The BEST episodes of MTV Unplugged season 5
Every episode of MTV Unplugged season 5, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of MTV Unplugged season 5!
MTV's acclaimed music series showcases today's top artists and rising stars in the industry performing acoustic versions of their songs.
#2 - Stone Temple Pilots
Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 2/2/1994
Stone Temple Pilots, the hard rock sensation based south of Los Angeles, taped a performance for MTV Unplugged in New York City in November of 1993. Band members Weiland (vocals), Robert DeLeo (bass), Dean DeLeo (guitars) and Eric Kretz (drums) perform a rockin' acoustic set featuring tracks off their debut album Core. An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book...'Easily our most surreal set....'They had these stools, which is such a typical thing,' says Weiland. 'Everyone always brings out stools to do their acoustic thing. I said, 'Man, I ain't gonna sit on a stool. It's not my gig. It's stupid. Bring us some chairs to sit in. How about a rocking chair?' Set List: Crackerman Creep Andy Warhol (written by David Bowie) Plush Big Empty Sin Wicked Garden Sex Type Thing
#3 - Lenny Kravitz
Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/12/1994
Multi-talented singer/songwriter/musician Lenny Kravitz taped this Unplugged special for MTV in April of 1994. Kravitz performs material from his latest release Are You Gonna Go My Way and his previous album, Mama Said. Selections included ""Are You Gonna Go My Way,"" ""Let Love Rule,"" ""Always on the Run"" and ""Believe."" An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book...""An amazing show that had many standout moments. Lenny's idea was to reinvent his songs by bringing them back to their ultimate influences. For his blues interpretation of 'Are You Gonna Go My Way,' he even had plans to duet with John Lee Hooker. Although that pairing turned out not to be feasible, he did pull off an amazing moment. Without the audience knowing it, we seated an entire Brooklyn-based gospel choir in with the crowd. At the show's finale, the entire group rose to their feet and began singing with Lenny."" Set List: Are You Gonna Go My Way? Believe Flowers for Zoe Rosemary Sister Just Be a Woman Alway
Watch Now:Amazon#4 - Tony Bennett
Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/1/1994
Tony Bennett, the legendary pop stylist, taped a performance for ""MTV Unplugged"" in April 1994. The perennial favorite sang hits from what he called the ""Great American Song Book."" In front of an intimate audience, Bennett performed such songs as ""It Had To Be You,"" ""The Girl I Love,"" ""Steppin' Out"" and ""I Left My Heart in San Francisco."" Bennett was joined by singer k.d. Lang for ""Moon Glow,"" and by singer Elvis Costello for ""They Can't Take That Away From Me."" An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book....""While the Tony Bennett Unplugged seems to have come out of left field, there were warning signs. Tony had appeared on ""Letterman,"" ""The Simpsons,"" and even ""The Video Music Awards"" (with the Red Hot Chili Peppers) in an effort to bring his music to a younger audience. The clincher, though, was his appearance on ""Conan O'Brien."" When Conan asked Tony to what he attributed his newfound hip status, Tony simply replied, 'Hey, I've been unplugged all my life.'"" Set List: Old Devil Moon (w
Watch Now:Amazon#5 - Spoken Word II
Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/21/1994
Continuing in the wake of the first ""Spoken Word"" performance on MTV Unplugged comes ""Spoken Word II & III."" These two shows were taped in New York in April of 1994. Returning from the first Spoken Word show is poet/performer Maggie Estep, this time performing ""Sex Goddess Of The Western Hemisphere."" New artists featured include Toby Huss (""Reverend Tex Stoveheadbottom""), John S. Hall (""Let's Have Sex""), Danny Hoch (""Who Am I Really/Revolution Ain't No X Cap"") and Paul Beatty (""Ol' Yeller Dreams Of Days When We Wasn't Just Whistlin' Dixie""). Established poets Maxx Blagg, Jim Carroll and Gil Scott-Heron, along with rap artist MC Lyte and monologuist Eric Bogosian also perform. Spoken Word II Open Letter to My Biological Father [MC Lyte] Go to Hell [Toby Huss] Choices [Bahiyyih Maroon] The Doctor [Eric Bogosian] Car Poem [Matthew Courtney] Chopped Off Arm [Hal Sirowitz] Work for Peace [Gil Scott-Heron with Brother Larry McDonald] This Is Not an Angry Poem [Wanda Phip
Watch Now:Amazon#6 - Spoken Word III
Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/28/1994
Continuing in the wake of the first ""Spoken Word"" performance on MTV Unplugged comes ""Spoken Word II & III."" These two shows were taped in New York in April of 1994. Returning from the first Spoken Word show is poet/performer Maggie Estep, this time performing ""Sex Goddess Of The Western Hemisphere."" New artists featured include Toby Huss (""Reverend Tex Stoveheadbottom""), John S. Hall (""Let's Have Sex""), Danny Hoch (""Who Am I Really/Revolution Ain't No X Cap"") and Paul Beatty (""Ol' Yeller Dreams Of Days When We Wasn't Just Whistlin' Dixie""). Established poets Maxx Blagg, Jim Carroll and Gil Scott-Heron, along with rap artist MC Lyte and monologuist Eric Bogosian also perform. Spoken Word III From Here to Maternity [Max Blagg] Revolution Ain't No X Cap [Danny Hoch] Sex Goddess of the Western Hemisphere [Maggie Estep] 8 Fragments for Kurt Cobain [Jim Carrol] Let's Have Sex [John S. Hall] Old Yeller Dreams of Days when They Wasn't Just Whistling Dixie [Paul Beatty] Featurin
Watch Now:Amazon#7 - Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded
Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/12/1994
This one-time reunion of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page (formerly of Led Zeppelin) features performances from locations in London, Morocco and Wales taped in August of 1994. Plant and Page present vital, re-worked versions of Led Zeppelin songs, along with new Page/Plant material, in both "Unplugged" style acoustic and electric blues settings. Set List: No Quarter Thank You The Battle of Evermore Gallows Pole Nobody's Fault But Mine City Don't Cry The Truth Explodes (formerly known as "Yallah") Wah Wah When the Levee Breaks Wonderful One Since I've Been Loving You The Rain Song That's the Way Four Sticks Friends Kashmir Featuring: Robert Plant - vocals Jimmy Page - acoustic & electric guitar/mandolin Charlie Jones - bass/percussion Michael Lee - drums/percussion Porl Thompson - guitar/banjo Najma Atkhtar - vocals Jim Sutherland - mandolin/bodbran Nigel Eaton - hurdy gurdy Ed Shearmur - Hammond organ & string
Watch Now:Amazon#8 - Bob Dylan
Season 5 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/14/1994
Bob Dylan Recorded 11/17/94 and 11/18/94 at Sony Music Studios - New York City After coming off of a brilliant performance at Woodstock II, Bob Dylan returned to his folk roots and pulled off a natural and seamless ""MTV Unplugged"" performance. Taping the show over the course of two days, Dylan played such well-known hits as ""Like A Rolling Stone,"" ""The Times They Are A'Changin,"" and ""Knockin' On Heaven's Door"" while dipping into the Dylan playlist for ""Tombstone Blues,"" ""With God On Our Side"" and ""Everything Is Broken."" An excerpt from the MTV Unplugged book...""We taped on two nights and he rose to the occasion-- even ushering out 'Desolation Row' for the first time in years. The first night he chose a selection of his most obscure songs. The second night he played the hits. For both evenings, however, he seemed to be reinventing the songs on the spot-- almost as if he was rewriting them. The only exceptions were the very straightforward versions of two beautiful but lesser-known tun
Watch Now:Amazon#9 - Björk
Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/7/1994
The extrovert singer and songwriter from Iceland performs at MTV Unplugged in 1994. This session is peformed in NYC. Set list: 01. Human Behaviour 02. One Day 03. Come To Me 04. Big Time Sensuality 05. Aeroplane 06. Like Someone In Love 07. Crying 08. The Anchor Song 09. Violently Happy
#10 - Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 9/29/1994
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs are a latin-rock band from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Recorded in Miami at 9/29/1994. Set List: 01. El Leon Santillan 02. Siguiendo la Luna 03. Desapariciones 04. El Genio del Dub 05. El Satanico Dr. Cadillac 06. 5 Centenario 07. Matador (MTV UNPLUGGED) 08. Sopa de Caracol 09. Megamix
#11 - Phil Collins
Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 10/21/1994
On October 21, 1994 Phil Collins Unplugged aired. Because of his diminishing popularity in the U.S. it only aired in Europe.
#12 - Inside the Spoken Word
Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/22/1994
This episode takes the viewer behind the production of the two previous episodes. Recorded while the production of Spoken Word III and Spoken Word II