"[M]y opinion is that his secret weapon's the sunglasses"
- Paul Williams, in his review of Unplugged from his book Watching the River Flow
I like all of Bob Dylan’s albums. Now, I don’t mean that in an everything-he-does-is-amazing way, but I have found that if I approach a Dylan album with an open mind, and (perhaps most importantly) without comparing them to one another, I will often be surprised at how much even the less well-regarded records have to offer. Having said that, there’s one album in particular that it took me a very long time to appreciate: 1995’s MTV Unplugged.
This extended to the setlist, too. At some point, Dylan made it known that he intended to perform a set of folk songs, but was informed by executives (most likely from Columbia, who would have been thinking about the sales of the upcoming live album) that this wouldn’t do, and that Bob needed to bring out the hits. Dylan duly complied. On some level, it’s probable that he realised this was something of a make-or-break situation: he had a golden opportunity to reassert himself as a top-tier artist, and if he performed poorly, or simply failed to connect with the TV audience watching at home, it would be difficult to see where his recording career could go from here. On the other hand, a success could be used as something to build on.
It’s worth noting that these tapings presented a very different environment to Dylan’s usual Never Ending Tour shows. There, Dylan performs a kind of highwire act, reshaping his songs to (and sometimes beyond) breaking point in a nightly exploration of what it means to be an artist. That’s not what was required of him at these Unplugged tapings. What he needed to do here was be palatable, in order to reach both younger viewers (“Wow, this Dylan guy seems pretty cool”) and older ones (“Is that Bob Dylan? I used to listen to him years ago....”). It might have been frustrating for fans who knew what Dylan was capable of to see him holding back in this fashion, but a potential Grammy’s ‘91 scenario was simply not an option for Bob at this point: he had to play it safe.
And these aren’t bad performances, by any means; in fact, there are gems to be found. ‘Shooting Star’, ‘John Brown’ (receiving its first official release on a Dylan album 32 years after it was written), ‘Desolation Row’ and ‘Dignity’ are my favourites from the official disc, while the outtakes include stellar performances of ‘I Want You’, ‘Hazel’, ‘Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You’ and ‘My Back Pages’, amongst others. There are no huge risks being taken, but the performances are uniformly tight and professional.
The TV special received warm reviews, with the likes of The New York Times and The L.A Times announcing that Dylan was on the comeback trail. However, the real measure of Unplugged’s success, at least as far as Columbia was concerned, would be on the Billboard Chart. Thankfully, the album - released in May 1995 - delivered, becoming Dylan’s highest charting record since Infidels in 1983.
In 1990s, the MTV Unplugged TV show was all the rage. It seemed like anyone who was anyone was lining up to appear on the programme, which, with its accompanying live albums, had also proved useful in rehabilitating the careers/consolidating the comebacks of ‘60s/’70s stars who had endured a rough decade in the 1980s. Bob Dylan, by the time he appeared on the show in November 1994, would have been acutely aware of the success contemporaries like Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton and Neil Young had enjoyed with their Unplugged specials and albums. Even Tony Bennett, who had struggled commercially since the advent of the British Invasion, was able use his MTV Unplugged appearance to cement a comeback that has continued more or less unabated to the present day.
Dylan, at the time, was in desperate need of such a comeback. His album sales had declined dramatically during the 1980s, and the brief commercial respite afforded by 1989’s Oh Mercy had not carried over to subsequent albums. His most recent record, the folk song collection World Gone Wrong, had peaked at a dispiriting number 70 on the U.S. Billboard chart. On top of this, Bob had developed a habit of giving poor performances in front of massive television audiences, including his appearances at the 1991 Grammys, David Letterman’s 10th Anniversary Special in in 1992, and Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993 – all of which must have only served to alienate audiences further.
Before making the decision to appear on Unplugged, Dylan attempted to take matters into his own hands. Booking himself for a two-night, four-show stay at New York’s Supper Club and hiring a film crew helmed by director Michael Borofsky (who would later film The Pixies in a similar environment), Dylan recorded what is assumed to have been material for a potential television special and live album. The bootlegs of the shows reveal Dylan to be in prime form, tearing through the four acoustic sets with the passion and commitment of a man with something to prove. Unfortunately, the entire project was swiftly scrapped, and neither the film nor the album was released.
There are several possible reasons for this. Given Bob’s poor commercial standing at the time, he may have simply been unable to find a network willing to pick up the special, especially as it featured no special guests and a setlist that was light on well-known hits – factors which may also have made Columbia reluctant to release a live album of the shows. However, since the performances have remained in the vaults for nearly three decades, despite reaching almost mythical status amongst fans, it’s arguably more likely that there is something about the shows that Dylan was/is unhappy with. Personally, I think they are fantastic performances and desperately wish the film would be released.
