In Concert/MTV Plugged

In Concert/MTV Plugged is a 1992 concert video and 1993 live album by Bruce Springsteen.

In Concert/MTV Plugged
Live album by
ReleasedApril 12, 1993
RecordedSeptember 22, 1992
VenueWarner Hollywood Studios, Los Angeles
GenreRock
Length71:38
LabelColumbia
ProducerBruce Springsteen, Jon Landau
Bruce Springsteen chronology
Lucky Town
(1992)
In Concert/MTV Plugged
(1993)
Greatest Hits
(1995)
Singles from In Concert/MTV Plugged
  1. "Lucky Town (Live)"
    Released: 1993
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Tom HullB−[2]
New Musical Express6/10[3]

It is part of MTV's Unplugged series, recorded on September 22, 1992, at the Warner Hollywood Studios in Los Angeles near the start of Springsteen's tour for Human Touch and Lucky Town. The concert originally aired on MTV on November 11, 1992, with a one-hour Springsteen documentary beforehand.

Springsteen played one song, the previously unreleased "Red Headed Woman", solo on acoustic guitar, then he and his hired band (this was during the time the E Street Band was dissolved, although members Roy Bittan and Patti Scialfa continued to perform with Springsteen) used amplified instruments the rest of the show; hence, the concert was called MTV Plugged (sometimes written XXPlugged after the album cover art). Reportedly Springsteen had been unhappy with the touring band's rehearsals of acoustic arrangements, and this is what led him to break the Unplugged format. Commercially the album was certified Gold in the US.[4]

Album

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The album had a moderate reception. "With E Street ringers focusing on Bruce's 'solo' material...," said Entertainment Weekly, "Well, we won't go there."[5] The song played on the show were relatively intense renditions, as highlighted by Springsteen's vocals and much of the instrumental accompaniment. The sombre, folk-oriented "Atlantic City" was played in a rock setting, with a rhythm intro on electric guitar as well as Springsteen's solos on the outro. Springsteen played outro solos on most of the rock songs, including "Lucky Town". The album reached number 4 in a seven-week run on the UK chart.[6]

Track listing

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All songs written by Bruce Springsteen

  1. "Red Headed Woman" (previously unreleased) – 2:51
  2. "Better Days" (from Lucky Town) – 4:27
  3. "Atlantic City" (from Nebraska) – 5:38
  4. "Darkness on the Edge of Town" (from Darkness on the Edge of Town) – 4:40
  5. "Man's Job" (from Human Touch) – 5:43
  6. "Human Touch" (from Human Touch) – 7:30
  7. "Lucky Town" (from Lucky Town) – 5:08
  8. "I Wish I Were Blind" (from Human Touch) – 5:14
  9. "Thunder Road" (from Born to Run) – 5:28
  10. "Light of Day" (from the soundtrack to the film Light of Day – originally performed by Joan Jett & Michael J. Fox) – 8:17
  11. "If I Should Fall Behind" (from Lucky Town) – 4:45
  12. "Living Proof" (from Lucky Town) – 6:05
  13. "My Beautiful Reward" (from Lucky Town) – 5:58

Video

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A VHS and Laserdisc release of the show preceded any audio release, coming on December 15, 1992, and running 120 minutes. More songs were present here than on the later audio incarnation and on what actually aired on MTV.

On November 9, 2004, a DVD reissuing of this performance was released.

Selection listing

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  1. "Red Headed Woman"
  2. "Better Days"
  3. "Local Hero"
  4. "Atlantic City"
  5. "Darkness on the Edge of Town"
  6. "Man's Job"
  7. "Growin' Up"
  8. "Human Touch"
  9. "Lucky Town"
  10. "I Wish I Were Blind"
  11. "Thunder Road"
  12. "Light of Day"
  13. "The Big Muddy"
  14. "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)"
  15. "My Beautiful Reward"
  16. "Glory Days"

Bonus songs not included in the MTV show:

  1. "Living Proof"
  2. "If I Should Fall Behind"
  3. "Roll of the Dice" (DVD Only)

Personnel

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  • Bruce Springsteen – lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar and harmonica

The Band's Musicians

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for In Concert/MTV Plugged
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[21]
video
Platinum 15,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[22] Gold 50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ Hull, Tom (October 29, 2016). "Streamnotes (October 2016)". Tom Hull - on the Web. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  3. ^ Bailie, Stuart; Staunton, Terry (11 March 1995). "Ace of boss". New Musical Express. pp. 54–55.
  4. ^ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". riaa.com. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  5. ^ "Entertainment Weekly: TV Recaps, Movie & Music News - EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  6. ^ The Guinness Book of British Hit Albums, 1996
  7. ^ Discogs - Zachary Alford - (profile & discography)
  8. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Bruce Springsteen – In Concert (MTV Plugged)" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  9. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bruce Springsteen – In Concert (MTV Plugged)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  10. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Bruce Springsteen – In Concert (MTV Plugged)" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  11. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved May 31, 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "In concert - MTV plugged".
  12. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – In Concert (MTV Plugged)". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  13. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. May 22, 1993. p. 26. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  14. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – In Concert (MTV Plugged)". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  15. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – In Concert (MTV Plugged)". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  16. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  17. ^ "Bruce Springsteen the E Street Band Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  18. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – In Concert (MTV Plugged)". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  19. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1993". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  20. ^ "LOS 50 TÍTULOS CON MAYORES VENTAS EN LAS LISTAS DE VENTAS DE AFYVE EN 1993" (PDF) (in Spanish). Anuarios SGAE. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 18, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  21. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2017 DVDs" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  22. ^ Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. ISBN 8480486392.