Jagged Little Pill Acoustic [Enhanced]

Alanis Morissette | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 26, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Maverick
• ASIN: B0009WFF0Y
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,898 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #95 in Music > World Music > North America > Canada

Track Listings

1. All I Really Want

2. You Oughta Know

3. Perfect

4. Hand In My Pocket

5. Right Through You

6. Forgiven

7. You Learn

8. Head Over Feet

9. Mary Jane

10. Ironic

11. Not the Doctor

12. Wake Up

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

To mark the 10-year anniversary of the 30 million-selling Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette decided to release an acoustic version of the very same 13 songs. A little more sung than screamed, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic is certainly less edgy than the original, but then again, so is Alanis herself. Now a 30-something Grammy-winner, she has far less to be angst-y about. The disc opens with one of its highlights, a slightly East Indian-tinged "All I Really Want" which includes a more controlled vocal than the original, backed by Arabic-influenced instrumentation. The new take is most charming, as is "Right Through You" which proves to be another case of improving on the original. Morissette's vocals soar through the chorus, now swooping over a host of (once again) Eastern-influenced strings. The vitriolic "You Oughtta Know"--perhaps the most rockin' track on the original CD--is now more contemplative in it's pace and sensibility, as is "You Learn"'s new mellower melody.

So there are moments of beauty, but also some of the same old, same old. Why, then, does one need this disc? For die-hard fans, the curio factor is reason enough. Marginal Alanis fans, those who found the original too screechy, will get the chance to hear the songs toned-down. Those looking for something different, however, should be aware that this is the entire Jagged disc, start to finish. For a woman who once used lyrics to shock listeners, there's nothing terribly shocking about this new CD. Isn't it ironic? --Denise Sheppard

Product Description

The biggest-selling album by a female artist in history, Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill is 16 times platinum and Billboard's Top Pop Album of the 90's. Now, celebrating its 10th anniversary, Morissette and producer/co-writer have recorded the entire album in an acoustic version. Jagged Little Pill Acoustic (enhanced with exclusive content) features the songs in their original order and adds previously unreleased video footage from that era. Jagged Little Pill Acoustic is just what the doctor ordered.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sincere Tribute To the Best Recording of the '90's, July 27, 2005

By 

Rudy Palma "The Writing Fiend" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Jagged Little Pill Acoustic (Audio CD)

"Re-recording these songs ten years later has been such a great opportunity to honor them in a way I could not do 10 years ago," observes singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette in the liner notes to "Jagged Little Pill Acoustic," an album of sparse, low-key interpretations of the 13 songs that comprised "Jagged Little Pill," her 1995 debut album that thrust the then 21 year-old Canadian siren into the vanguard of the alternative music scene and mid-90's pop culture. The record went on to sell 30,000,000 copies worldwide; the highest-selling album ever by a female artist.

It is an interesting concept; a tribute album to one's one album, but the end result is better than one might think. "Acoustic" serves as a sharp reminder of what everyone loved about Morissette a decade ago when she first surfaced on worldwide radar, and with Glen Ballard again filling the role as the album's producer, the results sound true to the original.

Indeed, her "angry" vocal performances in songs such as "Right Through You" or "You Oughta Know," which gained her instant notoriety as her debut single, are considerably more restrained now. And while some may at first dismiss the idea of hearing these songs sung without their original ferocity, they are still worth the time.

"You Oughta Know" is the clearest indication that Morissette was able to change the direction of some of the material, as if to challenge the interpretation listeners immediately had to the song. To be sure, the original was carried along by raw anger, and appropriately so. Nevertheless, she has always maintained that she herself finds the song as being more sad than angry, and this time her vocals sound distinctly more vulnerable.

On other tracks, such as the classics "Hand In My Pocket," "Head Over Feet," "You Learn" and "Ironic," she sounds far more world-weary than the 21-year old sprite of yore, channeling healthy doses of humor and optimism, coming across far more relaxed and buoyant. The latter track has even been given a bit of update, as she finds irony not in meeting the "beautiful wife" of the man of her dreams, but instead his "beautiful husband." Perhaps more ironic is that only now does that line reflect true irony.

Some things have not changed significantly, however. Her frustration with the hypocrisy of the Catholic church still rings just as loudly as ever in "Forgiven," and "Not the Doctor," where she breaks free of a man who is overwhelmingly high-maintenance, rings more vital than ever from her confident delivery and aggressive production. Also, "Perfect," sung from the perspective of an overly expectant parent, rips the heart out just as the original did.

"I'll live through you/I'll make you what I never was/If you're the best/Then maybe so am I/Compared to him/Compared to her/I'm doin' this for your own damn good/You'll make up for what I blew/What's the problem/Why are you cryin'?"

Furthermore, the cathartic self-help of "Mary Jane" and "All I Really Want" sound refreshed and sincere, even in the hands of someone who has clearly moved on from such feelings of frustration and self-loathing. The head-on criticism of an ex-flame's unabashed apathy in "Wake Up," however, still sounds as urgent and retains the creepy undertone of the original, proving just how universal the message of the song is.

"You sit and you wait to receive/There's an obvious attraction/To the path of least resistance in your life/There's an obvious aversion no amount of my insistence/Could make you try tonight/Cause it's easy not to/So much easier not to/And what goes around never comes around to you."

Ultimately, "Acoustic" will only be appreciated by fans of Morissette and those who still cherish the glory that is the original "Jagged Little Pill." Nevertheless, it is a warm, inviting reworking that contains a great deal of its predecessor's magic, while also being appropriate to play during dinnertime and rush hour traffic.

