30 Awesome Acoustic Arrangements

Inspired by my friends who are participating in the “Julio Challenge” I decided I would take a crack at it. I thought that I’d come up with 30 great acoustic versions of songs. And so, so without further ado my 30 Awesome Acoustic Arrangements. Obvious alliteration is obvious.

Motörhead – Ace Of Spades

Who’d win in a wrestling match, Lemmy or God? Trick question, Lemmy is God. This version of Ace of Spades totally changes the feel of the song. This was actually recorded for a Kronenbourg Beer promotion.

Foo Fighters – Everlong

Quite possibly one of my top 5 favorite acoustic songs, Foo Fighters originally played this in the Howard Stern Show studio.

Cash – Hurt

I took this one from SPG’s list, The Man In Black doing Nine Inch Nails. Not much more explanation necessary.

Metallica – Tuesday’s Gone

Originally a Lynyrd Skynyrd song, Metallica recorded Tuesday’s Gone for their cover album compilation Garage Inc. The song shows their musical talent, and offers a great spin on a classic.

AC/DC – You shook me all night long

Many classic rock songs translate very well into acoustic versions. I just like this song, no real reason why. Ha.

Slash ft. Myles Kennedy – Sweet Child O’ Mine

I’m not really that big of a fan of GNR, but there’s something about Myles Kennedy’s voice and the simple acoustic version of this song. Its stripped down and far from Axl Rose’s “Sha-Na-Na-Na-Na-Knees-KNEES!” in Welcome to the Jungle

Eagles – Hotel California

Another one of those songs that require no explanation.

At this point, I really found myself sucked into the performances on the old MTV Unplugged show.

Aerosmith – Dream On

Oh how the mighty have fallen, now this guy is a judge on a reality show. This is the real Steven Tyler.

STP – Plush

Another of my top 5 all time favorites.

Nirvana – Lake of Fire

Nirvana – Where Did You Sleep Last Night

I suppose I bent the rules a bit by including two Nirvana songs from the same performance. I couldn’t decide which was better, I’ve always been partial to Lake of Fire but I just heard Where Did You Sleep Last Night again tonight while looking these up.

Noel Gallagher – Wonderwall Acoustic

I can never remember which brother caused all the problems in Oasis, but I do like Noel’s version of Wonderwall

Pearl Jam – Jeremy

Keep an eye out for Eddie Vedder’s crazy face.

The Smashing Pumpkins – DISARM

I included this one as a tribute to Billy Corgan’s hair, its also a great song.

Alice In Chains – Down In A Hole

Alice In Chains – Would

Just like Nirvana, I couldn’t pick just one Alice in Chains song from this set. Layne Staley is defiantly missed. RIP

Our Lady Peace – Superman’s Dead

The album Clumsy is one that I dust off every once and a while. OLP’s front man Raine Maida has a very unique sound that really comes through in Superman’s Dead.

Live – The Dolphins Cry

In doing research for this post I learned that Live played live for the last time in 2009 at The Palazzo, which would have been a great show. The Dolphins Cry is one of their best songs, this is Ed Kowalczyk playing it on his own.

Days Of The New – Touch, Peel And Stand

I really don’t know anything about Days of the New, except that I really enjoy this song. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Stone Sour – Bother

What really blew my mind when Stone Sour’s album came out, is that this is the same Corey Taylor AKA #8 of Slipknot. Listen to Bother, and then check out Wait and Bleed

Sugarcult – Memory

A decent pop-punk type band from the late 90′s early 00′s. An acoustic version of one of their most popular songs.

The Best Deceptions – Dashboard

No acoustic song list is without an Emo entry, I figure what better band to represent that genre. I think at one point the crowd is actually louder than he is, that’s kind of cool. I’ll admit it, this song was on my iPod in college.

Cute Without The “E” (Cut From the Team) – Taking Back Sunday

A great slowed down version of a really awesome Taking Back Sunday song. In my top 5.

I also wanted to include a “WTF” section, mainly a couple songs/bands that you wouldn’t imagine playing acoustic sets.

Deftones – Digital Bath

It was hard to find a decent acoustic Deftones song due to some of Chino’s vocal problems at the time. Digital Bath uses some effects on his voice that help it on the acoustic version.

KoRn & Amy Lee – Freak on a Leash

Acoustic Korn seemed strange to me, but with Amy Lee of Evanescence it kind of works. Check it out for yourself.

Shinedown – Simple Man

Another Lynyrd Skynyrd cover makes the list.

The next two songs come from my “Sing Along” playlist from high school and college. Both of these were songs that my friends and I could throw on and we’d all know the words.

Extreme – More Than Words