Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions
| Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions | ||||
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| Live album by R.E.M. | ||||
| Released | April 19, 2014 | |||
| Recorded | April 10, 1991 in Chelsea Studios and May 21, 2001 in TRL Studio at MTV Studios, both in New York City, New York, United States | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 134:56 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | Rhino | |||
| R.E.M. chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    |
| American Songwriter | |
| Clash | 6/10 |
| Drowned in Sound | 7/10 |
| Popmatters | 7/10 |
| Rolling Stone | |
Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions is a 2014 live album from alternative rock band R.E.M., released initially on vinyl recordings through Rhino Records for Record Store Day, later made available on compact disc and digitally. The album is composed of two performances that the band made on the U.S. television show MTV Unplugged. Among the album's 33 tracks are 11 performances which were not aired on either broadcast. To promote the album, Mike Mills signed copies at independent record store Bull Moose in Scarborough, Maine. Video of the concerts was released later that year on REMTV.
Andrzej Lukowski of Drowned in Sound gave the album a positive review, commenting that R.E.M. was "a great live band, and the acoustic format is a fine showcase for Stipe's remarkable voice" and "1991 and 2001 complement each other well, as contrasting mood pieces".Rolling Stone's Will Hermes gave the album four out of five stars remarking, "No band but Nirvana made more breathtakingly transformative use of MTV Unplugged than R.E.M." Mike Diver of Clash considers the album inessential in R.E.M.'s catalogue but still welcome and a "fan-pleasing release". Similarly, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic calls this release a "treat for hardcore R.E.M. fans" and contrasts the baroque pop of the 2001 set with the folk rock of the 1991 performance. Alternately, American Songwriter's Lynne Margolis considers the album an important document of R.E.M.'s history writing, "By stripping their work to its most elemental form, this collection expresses their artistry in a truly definitive way."
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