First viewed : 29 January 1994
This show started out in 1989 on MTV in America. The concept was simple, an artist would come in and perform a set on acoustic instruments. The rules were sometimes bent a little; electric organs seemed to be acceptable for instance. It started in 1989 and many of the early shows were hosted by American songwriter Jules Shear.
Some of the artists were so pleased with their performance they bought the rights and released it as an album. Nirvana's, five months before Kurt Cobain's death, is the most celebrated example although Eric Clapton's sold the most.
The three I watched when it came to BBC Two on a Saturday night were REM, Crowded House and 10,000 Maniacs. The Crowded House performance was filmed in the short period when Tim Finn was in the band and they perform a couple of his solo numbers in the set. They also allowed Shears to join them on the final song.
10,000 Maniacs' set was filmed after Natalie Merchant had announced her departure from the band. She performed the whole set with a broad grin on her face and never gave her bandmates a glance although she was constantly looking over to her female backing vocalist and was all over special guest David Byrne. It left a rather bad taste and I've never regarded her in the same way since.
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