52 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Evolution Of A Woman, July 26, 2005

By 

Busy Body (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jagged Little Pill Acoustic (Audio CD)

When I first heard that Alanis Morissette planned on releasing an acoustic version of her most popular album "Jagged Little Pill," I was a bit nervous. I personally didn't see the point, and thought that a re-issue of the original album would have been better. However, would there have been any point in releasing it again? Doesn't everyone in the English-speaking world already own this album? My thoughts exactly. So this album came out yesterday in England and I bought my copy in a record store, took it home, and was pretty much blown away. I now realise how important it was for Alanis to re-record these songs exactly 10 years after she originally did.

Back in 1995, Miss Morissette was a dangerous and angst-ridden young vixen. Her guttural moans and screeching became her trademark on an album so emotional, powerful and full of pain. Ten years later, her voice has softened in reflection to her increasing happiness. The angst has been replaced with love. Love for life, love for her husband, and love for her dear friends. It's beautiful to see this transformation, because it's so natural and pure. I bought Jagged Little Pill in October 2002, not expecting much, and coming away realising that it is my favourite album of all time and that it always, always will be. The music isn't the most complex I've ever heard, the lyrics aren't the best, but good God, the sound of the album touches me in more ways than I ever thought possible.

In the three years that I've owned the original album, it has to be the most played record in my collection. I never tire of it, and that is the sound of a classic album in my eyes. People think it's overrated, but they obviously aren't touched like many by the music Alanis is singing. Is this album a masterpiece? In my eyes it definitely is. It sold a staggering 30 million copies worldwide throughout 1995 and 1996, and will continue selling to new generations, purely because of the mammoth reputation it has achieved. Now onto the acoustic version.

I'm not going to review each song in immense detail, because in the most part, the lyrics and structure hasn't changed. Original producer Glen Ballard is back on hand for this acoustic version, and he works his magic very well. The magic that both Glen and Alanis captured on the original album is recreated, although not fully, because I believe it never fully could be restored. The album opener "All I Really Want" is less screechy and is much softer with some really exotic string sections that are very Asian in their feel. "You Oughta Know" is the song that gained Alanis that fiery reputation ten years ago, and this version is much softer. The vocal is more vulnerable and the effects of a decade's worth of worldwide superstardom clearly has changed her. "Perfect" is one of my favourite remakes because it sounds a lot better than the original. It opens beautiful with a gentle piano and gorgeous vocals from Alanis that echo and undulate all around. Her range on this song is quite incredible. "Hand In My Pocket" was always one of my favourite songs, and whilst this acoustic version doesn't live up to the original, I am very fond of guitar and harmonica work. "Right Through You" was seen as one of the 'worst' songs on the original album, but I absolutely adored it. It really got the bloody pumping. It was such a hard rocker, and this version is much more subtle. Whereas the original was a sharp cubist piece, this is like a soft watercolour, if I use art as a metaphor. "Forgiven" was - for a brief period - my favourite song on the original album. This acoustic version is very good, but not as good in my opinion. Part of what made the original so good was that dramatic build-up to the third minute where Alanis belts out, "If I jump in this fountain, will I be FORGIVEN?!" This is absent on the acoustic version.

"You Learn" is one of those classic Nineties hit singles that everyone knows. This acoustic version isn't as good but I like the vocal tone in Alanis' voice. "Head Over Feet" is a brilliant remake of the original, because the guitar rhythm is much smoother and composed. It's not as heavy and much more delicate, like a glass that could break at any minute. "Mary Jane" was that classic ballad from the original album that you'd sing when you were feeling down and helpless. The acoustic version is still incredible, and Alanis' voice richer than on the original. Now 31 years old, her voice is much more versatile and has matured like her mind. "Ironic" is arguably Alanis' most popular song ever and has achieved legendary status. The acoustic version is very beautiful, and Alanis sings it in a style that many fans will have already heard before. The most apparent change is the alteration of the original lyrics to, "It's like meeting the man of my dreams and then meeting his beautiful husband." Here Alanis highlights her support of gay rights, and also the change in society in those ten years. "Not The Doctor" was always one of my favourite songs on the album, and this version is still amazing. The lyrics on this song are very poetic and always amaze me every time I listen. The album closes with that gorgeous song "Wake Up." The unusual sound to this song was always quite psychedelic to me. The acoustic version is more traditional but the vocal still holds up. When the song ends, there's a few minutes of silence, but then, oh, what's this?! The naked honesty of the hidden track "Your House" is replicated here. The acoustic version is amazing and makes this a song in its own right, joining the elite class of the dozen classics that made this album so special.

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

I'm still waiting for Alanis to release her Greatest Hits album at some point this year or next year, because I believe it will be an incredible body of work that millions of people will buy once they are reminded just how good Miss Morissette is. Jagged Little Pill Acoustic is a great album and much better than I had expected, but it's not as good as the original. Many people might say they love Jagged Little Pill more than me, but somehow I don't think that's true! I might have bought it seven years later than most people, but I love every single lyric, vocal, and sound that passes through each second of that album. It is the most complete, ultimate female rock album I think that has ever been released. 'Acoustic' only serves as a reminder of this, and how one woman can evolve and mature over time.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "AWESOME" Does not do this CD justice!!!, July 21, 2005

By 

R. Brasher (Cordova, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jagged Little Pill - Acoustic (Audio CD)

I am so utterly impressed with this CD!! Alanis has such an exceptional voice and it really shines in this acoustic version that truly pays tribute to the original.

If you are one that knows every note from the original release and are offended by slight alterations, maybe this CD isn't for you. This interpretation adds wonderful new fluctuations that showcases her vocal range. The acoustic instrument arrangements are exceptional and add a lot of emphasis in just the right locations to enhance the flavor of every song.