Unplugged means performing with acoustic instruments instead of electric ones, stripping songs back to voices, wooden guitars and perhaps a piano. The word became a brand thanks to MTV, which proved that turning the volume down could make a lot of noise.
The first MTV Unplugged was taped on 31 October 1989 in New York and aired that November, with Squeeze, Syd Straw and Elliot Easton of The Cars, and the songwriter Jules Shear as host. The format reached its commercial peak with Eric Clapton, whose Unplugged album, recorded at Bray Studios near London in 1992, sold about 26 million copies, became the best-selling live album of all time and won six Grammys, including Album of the Year. Mariah Carey’s session the same year produced a number one single. Ever since, a stool and an acoustic guitar have been the quickest way for a rock star to look sincere.