Author Topic: What are your favourite acoustic albums/performances by rock/metal bands?  (Read 2564 times)

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Offline Cool Chris

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The one that came to mind immediately is

Lindsey Buckingham - Go Insane, from The Dance.

Dang, I would have sworn I've heard that whole album and that performance didn't ring any bells. Maybe I missed it somehow. That was great.
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Offline JLa

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Got to give my vote to Pain of Salvation - 12:5

Simply amazing.

On a different note, have you heard Rodrigo y Gabriela? I never thought acoustic music could rock so hard. Look up their live performance of "Diablo Rojo" (the oldest one! the one with a crowd!) and let me know if you could resist rocking along.

Online Kwyjibo

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Does it have to be a metal or rock band? I find that most of those bands think they can simply play sort-of the same things they would do on an electric guitar and that it then somehow works (it often doesn't).


No idea whether this is going to count or not, but here you go. Surely someone will approve:

Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin & Paco de Lucia - Friday Night in San Francisco (1981)

But then this is shred as shred can, not much different from metal  ;D
Must've been Kwyji sending all the wrong songs.   ;D

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I don't see random metal shredders playing the stuff those three guys are doing, but okay, sure.
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Offline MrBoom_shack-a-lack

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Got to give my vote to Pain of Salvation - 12:5

Simply amazing.
+1 That's a great one!

As Mr Crabs said, Nirvana Unplugged is a classic. Speaking of that, Dave's acoustic version of Everlong is great.

Not really eligible because it's a cover project but Mind The Acoustic Pieces by Maiden United with Damian Wilson is great.
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Offline Ben_Jamin

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The one that came to mind immediately is

Lindsey Buckingham - Go Insane, from The Dance.

Dang, I would have sworn I've heard that whole album and that performance didn't ring any bells. Maybe I missed it somehow. That was great.

That's a prime example of a song that sounds way better acoustically than the original.

Another example is Rush - Resist (live)


Rodrigo Y Gabriella are fantastic mix of Acoustic Flamenco with a hint of Metal influence

https://youtu.be/6aQIzE_nP34


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Online Kwyjibo

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I don't see random metal shredders playing the stuff those three guys are doing, but okay, sure.

I was half joking, I really like that concert but sometimes they get carried away. Just because it's jazz doesn't mean it's free from wanking.
Must've been Kwyji sending all the wrong songs.   ;D

Offline Trav86

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Queensr˙che is the first one I think of. Their MTV Unplugged. It really showed how great they were. I recommend checking YouTube for the uncut version.
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Offline Lowdz

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Not many come to mind.  As above :  Tesla ,  KISS (surprisingly good) and One Live Night by Dokken was also a pleasant surprise.

Lynch was plugged in though.

Online ozzy554

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I've always liked this clip.

Ian Gillan - When a Blind Man Cries (Live at Absolute Radio) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfcsKAc5hRc
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Offline bl5150

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Not many come to mind.  As above :  Tesla ,  KISS (surprisingly good) and One Live Night by Dokken was also a pleasant surprise.

Lynch was plugged in though.

So were most of the other guitars in this thread  :biggrin:    I know Lynch played some solos on an "electric" with a touch of gain but I consider the album in the same vein as the others.
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Offline Setlist Scotty

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Really not a big fan of acoustic albums/performances in general. That said:
Tesla - Five Man Acoustical Jam

Alice In Chains - MTV Unplugged

The only thing that really comes to mind with this is Queensryche on MTV Unplugged.
The above 3 do rate highly for me. Add to that the 5 shows that DT did at the tail end of 1998 - IMO all those shows were magical, and I wish I could've attended them.
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Online TAC

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Me too.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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I don't see random metal shredders playing the stuff those three guys are doing, but okay, sure.

I was half joking, I really like that concert but sometimes they get carried away. Just because it's jazz doesn't mean it's free from wanking.

A lot of jazz contains ‘wanking’, because by its nature Jazz is a music genre that’s collectively improvised. I personally think that a lot of the lines played on this particular album are far more interesting melodically and the interplay between the guitarists is way more nuanced and ‘musical’, for lack of a better word, than your random metal shredder. But let’s not get carried away into WildRanger-esque ‘which one is objectively better’-discussions.
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Offline SwedishGoose

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Pain of Salvation  - 12:5 is what I immediately come to think of

https://open.spotify.com/album/1LJKYYvJxtbOwRKna2Hpnd?si=zQJxcIKKSDSdWTsyJbZ7Hg

I also came to think of this wonderful show by Anneke van Giersbergen and Danny Cavanagh where they take turns playing songs from each of their respective carrers (can't find it on spotify)

https://youtu.be/4OmGI0KN-3U

Online DTA

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The above 3 do rate highly for me. Add to that the 5 shows that DT did at the tail end of 1998 - IMO all those shows were magical, and I wish I could've attended them.

