Customer Reviews

Alanis Morissette: MTV Unplugged

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4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'll first start by saying that I am an enormous fan of Alanis Morissette. She is one the greatest female singers of all time, her songs are superbly melodic, her vocals are brilliant and she produces thought-provoking songs that touch me in no way any other artist has.

I have owned "Jagged Little Pill" for almost a year now. It instantly became my favourite album ever, and nothing is going to change that anytime soon. I'm not exaggerating when I say I must've listened to it more than a thousand times - and that's quite a lot in the space of a year! I'm also confident that after this I will continue to listen to it for the rest of my life. I avoided buying "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie" for a while as I had read some reviews that said it was nothing like Jagged Little Pill. I resisted for a while but I needed more material from Alanis so I bought the album in June earlier this year. I wasn't too keen at first, but I listened to it more and, well - let's just say I was in a state of musical bliss for months on end! It was totally euphoric, and I love the record to bits. "Under Rug Swept" is yet another superb album from Alanis, but it's not a patch on her first two albums. I now have all of Alanis' main studio albums and recently read that she is working on some new material. Which brings me to this review...

I had bought all three of Alanis' major albums, so I decided to buy "Alanis Unplugged." I didn't expect much, as I had heard all the songs before on the albums, but to my surprise yet again, I love this CD more than I expected! Alanis sings with such honesty and emotion when live. It's just herself and her microphone, along with hardcore fans taking in the energy surrounding them. It's very inspiring. The set kicks off in wonderful style with the song "You Learn." From the Jagged Little Pill album, this song was a huge hit all over the world and one of the most-played radio hits of the 90's. Alanis is superb on it, and things get better with her powerful performance of "Joining You" from the Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie album.

Alanis then sings a new song, "No Pressure Over Cappuccino," said to be inspire about her brother and his sexual orientation. It's a great song, which is followed by "That I Would Be Good" and "Head Over Feet." Another new song, "Princes Familiar," is debuted next. It's the best 'new' song on the album, and it has the melodic excellence to rival anything from the Under Rug Swept album. Next comes a great performance of "I Was Hoping" and a high-pitched sunlit version of "Ironic." Another new song comes along in the form of "These R The Thoughts," which is followed by a cover-version of "King Of Pain." The crowd goes wild for it, and so will the listener! Next comes a wonderfully diverse performance of Alanis' trademark hit "You Oughta Know." The audience goes wild with excitement, and are then treated to the fabulous "Uninvited."

OVERALL GRADE: 9/10

Out of all Alanis Morissette's albums, I'd say that "Alanis Unplugged" is probably the least important. If you want to get into her music, you should be buying Jagged Little Pill, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie and Under Rug Swept. Three essential albums. This CD is essential for hardcore fans, however, and we get to see the real Alanis. She jokes about spilling water over herself and thanks the audience at the end by saying, "Thank you. Very much. It's been such a pleasure. I love you." She proves she isn't afraid of small spaces and groups of people, but most importantly, she proves that she is just human like the rest of us which has to be one of the most gifted and special parts of being a huge celebrity - remaining grounded and focused on the important things in life.

Alanis Morissette has an unique ability that I have seldom ever seen before. There are three aspects of her all over style that must be addressed. Firstly, her voice. Yes, some say she is a screamer, and granted, she has been known to scream alittle in her earlier work on Jagged Little Pill, although whenever she would screech, it was mirroring the emotions the song was written about. She would wail when she was singing about lost love, sexism and pain. In this album, as in Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, she doesnt scream at all. In Unplugged especially, she has a much mellower version of all her songs. Her voice flows easilly, and she has a relaxed way of approaching them all.

Secondally, the lyrics. Alanis is a truely wonderful writer. She has insight and perceptiveness about everything she writes about. Of all the twelve songs on Unplugged, only one is not her own, "King Of Pain" written and composed by "Sting" but she brings a fresh depth and exhuberance to it. The other eleven are a mixture of classics, and three exciting 'new' tracks. All of her classics are revamped, in a delicate, precise way that shows a braveness on her part, because she is so going against what made her famous in the first place, yet brilliantly suceeding, even with a very different style. Noteably, her rendition of "Ironic" and "Joining You" are particually wonderful in thier total difference from the origional versions. The three 'new' tracks are wonderful too. "No Pressure Over cappuccino" is especailly Lyrically rich, with lyrics that are not only catchy, but deep and rich in meaning, both hidden and obvious.

And lastly, the music. Alanis herself plays the harmonica, the guitar and the flute, and probably a few more that she doesnt flaunt as of yet. She has supreme control on all her instruments, so much so that in the flute melody at the end of "That I Would Be Good" I am always drawn to tears by the somewhat eerie meaning that transends her flute playing. Her general music style is always wonderful, mirroring what she is singing about.

All in all, this CD is an absolute marvel. I will not be putting this away for some time. She is so talented, she can sing, write and compose better than anyone I have ever come across. If you want to be immersed by the talent that is alanis, buy this CD.

