Entertainment For Lively Minds
It was McManus sir, he started it.
Long before MTV Unplugged, 1978 I think, Elvis Costello & The Attractions were due to play West Runton Pavilion. However, come ten o'clock only Elvis has turned up, not an Attraction in sight. So, he duly plays a semi-acoustic set before his band finally rock up. A few years pass and he then plays 'a Northern love song' at Live Aid and, before you can say folk club, everyone's at it. Some acoustic sets, in fact, hit the spot better than their electric counterpart. I'm thinking of sublime performances by The Black Crowes (a Saturday afternoon matinee at Islington's Garage), Clive Gregson, Everything But The Girl, Glenn Tilbrook, Dodgy and, of course, Richard Thompson. And now he's doing the whole thing in front of American TV cameras with the best hired hands money can buy.
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mini set
I remember seeing him at the Royal Albert Hall some years back with the Attractions and he spit the main band set with a solo acoustic mini set in the middle.Kinda thought that was a nice idea as it gave you the best of both worlds.
Unplugged #1
Way back when CD reissues were coming in thick and fast, c1992, an early favourite was the collaboration between Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong (1961). They run through Duke's hits, small combo style, relaxed - and completely reinvent them. It's intimate and captivating. Then it struck me: this is an early example of the Unplugged concept that became a tidal wave after 'Tears in Heaven' was heard in every dentist's waiting room.
Paul Simon
A work colleague gave me a ticket for PS about 15 years ago, and although I have never been a particular fan I went along.
Cue an hour or so with his 357-piece backing band playing all manner of ethnic instruments & electronic gizmos. Doesn't do much for me.
PS goes off, comes back on for an encore alone, with just his acoustic guitar, and plays a couple of Simon & Garfunkel hits.
Guess which part of the evening made the most impact on me (and probably everyone else in the crowd)?
Led Zep
Always had a quiet bit in the middle, too. Not that I ever saw them or anything. Best acoustic set I saw was probably the Indigo Girls - boy can those two harmonise.