Dylan, at the time, was in desperate need of such a comeback. His album sales had declined dramatically during the 1980s, and the brief commercial respite afforded by 1989’s Oh Mercy had not carried over to subsequent albums. His most recent record, the folk song collection World Gone Wrong, had peaked at a dispiriting number 70 on the U.S. Billboard chart. On top of this, Bob had developed a habit of giving poor performances in front of massive television audiences, including his appearances at the 1991 Grammys, David Letterman’s 10th Anniversary Special in in 1992, and Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993 – all of which must have only served to alienate audiences further.
Before making the decision to appear on Unplugged, Dylan attempted to take matters into his own hands. Booking himself for a two-night, four-show stay at New York’s Supper Club and hiring a film crew helmed by director Michael Borofsky (who would later film The Pixies in a similar environment), Dylan recorded what is assumed to have been material for a potential television special and live album. The bootlegs of the shows reveal Dylan to be in prime form, tearing through the four acoustic sets with the passion and commitment of a man with something to prove. Unfortunately, the entire project was swiftly scrapped, and neither the film nor the album was released.
There are several possible reasons for this. Given Bob’s poor commercial standing at the time, he may have simply been unable to find a network willing to pick up the special, especially as it featured no special guests and a setlist that was light on well-known hits – factors which may also have made Columbia reluctant to release a live album of the shows. However, since the performances have remained in the vaults for nearly three decades, despite reaching almost mythical status amongst fans, it’s arguably more likely that there is something about the shows that Dylan was/is unhappy with. Personally, I think they are fantastic performances and desperately wish the film would be released.
Still, the appeal of a high-profile TV special was impossible to deny. Almost exactly one year after the Supper Club shows, Dylan and his band were back in New York filming an MTV Unplugged special. The circumstances could not have been more different to the year before: instead of an intimate club, Bob now found himself in the comparatively sterile surroundings of Sony Studios. Unusually, he kept his sunglasses on during the whole two nights of filming, and seems to have either decided or been persuaded to wear an outfit that evoked the image of the iconic Highway 61-era Dylan. Just from a visual perspective, the objective was clear: Bob Dylan was looking to make a good impression.
This extended to the setlist, too. At some point, Dylan made it known that he intended to perform a set of folk songs, but was informed by executives (most likely from Columbia, who would have been thinking about the sales of the upcoming live album) that this wouldn’t do, and that Bob needed to bring out the hits. Dylan duly complied. On some level, it’s probable that he realised this was something of a make-or-break situation: he had a golden opportunity to reassert himself as a top-tier artist, and if he performed poorly, or simply failed to connect with the TV audience watching at home, it would be difficult to see where his recording career could go from here. On the other hand, a success could be used as something to build on.
It’s worth noting that these tapings presented a very different environment to Dylan’s usual Never Ending Tour shows. There, Dylan performs a kind of highwire act, reshaping his songs to (and sometimes beyond) breaking point in a nightly exploration of what it means to be an artist. That’s not what was required of him at these Unplugged tapings. What he needed to do here was be palatable, in order to reach both younger viewers (“Wow, this Dylan guy seems pretty cool”) and older ones (“Is that Bob Dylan? I used to listen to him years ago....”). It might have been frustrating for fans who knew what Dylan was capable of to see him holding back in this fashion, but a potential Grammy’s ‘91 scenario was simply not an option for Bob at this point: he had to play it safe.
And these aren’t bad performances, by any means; in fact, there are gems to be found. ‘Shooting Star’, ‘John Brown’ (receiving its first official release on a Dylan album 32 years after it was written), ‘Desolation Row’ and ‘Dignity’ are my favourites from the official disc, while the outtakes include stellar performances of ‘I Want You’, ‘Hazel’, ‘Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You’ and ‘My Back Pages’, amongst others. There are no huge risks being taken, but the performances are uniformly tight and professional.
The TV special received warm reviews, with the likes of The New York Times and The L.A Times announcing that Dylan was on the comeback trail. However, the real measure of Unplugged’s success, at least as far as Columbia was concerned, would be on the Billboard Chart. Thankfully, the album - released in May 1995 - delivered, becoming Dylan’s highest charting record since Infidels in 1983.
The success of the special and album was significant. Unplugged, while not necessarily offering a true representation of Bob Dylan the performing artist, did serve to introduce him to a new audience, and perhaps to reintroduce him to an old one. When Dylan released his next album of new material – 1997’s Time Out of Mind – they were waiting with open arms.