Of course, that's only my opinion. But there are a lot of good things to say about this album. First of all, The Police's "King of Pain" is a beautiful song, and it's fitting that Alanis Morissette should do a cover of it. It suits her vocal style, and it's very moving. "Princes Familiar" is actually one of my favourite songs on this album -- it's hardly "left out for good reason." Of course, the reason for my liking it is simply that I'm a lot of the things she sings about (philosophical, tapped into feminity, etc.). But if I can identify with it on an emotional level, it's okay so far as I'm concerned. The new version of "You Oughta Know" is possibly better than the original. She's dropped the fiercely angry, harsh voice for one that's more vulnerable and sad -- and I love the sound of violins, which have been added. It's still an "angry song" because of the lyrics, but it's now a more futile, desperate anger. The most moving song on the album. It was a wonderful decision, because it makes one look at that song in a whole new, fresh light; and it's just as, if not more, emotionally effective, though in an entirely less aggressive way. My only real complaint is "These R The Thoughts" -- but even this song is not that bad. Good job, Alanis! If any artist should do an unplugged album, it should be you -- and, hey, you did! ;)

First off, the "Unplugged" TV special on MTV only proceeded to excite us Alanis fans even more for the album release. Way before MTV viewers and non-fans knew about "Unplugged", we had been finding out top secret info. Such as, the new songs Morissette performed. "No Pressure Over Cappuccino", a not-quite brand new song that she had only performed on her first tour; "These R The Thoughts", originally a single b-side; "King of Pain", the Police cover; and "Princes Familiar", a song rumored to be the song written for her father, who is supposedly passing away.

Basically, to summarize UNPLUGGED, you get to see the toned down Alanis Morissette some never knew before. "You Oughta Know" has been stripped of its bitterness and anger and transformed into an orchestral array of emotion. "You Learn" is changed into an almost-cheery acoustic version that almost makes you wonder why the original lyrics are still intact. On other hands, some songs remain the same. The newest single, "That I Would Be Good" remains a unique ballad with that same breathy and beautiful flute solo by Alanis at the end. "Head Over Feet" also proves it probably will never lose it's happiness and gratituity. What's most exciting is Alanis's cover of the Police song "King of Pain", which gives her keyboardist Derron Johnson his 4 minutes of singing fame. To add icing to the cake in my opinion is "Princes Familiar", a fantastic song for Alanis's father, who is rumored to be passing away from cancer. MTV UNPLUGGED is an astonishing effort from Alanis Morissette, and even some non-fans may get some enjoyment out of this one.

In my humble opinion, this is the best album of 1999, a must buy CD. ;) Alanis sounds better performing live, she transmited us all her feelings that make her wrote her songs, I mostly buy albums from artist that writes their own songs, that's why she's my favorite singer, song writer and composer. She not only sings beatiful melodies, but also writes the most deep lyrics, she makes us feel and think. This album bring us 3 unrealeased songs, the rest of the songs sounds different than their original versions, but they still great! Her music is so addictived! 1. YOU LEARN, sounds great in any version, but this one sounds even better than the JLP version, she's not like all those artist that always play their songs in the same way. 2. JOINING YOU, a melancollic version. This song was not on Tv. 3. NO PRESSURE OVER CAPPUCCINO, finally she decided to put it on this album, I only had to conform to listten to it on the net before this CD came out. Is a sweet song inspired by her twin brother. 4.THAT I WOULD BE GOOD, I know many people that now are fans since they first heard this song. 5.HEAD OVER FEED, This sounds better that the original version from JLP. 6.PRINCES FAMILIAR, a new song, this is my favorite one. What a voice! This song rocks! 7.I WAS HOPPING, wonderful. This song was not on Tv. 8. IRONIC, sounds great with the piano! I became a fan since I first listtened to this song back in 1995. 9. THESE R THE THOUGHTS, what a great song! great lyrics. It's a ballad, However I preffer the studio version, if U want to listten to the studio version you should get the "Joining you" single, there are many. This song was not on Tv. 10. KING OF PAIN, a cover from The police, I have their album: Every breath you take, To tell U the truth, It wasn't my favorite song on that album, but this new version rocks! Sting: don't get mad, Alanis has took this song out of the freezer and she has unfrozen it with her warm voice. There isn't a little black spot on the sun today anymore! 11. YOU OUGHTA KNOW, sounds like the grammy's version. 12. UNINVITED, what? do I have to tell you all about this album? What are you waiting for? go to the nearest store or buy it wherever you want! This album is not going to let you down. Believe me, this CD is going to be your favorite! She has her own website, with her personal touch. The lyrics for the new songs are there. You can fell that maybe her songs where written about yourself, things that almost nobody feels so open to write about. This album is for the ones that still believes in magic.

Alanis Morissette's Unplugged album is an incredible look into her musical maturity. She is an extraordinary artist who has tapped into a unique musical outlet that has captured the hearts of millions of listeners, and this album exemplifies this. The normal songs we all know have taken on a new, deeper character that gives another meaning. "I was Hoping" is a haunting song delivered with force and conviction. "That I would be Good" is an anthem of sorts that speaks to every human. The popular, "You oughta know" has taken an acoustic shape, but by no means is anyless potent. And who could forget, "Uninvited"? This song is another canvas which Morissette fills with her voice, offering chilling tones. What can I say? It's an incredible album. If you like her other albums (the angst and the soulful) this is another direction of her music, guarenteed to please.

