MTV Unplugged (Alanis Morissette album)
MTV Unplugged is the first live album by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released by Maverick Records in the United States on November 9, 1999. It comprises songs performed by Morissette on the television program MTV Unplugged. Twelve tracks were included on the album, but Morissette also performed "Baba", "Thank U" and "Your House" during the live taping. These were later released as B-sides on the "King of Pain" single release. The first single, "That I Would Be Good", was moderately successful, and two other tracks, "King of Pain" and "You Learn" were released as singles outside North America. As of March 2012, the album has sold 673,000 copies in the U.S.
In addition to material from Morissette's first two U.S. albums, MTV Unplugged featured performances of "No Pressure over Cappuccino" and "Princes Familiar", two previously unreleased songs from her tours, and "These R the Thoughts", a previously released b-side. Morissette has stated that "Princes Familiar" in particular is one of her favorite and most vocally challenging songs. She performed it on her 2005 Diamond Wink Tour, where she dedicated it to "all of the dads in the audience." The ballad "No Pressure over Cappuccino", one of the first songs she wrote following the release of Jagged Little Pill, "was inspired by twin brother," Wade.
Featuring cleaner vocals, slower arrangements and a few drastic reinventions, MTV Unplugged foreshadowed much of Morissette's later, softer work, particularly 2005's Jagged Little Pill Acoustic and the accompanying Diamond Wink Tour.
Track listing
Personnel
- Alanis Morissette – vocals, guitar, harmonica and flute
- Nick Lashley – guitar
- Joel Shearer – guitar
- Deron Johnson – keyboards, background vocals in "King of Pain"
- Chris Chaney – bass
- Gary Novak – drums and percussion
- Chris Fogel – mixing
- Brad Dutz – percussion
- David Campbell – musical arranger and viola
- Suzie Katayama – cello and string arrangement for "You Oughta Know"
- Joel Derouin – violin
- Laura Seaton – violin
- Erik Friedlander – cello
- Juliet Haffner – strings contractor
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
| Chart | Position |
| Belgian Albums | 67 |
| Dutch Albums | 25 |
| German Albums | 80 |
| Swiss Albums | 44 |