So why is Alice in Chains’ Unplugged on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
This is the second greatest unplugged album of all.
Which takes nothing away from Alice in Chains’ Unplugged set from April, 1996. It’s magnificent.
Intimate, intense, beautiful, melodic, and haunting – often all at the same time.
I have a hard time deciding if “Got Me Wrong” or “Heaven Beside You” is my favorite Alice in Chains song – and with both I’ll take the Unplugged version over the studio version every time (and the studio versions are both really great, I must emphasize!).
So while those two songs, which run back-to-back in the middle of a very nicely sized 13-track, 71-minute offering, are the best part of AiC’s Unplugged, the entire album plays incredibly well from front to back – more so, I’d wager, even than any of their studio albums (which explains why Unplugged is the highest ranked album on this here best 1,000 albums ever project).
The mood – somber yet oddly warm and comforting, subdued yet rousing and exciting all at once – permeates every track.
And this is where I need to vent some righteous indignation at our old pal Stephen Thomas Erlwine (don’t you dare forget that middle name, kids) from All Music. The temerity of his to slap 2.5 out of 5 stars on this one, and throw words around like “novelties” and “rehashes” is just gross in this context. Come on, Stephen Thomas, you’re better than that.
With that out of the way, another reason why Unplugged shines is that there are versions of AiC songs – and I’ll especially call out “Down In A Hole” here – that I enjoy much more in a softer, acoustic mode on Unplugged versus the more metal-y and somewhat less dynamic original studio versions.
Which is all to say, “Down In A Hole” on Unplugged is just spectacular.
Then there are songs, like “Rooster,” where I don’t much care for the original at all, but via Unplugged I find it to be far more compelling and engaging.
Some stats & info about Alice in Chains – Unplugged
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Grunge, Hard Rock, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal, Seattle Bands, Live Albums
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 2.5 out of 5 stars (!!WTF!!)
- When was Unplugged released? 1996
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #143 out of 1,000
Alice in Chains’ Unplugged on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Alice in Chains’ Unplugged that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
As of now, I bet you got me wrong.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.