Music Appreciation
Related: About this forumPearl Jam - Alive (MTV Unplugged, 1992. Reaction/analysis from a vocal coach + MTV video.)
Ran across the reaction video late last night. Fun to watch. The comments are fun, too.
Btw, Rolling Stone put this in second place, behind Nirvana, in their list of the best MTV Unplugged concerts:
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/mtv-unplugged-the-15-best-episodes-119361/pearl-jam-1992-120688/

Lovie777
(19,037 posts)highplainsdem
(56,880 posts)I have no idea what your taste in music is, since you rarely post here. But that's one of Pearl Jam's best songs (my personal favorite). And Eddie - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Vedder and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Jam - is generally considered one of the greatest rock vocalists.
JoeOtterbein
(7,840 posts)...great song!
highplainsdem
(56,880 posts)highplainsdem
(56,880 posts)JoeOtterbein
(7,840 posts)...I'll check it out later today.
highplainsdem
(56,880 posts)posted here, and the replies mention or post more:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1034143770
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1034143769
ProfessorGAC
(73,276 posts)I agree with her. Eddie is a very stylish singer and he uses dynamics superbly. Probably right up a vocal coach's alley.
One interesting thing I noticed is that both guitar players appears to be playing Takamine guitars. One is for sure, the other only pretty sure.
They're really good guitars at a wide range of good, reasonable price points. I've got one that would probably be around $1,800. Like this one: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/JP3DC--takamine-jp3dc-pro-series-dreadnought-acoustic-electric-guitar-natural
But, I bought mine about 30 years ago so it's not the exact same model.
I wonder if Steve & Mark had an endorsement deal with Takamine.
highplainsdem
(56,880 posts)And one was a Takamine.
Btw, the Takamine guitar you linked to is beautiful.
I couldn't resist doing some googling to see what I could find out about the guitars.
First found out their equipment was rented when I saw this thread on a Pearl Jam message board: https://community.pearljam.com/discussion/37069/pearl-jam-unplugged-mike-and-stones-guitars
Did more checking and found out Stone Gossard played the Takamine and was pretty happy with it.
From a 1992 Guitar World article someone put online: https://www.fivehorizons.com/archive/articles/gw0992.shtml
-snipping GW asking Stone if it was uncomfortable for him-
GOSSARD: No. It was a lot scarier going in than it actually turned out to be. We showed up, and instead of the Gibson Chet Atkins steel-string guitar I had ordered, they had a classical one there. It was getting late -- like eleven o'clock at night -- and where can you rent stuff at that hour? Luckily, we knew some people who were able to score us a couple more guitars, and it turned out fine. I ended up getting a Chet Atkins steel-string -- which played great -- and a Takamine that felt pretty good. In those kinds of situations, you just have to play with the hand you're dealt. [Laughs]
MCCREADY: It was weird, because we've only done five or six brief acoustic shows, and it forces you to play differently; you can't rely on feedback. [Laughs] It forces you to use dynamics, and to look at each song in a different way. Some songs turned out good acoustically, and some just didn't quite happen. I didn't think "Even Flow" was any good.
GOSSARD: An acoustic show is really sort of a naked, exposed way of playing your songs, because you can't hide behind distortion. Doing it in front of millions of people is even more intimidating. We actually went out there and had a fun, energized show. It's a cool way to hear the band, because the drums and the vocals are featured a lot more; Dave, our drummer, is a great player and Eddie can really shine when he's given room to move around vocally. It gave people a different perception of the band.
From Rolling Stone, March 5, 2015, quoting part of the Guitar World article:
Flashback: Pearl Jam Play Intense Black on MTV Unplugged
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/flashback-pearl-jam-play-intense-black-on-mtv-unplugged-47702/
The Unplugged special was taped at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York, just three days after the conclusion of a grueling European tour. With little prep time, they were forced to rent equipment. We showed up, and instead of the Gibson Chet Atkins steel-string guitar I had ordered, they had a classical one there, guitarist Stone Gossard told Guitar World. It was getting late like 11 oclock at night and where can you rent stuff at that hour? Luckily, we knew some people who were able to score us a couple more guitars, and it turned out fine. I ended up getting a Chet Atkins steel-string which played great and a Takamine that felt pretty good. In those kinds of situations, you just have to play with the hand youre dealt.
Theyd played a few brief acoustic sets by this point, but nothing of this magnitude. Nearly every song from Ten made it into the set, along with a cover of Neil Youngs Rockin in the Free World. It forces you to play differently, said guitarist Mike McCready. You cant rely on feedback. It forces you to use dynamics, and to look at each song in a different way. Some songs turned out good acoustically, and some just didnt quite happen. I didnt think Even Flow was any good. But the groups performance of Black was nothing short of amazing, as can be seen in the video above.
-snip-
Oh, and after I googled
pearl jam takamine
I turned up, very serendipitously, a story on Takamine's site about Eddie's friendship with Takamine fan Glen Hansard:
https://www.takamine.com/news?n_id=942
ProfessorGAC
(73,276 posts)I bought the Martin about 7 years later because I was convinced I needed a Martin or Taylor. No regrets on that, but if I never stepped up beyond that Takamine, I still would have had a very good guitar.
Now, the Takamine is an alternate tuning instrument using a setup I stole from Jimmy Page.