Did you know that pop star Mariah Carey was set to release an “alternative” album she recorded back in the 90s? Well, The Mike & Carla Morning Show have all the details…and don’t be surprised if you didn’t know about it because truth be told, her label wouldn’t let her release it.
It’s a long story, but Mariah was in a band, called “Chick”, they recorded some tracks. Well, her best friend Clarissa Dane re-recorded the lead vocals, and the album WAS released with Clarissa as the star, and a couple of videos have been up on YouTube for years. Since then, they mixed in Mariah’s voice…no word on when Mariah’s version will get released. The M&C Morning Show shared a clip of both versions of a song from the album this morning.
If you listen to the one with Mariah on it, to be honest, you probably wouldn’t be able to say who it was…Carla Rea thought it sounded more like Courtney Love and her band Hole! With that said, it prompted Mike O’Brian to dig out a track that Carla Rea recorded with her best friend Lynn back a few years ago. The track is called “Broken Heroes” and it was written about a friend of theirs that was going through a round period in her life! Yes, there is a whole back story to this song.
As it was played originally on The M&C Morning Show, it was billed as a “mystery artist”, listeners were calling in thinking it was Stevie Nicks, even Madonna!
Needless to say, listeners were shocked (SHOCKED) when they found out it was Carla Rea! If you missed any of this glorious and revealing segment, you can listen to it below and decide for yourself on the Mariah Carey alternative sound and the sound Carla Rea put out…pump or dump on either one!
The “Unplugged” trend was all the rage in the ‘90s thanks to MTV Unplugged, which featured some of music’s biggest names going acoustic.
The series aired on a regular basis from 1989-1999. From 2000-2009, the show was billed as MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 and aired less frequently. There have only been limited Unplugged specials that have aired since 2009.
The very first episode of MTV Unplugged featured Squeeze, Syd Straw and Elliot Easton. In the years that followed, some of the biggest names in music took to the Unplugged stage to wow fans with their stripped-down performance. These artists included Aerosmith, Elton John, Paul McCartney, R.E.M. Eric Clapton, Nirvana, Annie Lennox and more. (Frankly, that small list of artists doesn’t even scratch the surface of some of the icons that went “Unplugged.”)
So…Many…Honors
MTV Unplugged performances were often released as albums. Including recordings from MTV Brasil, there have been over 100 MTV Unplugged albums released from 1991-2020.
The ’90s truly saw a boom of artists taking part in the show. On top of that, many of the albums released from MTV Unplugged episodes went on to be platinum hits. Among the artists to score a platinum album from their MTV Unplugged performances include Mariah Carey, Tony Bennett, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, Shakira, Lauryn Hill and more. Carey even had a No. 1 hit from her special thanks to her cover of The Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There.”
Additionally, the show received a Peabody Award in 1994. In a synopsis about why the series earned the honor, the Peabody Awards noted, “‘MTV Unplugged’ has brought the unique talents of some of our finest contemporary artists to center stage. Recordings of these sessions have become influential in their own right.”
With all of this in mind, here’s our list of 10 unplugged albums everyone should own.
Nirvana - ‘MTV Unplugged in New York’ (1994)
Recorded just five months before the untimely passing of Kurt Cobain, Nirvana’s performance would later be released as the live LP MTVUnplugged in New York. It was Nirvana’s first release following Cobain’s death, and it would go on to win the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album.
Alice In Chains - ‘MTV Unplugged’ (1996)
Equal parts extraordinary and bitter-sweet, AIC’s 1996 performance on MTV Unplugged was the band’s first performance together in over two years due to Layne Staley’s issues with drug abuse. It would also be one of the band’s last high-profile gigs with Staley. In spite of that and Jerry Cantrell famously battling food poisoning, AIC’s set served as a reminder of why they were the first band to really break out of the fruitful Seattle music scene.
Rod Stewart - ‘Unplugged...and Seated’ (1993)
Stewart’s appearance on MTV Unplugged also featured former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood and marked the first time in about two decades they shared the stage together. The album features unplugged versions of some of Stewart’s biggest hits, including “Hot Legs” and “Maggie May.” The LP also features moving covers of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” and Van Morrison’s “Have I Told You Lately.”
Eric Clapton - ‘Unplugged’ (1992)
Clapton’s Unpluggedwas a massive commercial and critical success. The LP won three Grammy Awards in 1993: Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, Best Rock Song for the acoustic version of “Layla” and Album of the Year. Clapton’s Unplugged has sold a whopping 26 million copies worldwide.Of course, we’d be remiss in not mentioning the Unplugged version of “Tears in Heaven,” which remains devastatingly moving to this day.
Page and Plant - ‘No Quarter: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded’ (1994)
No Quarter was a 90-minute special for MTV featuring a reunited Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. While there were some electric elements, this performance also received some extra oomph thanks to string and orchestra musicians local to Morocco, Wales and London where the special had been recorded. A number of Led Zeppelin tunes made up the tracklisting including “Kashmir,” “The Battle of Evermore” and “That’s The Way.”
Pearl Jam - ‘MTV Unplugged’ (2020)
Pearl Jam simply crushes it in this set from March 1992, about seven months after the release of Pearl Jam’s debut album Ten. The band’s Unplugged set would finally get an official release as part of Record Store Day in 2019.
KISS - ‘KISS Unplugged’ (1996)
KISS’ 1995 appearance on Unplugged featured the four original band members on stage together for the first time since the late ’70s. It was so popular that it led to KISS’ famed 1996 reunion tour.
Bob Dylan - ‘MTV Unplugged’ (1995)
The iconic singer-songwriter recorded his performance for MTV Unplugged in November 1994. The album release of the performance came out in May 1995 and featured some of Dylan’s biggest songs including “The Times They Are a-Changin’.”
Neil Young - ‘Unplugged’ (1993)
Recorded in February 1993 and released just four months later, Young’s Unplugged set also featured some of his most classic tunes. Among them were “Harvest Moon” and “The Needle and the Damage Done.”
Paul McCartney - ‘Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)’ (1991)
Fun fact about Sir Paul’s appearance on Unplugged: It was completely unplugged. Most other performances featured artists playing acoustically with the help of amps. It was also one of the first performances in the show’s history.
Mike O’Brian is the Program Director and Morning Show host on 96.3 KKLZ in Las Vegas, along with Carla Rea. He has been with the Beasley Media Group for almost 23 years. Mike was named one of the “Best Program Directors In America” by Radio Ink magazine. Over the years, “The Mike & Carla Morning Show” have been presented with a number of proclamations for their work in the community and numerous awards. Having lived in Las Vegas for over 35 years, he writes articles on living in Las Vegas, sports, and odd stories happening within the state of Nevada.
Mike is the host of the morning show and program director of 96.3 KKLZ/Las Vegas. He has been doing mornings in Las Vegas for the past 38 years. Over the years, he has hosted a numerous amount of community events and has been the P.A. announcer for a number of sports teams in Las Vegas. He has written on living in Las Vegas, the sports teams here, as well as odd & little-known facts about Las Vegas & Nevada.
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