
On this day (April. 3rd) in 1991: Paul McCartney taped his episode of MTV’s popular acoustic showcase, ‘Unplugged’; unlike other artists who appeared on the show with acoustic instruments plugged into amplifiers, Paul’s instruments were 100% unplugged – microphones were carefully placed close to guitars, pianos & the other instruments to pick up the sound; Paul used the opportunity to dust off some of his rarer tracks, including three from his 1970 debut album, ‘McCartney‘.
Using the same line-up that had recently backed him (save for Blair Cunningham who had replaced Chris Whitten), McCartney used the opportunity to dust off some of his rarer tracks, including three from his 1970 debut album “McCartney” alongside several covers and amid a helping of familiar Beatles hits.Paul McCartney – Every Night Live & Unplugged MTV 1991
With McCartney in a loose and carefree context, critical response to Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) was very warm.
Initially released in a limited edition, individually numbered run in 1991, Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) with artwork that recalls Снова в СССР‘s—was reissued in a more permanent fashion in the late 1990s. Upon its original issue, it reached number 7 in the UK and became McCartney’s highest-peaking US album in almost ten years, reaching number 14.
- Paul McCartney – acoustic guitar, drums and vocals
- Linda McCartney – piano, Indian harmonium, percussion and vocals
- Hamish Stuart – acoustic bass guitar, acoustic guitar and vocals
- Robbie McIntosh – acoustic guitars, piano, dobro and vocals
- Paul “Wix” Wickens – piano, keyboards, accordion, percussion, acoustic bass guitar and vocals
- Blair Cunningham – drums and percussion