Any idea if these shows were ever recorded/released? Something about this live era of DT was really quite special and I love their confidence to do stripped-down shows as a prog-metal band

Offline ErHaO

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From outside the prog/metal scene (but still rock artists) I enjoy Poets of the Fall's chill acoustic performances, recently they released some performances from a theater session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLeCYV3uJPw.  Furthermore I enjoy the concert recording Live in London from Skunk Anasie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2meg38JbKIM.

Some of the great have already been mentioned here.

Offline Samsara

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The Queensryche Unplugged Sessions were amazing.

I was in attendance for Dream Theater's 1998 holiday shows (specifically Irving Plaza), which were semi-acoustic. Incredible.

Sevendust's Time Travelers and Bonfires is amazing as well, and the show was wonderful.
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Offline dparrott

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AIC: I love Got Me Wrong and Over Now unplugged
Aerosmith: Last Child unplugged
Mansun: Moronica acoustic b-side
Warpaint: Undertow live acoustic 2010
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Offline Setlist Scotty

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The above 3 do rate highly for me. Add to that the 5 shows that DT did at the tail end of 1998 - IMO all those shows were magical, and I wish I could've attended them.

Any idea if these shows were ever recorded/released? Something about this live era of DT was really quite special and I love their confidence to do stripped-down shows as a prog-metal band
In terms of official releases, there was the 1998 fan club CD, which contains parts of their performance from the Netherlands and a few tracks from the Paris gig that was featured on OiaL in June, 1998. IMO, it's the perfect companion piece to OiaL. The 5 shows they did at the end of 1998 were modeled after that show in the Netherlands. MP had intended to release the last show (which has the best setlist) of the 5 as part of the next batch of official bootlegs, before he left the band. Needless to say, it was never released. However, there are audience recordings of all 5 shows in circulation.
As a basic rule, if you hate it, you must solely blame Portnoy. If it's good, then you must downplay MP's contribution to the band as not being important anyway, or claim he's just lying. It's the DTF way.

Online Kwyjibo

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Doesn't Five Years In A Livetime feature some of the Uncovered gig as bonus material?
Must've been Kwyji sending all the wrong songs.   ;D

Online Stadler

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Some really good offerings here. 

I'm personally a fan of the "Angels Of Love" album by Yngwie. 

There's also a DVD on some versions of Van Halen's "A Different Kind Of Truth" with a couple acoustic songs that are REALLY good.

Offline SoundscapeMN

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Orphaned Land - The Calm Before the Flood

Offline dparrott

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Alice In Chains "Am I Inside" from the SAP EP is awesome.  Haunting riff.

The Coma Wall songs from this EP:
https://shamanrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/wood-wire
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Online DTA

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The above 3 do rate highly for me. Add to that the 5 shows that DT did at the tail end of 1998 - IMO all those shows were magical, and I wish I could've attended them.

Any idea if these shows were ever recorded/released? Something about this live era of DT was really quite special and I love their confidence to do stripped-down shows as a prog-metal band
In terms of official releases, there was the 1998 fan club CD, which contains parts of their performance from the Netherlands and a few tracks from the Paris gig that was featured on OiaL in June, 1998. IMO, it's the perfect companion piece to OiaL. The 5 shows they did at the end of 1998 were modeled after that show in the Netherlands. MP had intended to release the last show (which has the best setlist) of the 5 as part of the next batch of official bootlegs, before he left the band. Needless to say, it was never released. However, there are audience recordings of all 5 shows in circulation.

Damn I joined their fan club two years too late, as I missed that one and Cleaning Out The Closet the following year. I'm not a live album fan but I would easily pay for those shows, especially the live versions of the FII b-sides.

Online Stadler

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SAP is by far my favorite Alice In Chains release.   BY FAR (and I LIKE them; Rainier Fog is an amazing album).   

Look, I know I tread on "Never Enough" territory here, but I think the OIALT/FYIALT/Xmas disk releases of those shows is...  not up to Mike's standards.   I tried to piece together a complete show and it wasn't really possible with the crossfades and what not.  Those are legendary, milestone shows in the band's career and ought to see some kind of release.

While I LOVE that Mike is thawing relations with the guys (I'm sentimental like that) and have no illusions about him being in DT again (and almost hope not, if it would cut into his work with Neal Morse, which I'm far more "into" at this stage of my career), one secret wish is that we can resume the Ytsejam Releases at some point and get some of these seminal, historical shows out there.  I'd LOVE a complete, start-to-finish, pro-mastered Ronnie Scott's show. 

