10 Greatest Live Albums In Rock Music History

10. Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York

Given their brief time as a unit, it’s a surprise that Nirvana have as many live albums - three - as they did studio releases. While all three are worthwhile, though, the darkly beautiful Unplugged record is the pick of the bunch.

Recorded just five months before Kurt Cobain’s death, it’s a brittle and haunting piece of work for large parts, with the band focussing primarily on their quieter, downtempo numbers as well as some choice covers. “About A Girl” (one of the band’s best songs) opens things up, and the career retrospective proceeds with Nevermind’s “On A Plain” and “Something In The Way” and In Utero’s “Dumb”, an album standout with its gorgeously funeral cellos.

The covers are some of the most memorable cuts; Nirvana are joined by the Meat Puppets to howl through a trio of Pups tracks. Best in show is the closer, traditional number "Where Did You Sleep Last Night". It’s quite possibly Cobain’s greatest ever vocal performance, shifting through the gears from bluesy drawl to bestial roar.

Indeed one of the great joys of Unplugged is the spotlight it places on Nirvana’s - and Cobain’s - melodic abilities. They were so much more than noisniks, and the stripped back record is the best evidence for this.