What a stunning concept the MTV Unplugged sessions have been. There have been many great TV episodes and lots of brilliant live albums released from the music network. Those albums have sold well over 80 million copies over the years, an amazing number from such a cool idea.
It was producers Robert Small and Jim Burns who set all this in motion. Their creation led to the very first MTV Unplugged late in 1989. The concept was very simple, although we did see a few variations to it over the years.
A stripped-back version of songs, without electric instruments. Often an acoustic set, but with some keyboards and orchestral additions at times. All played in a small studio with a limited audience.
Top selling MTV Unplugged albums
Fans and artists loved the shows and the live albums. Right from the start we saw those top-selling albums catching the eye of record labels and artists. The demand for an unplugged session was soaring. And why not? MTV was setting up the recording, the studio, and the set. There was a TV show to promote the gig and make a superb advert for an album, a no-brainer really.
Let’s look at the ten top-selling albums ever that came from MTV Unplugged. This is based on worldwide sales as recorded online at Best Selling Albums. The top ten list accounts for around 70m sales and have all sold over 2m copies. If you are wondering why your favorite artist or unplugged album isn’t here, then they just didn't sell more than the 2m copies needed to hit the top ten.
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Tenth and ninth on the top ten unplugged list
No. 10 - Alice In Chains: MTV Unplugged - 2.15m (copies sold)
Sometimes the all-acoustic unplugged approach adds a certain lightness to an artist's songs. But not always. Alice In Chains released their unplugged album in July 1996 after recording it in April that same year. The songs though were still pretty heavy on doom and gloom.
Perhaps in retrospect that's accentuated by the performance of lead singer Layne Staley. He sounds pretty powerful on this set despite his drug issues. It was to be one of his last appearances with the band. Jerry Cantrell also struggled with the recording after a bout of food poisoning from a dodgy hot dog.
It was a great performance all around by the band. But there were mixed reviews initially. Perhaps some people didn’t quite get the cut-back heavy metal with a touch of folk on those acoustics. Over time it gathered more respect and was a success for Alice In Chains reaching number ten in terms of MTV Unplugged album sales.
No. 9 - The Corrs: The Corrs Unplugged - 2.36m
Irish band The Corrs were still riding a huge wave of success after their 1997 second album Talk On Corners when the MTV opportunity came up in 1999. The band and their music style were ideally suited for an unplugged set and their programme was very popular. As was the album when released later that year.
Recorded in TV studios in their Irish homeland, The Corrs were backed by the Irish Film Orchestra, adding lush strings and more to the songs. It’s certainly a variation on the stripped-back theme but fits the unplugged term entirely. The album captures their intimate style of pop or folk songs very well. They played some of their own hits, a couple of traditional Irish songs, and added some covers, an odd mix at first glance with R.E.M. and Jimi Hendrix songs on the setlist. Both are superbly done though.
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Eighth and seventh on the top ten unplugged list
No. 8 - Mana: Mana MTV Unplugged - 2.37m
This might surprise a few readers as Mana won’t be as well known as other artists listed here. They are though pretty huge in Latin American music terms, probably the most successful such band. Mana hails from Mexico and is known for their pop rock with a Latin style.
They recorded their MTV special in Miami in 1998 with the album being released the next year. It was very popular and earned a Best Latin Pop Album Grammy nomination. Mana MTV Unplugged went on to be a high seller across Latin America and especially in Mexico. Over 700k copies sold in the US get added in to take the total even higher and help earn the band eighth place here.
No. 7 - Bryan Adams: Unplugged - 2.6m
MTV certainly made some great choices when booking artists for this series. Bryan Adams was another inspired choice. At the time this was recorded in New York in 1997 Adams had seven studio albums behind him and a 1988 live album. That's an extensive back catalog of great songs and plenty of hits to draw on. He managed to include three new songs and chose wisely in terms of which to drop from the set too.
Adams is also another artist whose music lends itself very well to the format. Some great work from him on the arrangements of those plus superb orchestrations from Michael Kamen make this an excellent album. Adams also brought a Celtic touch to some songs with Davy Spillane playing uilleann pipes on them. A unique touch and sound to add in.
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Sixth and fifth on the top ten unplugged list
No. 6 - 10,000 Maniacs: MTV Unplugged - 3m
For some artists a live album can be a bit of a catch-up on best songs or maybe a way to get a contract fulfilled. For 10,000 Maniacs, their MTV Unplugged album stands up very well against their studio albums, both before and afterward. It's as good as, if not better than the others.
It marks the departure of lead singer Natalie Merchant in August 1993, a few months after recording the session in April and before the album was released in October. The album is a really good collection of the band’s top songs. They had a new hit from it too with a single, “Because The Night”, released and reaching number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Again all credit to the MTV producers. 10,000 Maniacs are another perfect fit for this format. The easygoing songs fit the laid-back atmosphere in the studio and from the audience. If you want to catch up on the band's music this is the go-to disc to do so.
No. 5 - Rod Stewart: Unplugged...And Seated - 4.1m
Rod Stewart has had a few switch-arounds in music style over the years. His unplugged session is a masterpiece in sampling a few of those. Recorded in 1993 the focus is mainly on his music from the 1970s and 80s. As part of the retro view, he is reunited on stage with his old pal Ronnie Wood from Faces for several numbers.
Stewart does add in a couple of newer songs, his version of Tom Waits’ “Tom Traubert’s Blues” always thrills me to hear. He is clearly having fun throughout the session and enjoying the music, Wood likewise. It’s a bit less of a concert and more of dropping in on two music friends having a chat and singing a few favorites together. But it’s all the better for it. Over four million sales suggest there’s a lot of agreement on that.
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Third and fourth on the top ten unplugged list
No. 4 Mariah Carey: MTV Unplugged - 7m
Mariah Carey recorded her MTV Unplugged show in New York in March 1992. It was intended to promote her second album Emotions and to fill a gap in touring and playing live. The TV show went down well and it was decided in June to release an EP. So does that count here as an album? Well, it had seven songs on it, and two of those were released separately as singles. I reckon that all makes it fine to include on this top ten ranking list.
During the show and on the EP Carey showed her true talent. She switched a little from her pop style to a bit more RnB and Gospel, perhaps more suited to the changes in the way the songs had been arranged. It proved very successful with the EP going on to sell 7m copies. The whole unplugged experience seemed to help take Carey up a level in her career.
No. 3 - Eagles: Hell Freezes Over - 10.9m
This Eagles album isn’t always recognized as coming from the MTV Unplugged series. Perhaps that's because of all the background to the record. The album name of course relates to Don Henley’s definition of when the Eagles might get back together again after their acrimonious break up in 1980. Hell Freezes Over was their reunion after all those years.
They got back together for two nights in California in April 1994 to record an MTV special show with the Unplugged production team. The recording was released as an album in November of that year. At first, you'd think the unplugged would suit the Eagles songs well, but then you recall the guitar solo on Hotel California and wonder. But worry not, it’s an exquisite acoustic version of the classic song. The whole album does work extremely well and helped make this the third best-seller in the Unplugged series at almost 11m sales.
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The top two best selling MTV Unplugged albums are…
No. 2 - Nirvana: MTV Unplugged In New York - 12.8m
Other artists selected for the unplugged treatment may have been obviously perfect picks. Perhaps less so the grunge rock of Nirvana. Yet when they took to the set in November 1993 there was no doubt that their version of Unplugged wouldn't be a big success. It was a slight variation on the usual MTV theme with some electric amplification and guitar effects in use. The band also played more covers and deep cuts than bigger hits and favorites.
The combination worked well and Kurt Cobain was exceptional throughout. His shock death just five months later made the set even more poignant as a late live session. It was released as an album in November 1994, almost a year after the recording, and became a great tribute to Cobain and the band. It's very much an album you shouldn't miss, whether a fan of the band or not. It picked up a Grammy for Best Alternative Album in 1996 and deservedly ranks high in the top ten unplugged sellers list.
No. 1 - Eric Clapton: Unplugged -26m
Eric Clapton’s Unplugged album kicked off a huge demand for the series. Recorded in January 1992 and released as an album that August, it was one of the early MTV sessions. Clapton’s unplugged versions caught the attention of many. Well-known highlights are the emotional “Tears In Heaven” and the excellent reworking of “Layla” to the format.
There are so many great songs on the album alongside those. I love “San Francisco Bay Blues” on there and the old Muddy Waters number, reworked by Clapton from his Cream days, “Rollin’ and Tumblin’”. At 26m sales and three Grammy Awards, the album has certainly made its mark. It went some way to rejuvenating Clapton musically and sparked a clamor of requests from artists for a session of their own.