MTV Unplugged in Athens [CD/DVD]

Personnel: Mikael Nord Andersson (vocals, guitar, slide guitar, mandolin); Rudolf Schenker (vocals, guitar, sitar); Martin Hansen (vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano); Ola Hjelm, Klaus Meine (vocals, guitar); Hans Gardemar (vocals, accordion, piano); Pitti Hecht (vocals, percussion); Ingo Powitzer (guitar, baritone guitar); Matthias Jabs (guitar); Irina Shalenkova, Ewa Moszynska, Elena Shalenkova, Katja Kaminskagia (violin); George Gaitanos, Lilia Giousoupova (viola); Alexandros Botinis, Marsela Bassiou-Bineri (cello); Pawel Maciwoda (bass guitar); James Kottak (drums).
Audio Mixers: Martin Hansen; Mikael Nord Andersson.
Recording information: Lycabettus Theatre, Athens (09/11/2013-09/12/2013).
Photographer: Torsten Hilse.
Arrangers: Martin Hansen; Mikael Nord Andersson; Hans Gardemar; Matthias Jabs.
In the grand tradition of MTV's Unplugged series, MTV Unplugged in Athens features German hard rock stalwarts Scorpions putting on an all-acoustic set for the good people of Greece. Rather than the intimate studio performances that put the series on the map in the '90s, however, the set was recorded at the Lycabettus Theatre in Athens, a setting that feels appropriately grand given the band's arena-rocking tendencies. Despite the larger venue, the set still feels fairly personal, stripping away the bombast of the plugged-in versions to reveal the emotions at the core of the band's more upbeat numbers like "Rock You Like a Hurricane" while adding a new level of simplicity to power ballads like "Send Me an Angel." With two discs of acoustic goodness, Scorpions fans are definitely going to want to check this out. ~ Gregory Heaney