Additional information
Personnel: Steve Harley (acoustic guitar, harmonica); Nick Pynn (acoustic guitar, dulcimer, mandocello, violin). Audio Mixer: Patrick Bird. Recording information: The Jazz Café, London, England (03/1998). ,At a time when every artist worth his salt, and a lot who wished they still were, was jumping on the "unplugged" bandwagon, it became increasingly difficult to even hear that word without cringing just a little bit at the prospect of another round of hits strummed earnestly on acoustic guitars. But even amid so much swine there was the occasional pearl, and Steve Harley's contribution to the genre stands as one of the best. Of course, seasoned fans will immediately recognize Unplugged as a straightforward reissue of 1999's Stripped to Bare Bones, but that does not diminish it; taking a leaf from that other music television staple, the "storyteller" format, Harley is a most engaging host, punctuating songs with humor and anecdote, and if he does push the "gee, it's really great to be here" sincerity button a little too often for comfort, then that goes with the territory as well. A quarter of a century had passed since he was last considered a commercial force, yet his audience is as devotedly die-hard as ever, and the songs have held up remarkably well too, particularly those (more than half the set) which were drawn from the peak years of Harley's career. ~ Dave Thompson
