Ten ridiculously superb MTV Unplugged albums

The top two best selling MTV Unplugged albums are…

No. 2 - Nirvana: MTV Unplugged In New York - 12.8m

Other artists selected for the unplugged treatment may have been obviously perfect picks. Perhaps less so the grunge rock of Nirvana. Yet when they took to the set in November 1993 there was no doubt that their version of Unplugged wouldn't be a big success. It was a slight variation on the usual MTV theme with some electric amplification and guitar effects in use. The band also played more covers and deep cuts than bigger hits and favorites.

The combination worked well and Kurt Cobain was exceptional throughout. His shock death just five months later made the set even more poignant as a late live session. It was released as an album in November 1994, almost a year after the recording, and became a great tribute to Cobain and the band. It's very much an album you shouldn't miss, whether a fan of the band or not. It picked up a Grammy for Best Alternative Album in 1996 and deservedly ranks high in the top ten unplugged sellers list.  

No. 1 - Eric Clapton: Unplugged -26m

Eric Clapton’s Unplugged album kicked off a huge demand for the series. Recorded in January 1992 and released as an album that August, it was one of the early MTV sessions. Clapton’s unplugged versions caught the attention of many. Well-known highlights are the emotional “Tears In Heaven” and the excellent reworking of “Layla” to the format. 

There are so many great songs on the album alongside those. I love “San Francisco Bay Blues” on there and the old Muddy Waters number, reworked by Clapton from his Cream days, “Rollin’ and Tumblin’”. At 26m sales and three Grammy Awards, the album has certainly made its mark. It went some way to rejuvenating Clapton musically and sparked a clamor of requests from artists for a session of their own. 

More music news and analysis: