Unplugged (Neil Young album)

Unplugged
Live album by Neil Young
Released	June 15, 1993
Recorded	February 7, 1993
Venue	Universal Studios, Los Angeles
Genre	Rock
Length	65:35
Label	Reprise
Producer	David Briggs
Neil Young chronology
Lucky Thirteen (1993) Unplugged (1993) Sleeps with Angels (1994)
Singles from Unplugged
"The Needle and the Damage Done" / "You And Me" Released: July 1993 "Long May You Run" / "Sugar Mountain" Released: October 1993 [1]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Calgary Herald	B+ [3]
NME	8/10 [4]
Rolling Stone	[5]
Select	[6]

Unplugged is a live album by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Neil Young, released on June 15, 1993, on Reprise. Recorded on February 7, 1993, the album is an installment of the MTV series, Unplugged . The performance was also released on VHS.

Background and recording

The recording of Unplugged was reportedly rife with tension, with Young displeased with the performances of many of his band members. The released version was his second attempt at recording a set suitable for airing and release. ^[7]

The track "Stringman" was recorded for Young's notoriously unreleased studio album Chrome Dreams .

Track listing

All tracks composed by Neil Young

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Old Laughing Lady" (from Neil Young (album))	5:15
2.	"Mr. Soul" (from Buffalo Springfield Again)	3:54
3.	"World On A String" (from Tonight's the Night (Neil Young album))	3:02
4.	"Pocahontas" (from Rust Never Sleeps)	5:06
5.	"Stringman" (unreleased prior to Unplugged)	4:01
6.	"Like A Hurricane" (from American Stars 'n Bars)	4:44
7.	"The Needle And The Damage Done" (from Harvest (Neil Young album))	2:52
8.	"Helpless" (from Déjà Vu (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young album))	5:48
9.	"Harvest Moon" (from Harvest Moon (album))	5:20
10.	"Transformer Man" (from Trans (album))	3:36
11.	"Unknown Legend" (from Harvest Moon (album))	4:47
12.	"Look Out For My Love" (from Comes a Time)	5:57
13.	"Long May You Run" (from Long May You Run)	5:22
14.	"From Hank to Hendrix" (from Harvest Moon (album))	5:51

In addition to the tracks found on this album, Neil Young performed the following songs live during the performance:

• "Dreamin' Man"
• "Sample and Hold"
• "War of Man"
• "Winterlong"

Personnel

• Neil Young – guitar, harmonica, piano, pump organ, lead vocals
• Nils Lofgren – guitar, autoharp, accordion, backing vocals
• Ben Keith – Dobro
• Spooner Oldham – piano, pump organ
• Tim Drummond – bass
• Oscar Butterworth – drums
• Astrid Young – backing vocals
• Nicolette Larson – backing vocals
• Larry Cragg – broom on "Harvest Moon"

Additional roles

• Janet Levinson – art direction & design
• Joel Bernstein – photography
• David Briggs – production, mixing
• Tim Mulligan – mastering
• John Hanlon – mixing, recording
• John Hausmann, John Nowland – mixing

Charts

Chart performance for Unplugged

Chart (1993)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [8]	19
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [9]	13
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [10]	10
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [11]	13
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [12]	7
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [13]	31
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [14]	16
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [15]	5
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [16]	8
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [17]	25
UK Albums (OCC) [18]	4
US Billboard 200 [19]	23

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [20]	Gold	35,000^
Belgium (BRMA) [21]	Gold	25,000*
United Kingdom (BPI) [22]	Gold	100,000^
United States (RIAA) [23]	Gold	500,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Neil Young singles & EP discography". Discogs. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
2. Ruhlmann, William. Unplugged at AllMusic
3. Tremblay, Mark (June 20, 1993). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald .
4. Frost, Danny (June 12, 1993). "Long Play". NME . p. 35. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
5. Rolling Stone review
6. Collis, Clark (July 1993). "New Albums". Select . p. 95. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
7. Jimmy McDonough, 2003, Shakey: Neil Young's Biography, p.669+
8. "Australiancharts.com – Neil Young – Unplugged". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
9. "Austriancharts.at – Neil Young – Unplugged" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
10. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2191". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
11. "Dutchcharts.nl – Neil Young – Unplugged" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
12. "Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1960: Artistit X Y". 2015.
13. "Offiziellecharts.de – Neil Young – Unplugged" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
14. "Charts.nz – Neil Young – Unplugged". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
15. "Norwegiancharts.com – Neil Young – Unplugged". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
16. "Swedishcharts.com – Neil Young – Unplugged". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
17. "Swisscharts.com – Neil Young – Unplugged". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
18. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
19. "Neil Young Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
20. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1996 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 14 July 2021.
21. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2005". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
22. "British album certifications – Neil Young – Unplugged". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 5 May 2022.
23. "American album certifications – Neil Young – Unplugged". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 5 May 2022.