* Liam Gallagher
* Gang of Youths
* Lauryn Hill
* Jay-Z
* Juanes
* Alicia Keys
* Kiss
* Korn
* La Ley
* Legião Urbana
* Maná
* Mando Diao
* Ricky Martin
* Maxwell
* Paul McCartney
* Shawn Mendes
* Alanis Morissette
* Nirvana
* Jimmy Page & Robert Plant
* Os Paralamas do Sucesso
* Pearl Jam
* Katy Perry
* O Rappa
* R.E.M. (video)
* Alejandro Sanz
* Shakira
* Soda Stereo
* Bruce Springsteen
* Staind
* Rod Stewart
* Thirty Seconds to Mars
* Los Tigres del Norte
* Titãs
* Diego Torres
* Los Tres
* El Tri
* Julieta Venegas
* Hitomi Yaida (audio)
* Neil Young
* Zoé

MTV ao Vivo|

* Daniela Mercury
* Nando Reis e Os Infernais
* Skank
* Titãs

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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