As Alanis was contemplating an Unplugged session she was thinking that 'You Learn' so much in life that in 'Joining You' I feel 'No Pressure Over Cappuccino' in this setting and 'That I Would Be Good' enough that you might end up 'Head Over Feet' by the end of this lovely display and maybe 'Princes Familiar' might show up, at least 'I Was Hoping' she would but it would be 'Ironic' if she didn't but 'These R The Thoughts' of the 'King of Pain' as 'You Oughta Know' but then again I don't wish her to feel 'Uninvited' to this special event!

I was there when MTV began and when it shortly thereafter lost its way and turned into an overly commercialized and under utilized medium for "Music" television, I gave up on it. Since that departure, the only thing that has rarely drawn my attention back to MTV is when one of my favorite groups or singers does an "Unplugged" show, such as this exceptional recording.

Alanis Morissette MTV Unplugged is a beautiful rendition of some of her best songs minus the "electric" connection and it serves delightfully in bringing out even more, that which makes her music so phenomenal, her exquisite voice and her astonishing lyrics. Lyrically, much of Alanis' music is biting and there are those that may find those lyrics somewhat difficult to stomach; I entreat you to listen again because if you give it a chance, you may find that you've been missing something special. She brings such a depth of emotions to her lyrics, followed up by an equally well thought out melody, that one cannot help but listen to and feel the emotions she's trying to convey.

Simply put, this is another brilliant CD by Alanis Morissette and well worth the price! I highly recommend this and any other CD by Alanis Morissette! {ssintrepid}

That's not my first review about this album.
I don't use to listen to others' opinions so much, but I really do listen to this album, and it's important. People use to say many idiot things about their unfavorite songs, songwriters and singers, but I have seen so many mistakes about this album.
The first one says that she wanted to cash in with this, only. He is wrong. She cashed but if it was her real wish, she would have done this with other kind of music. She could have released an album like Under Rug Swept (the next after this) as soon as possible. Unplugged albums are important projects for the modern pop/rock music, but it's so far from being a secure way of getting money. So many albums from so many famous artists have not been aclaimed albums. So many good songs don't sound well in an Unplugged Versions, everyone knows it.
Other detail: in general, who chooses the artist to go unplugged and decides if it's a good project or it is going to fail is MTV Networks. Artists don't use to "order" an MTV Unplugged in their carreers. And about Alanis, so many little time of carrer, so much sucesses and singles that could figure in this album...
Other things I have seen as wrong are about how some people talk about the songs and make comments that are deeply mistaken. One, specially, talks about No Pressure Over Cappucino as a new song. It is one of the oldest ones from this album! It's the first time Maverick releases it but it's far from being a new song.
I have been listening continuingly this album since 1999. This is a project that has gone right, not wrong. I listen to Alanis Unplugged's songs on the radio (I live in the middle of Brazil) until today, and You Learn and That I Would Be Good (tracks #1 and #4) are big hits, concurring with hits of the moment in popular preferences.
(Unauthorized) Computer stores used to sell computers with this album (song files of it), I bought one copy of it some time. This kind of wrong thing just happens with successes. If this album weren't a successful one, people wouldn't want to make copies of it. This is completely obvious.
And nowadays, so much sucess, not oblivion. Her sucessful albums after it is an important clue to get this argumentation.

When I first heard Alanis, it was sort of a revelation. Even though I am a man, turning the things around, I may identify. Jagged Little Pill was great, and she plays here in UNPLUGGED the best songs of this records, and also the best songs of SUPOSSED FORMER INFATUATION JUNKIE. Yes, maybe is too soon, but when you hear it you prove that there's nothing wrong with an advanced attempt. Combining the great lyrics with the best musical arrangements, Alanis and David Campbell created an album that sticks in your mind. The best songs are definetly These R the Thoughts and Uninvited. But Head Over Feet surely overpass the studio version. Adding a great cover- Police's King of Pain - She makes a version even better than the Police's song. Yes! Believe me! . And How can you forget The great string arrangement of You Oughta Know. Is simply better than any song I've ever heard with orchrestations. So, If you want a great collection of her songs (only the best) you can buy this record.

This is completely different from any recording that Alanis has ever released, and it is amazing. The Canadian bares her soul on this effort and the outcome is something very special. The cover of The Police's "King of Pain" is very good, maybe even better than the original. The Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie B-Side "Princes Familiar" shows that even Morissette's B-Sides have that edge to them that only she can create. The Jagged Little Pill tour favorite "No Pressure Over Cappucino" adds some much appreciated lyrical depth. The song was used to close many shows on the first tour, and it was brought back out for this "special occasion". The acoustic versions of "Head Over Feet" and "Ironic" are much better than their recorded album counterparts. The only dissappointing effort on the album comes from Morissette's version of "You Oughta Know" it is an exact repeat performance of her effort at the Grammys a few years ago. It lacks the kick to put the lyrics into effect. All in all however, the unplugged album shows how far Morissette has come since she debuted in 1995.