Offline pg1067

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The above 3 do rate highly for me. Add to that the 5 shows that DT did at the tail end of 1998 - IMO all those shows were magical, and I wish I could've attended them.

Any idea if these shows were ever recorded/released? Something about this live era of DT was really quite special and I love their confidence to do stripped-down shows as a prog-metal band
In terms of official releases, there was the 1998 fan club CD, which contains parts of their performance from the Netherlands and a few tracks from the Paris gig that was featured on OiaL in June, 1998. IMO, it's the perfect companion piece to OiaL. The 5 shows they did at the end of 1998 were modeled after that show in the Netherlands. MP had intended to release the last show (which has the best setlist) of the 5 as part of the next batch of official bootlegs, before he left the band. Needless to say, it was never released. However, there are audience recordings of all 5 shows in circulation.

Can you clarify this?  I'm looking at the MP.com Tourography and, specifically, the 12/30/98 show in Poughkeepsie.  Was that entire show an acoustic show?  It says The Silent Man was the "electric version" but it is otherwise silent on the subject.  It's tough to imagine stuff like La Villa Strangiato (other than the intro), the Van Halen medley and "Cygnus X-1" (which I assume refers to Book 1: The Voyage) being acoustic.  I'm also curious what songs from those shows were on 5YIAL.  The Wikipedia article on 5YIAL doesn't indicate where each song was recorded.


Those are legendary, milestone shows in the band's career and ought to see some kind of release.

. . . these seminal, historical shows. . . .

You're treading more on hyperbole than "'Never Enough' territory."
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Online Stadler

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Hahaha; "seminal" was too much?   :)

Offline SwedishGoose

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The bonus disc on Ambeon - Fate of a Dreamer is up there for me.

Ambeon, a side project by Arjen Lucassen were contracted to play a show in Italy that fell through and all we have are the rehersals on the bonus disk.

Ambeon songs and classic Ayreon songs like My House on Mars and Castle Hall played by Arjen on acoustic guitar plus a cello and a flute player and young Astrid van der Veen on vocals. Sooo beautiful versions..... totally love that disc

Offline Setlist Scotty

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Can you clarify this?  I'm looking at the MP.com Tourography and, specifically, the 12/30/98 show in Poughkeepsie.  Was that entire show an acoustic show?  It says The Silent Man was the "electric version" but it is otherwise silent on the subject.  It's tough to imagine stuff like La Villa Strangiato (other than the intro), the Van Halen medley and "Cygnus X-1" (which I assume refers to Book 1: The Voyage) being acoustic.  I'm also curious what songs from those shows were on 5YIAL.  The Wikipedia article on 5YIAL doesn't indicate where each song was recorded.
In reality, those shows were stripped down, and some songs were performed acoustically, but yeah, there was definitely a bunch that were performed with electric guitar. So I guess the shows don't truly qualify for what the OP was asking, but they will forever be the "acoustic" shows DT did in my mind.   :P

As for which songs were taken from the Netherlands fan club gig, which was also stripped down, going strictly from memory I would say:
Cover My Eyes
Speak to Me
Lifting Shadows Off a Dream
Anna Lee
To Live Forever

As a basic rule, if you hate it, you must solely blame Portnoy. If it's good, then you must downplay MP's contribution to the band as not being important anyway, or claim he's just lying. It's the DTF way.

Offline pg1067

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Can you clarify this?  I'm looking at the MP.com Tourography and, specifically, the 12/30/98 show in Poughkeepsie.  Was that entire show an acoustic show?  It says The Silent Man was the "electric version" but it is otherwise silent on the subject.  It's tough to imagine stuff like La Villa Strangiato (other than the intro), the Van Halen medley and "Cygnus X-1" (which I assume refers to Book 1: The Voyage) being acoustic.  I'm also curious what songs from those shows were on 5YIAL.  The Wikipedia article on 5YIAL doesn't indicate where each song was recorded.
In reality, those shows were stripped down, and some songs were performed acoustically, but yeah, there was definitely a bunch that were performed with electric guitar. So I guess the shows don't truly qualify for what the OP was asking, but they will forever be the "acoustic" shows DT did in my mind.   :P

As for which songs were taken from the Netherlands fan club gig, which was also stripped down, going strictly from memory I would say:
Cover My Eyes
Speak to Me
Lifting Shadows Off a Dream
Anna Lee
To Live Forever

OK...that makes more sense.  DT doing acoustic versions of La Villa and The Voyage are things I would really seek out!
"There's a bass solo in a song called Metropolis where I do a bass solo."  John Myung