10 Greatest Unplugged Albums In Rock History

The biggest curse that comes with being in the music industry comes with staying at the party for too long. The more you watch the clock tick by, the more likely you are to end up like a punchline by the time you're bowing out. When the Man in Black stepped up to take his final bows though, he had the authority that most young writers can only dream of having.

Coming off of his string of excellent records in his American saga with producer Rick Rubin, The Man Comes Around is by far the standout, with most of the songs being stripped back to pure Americana. Outside of a few piano toches here and there, most of these songs can get the same effect with just Johnny and a guitar, and be able to rip your heart right out of your chest no less.

Although the inclusion of Hurt would put this record in gold tier on its own, the deeper cuts like his take on classic rock songs from the Beatles and the Eagles show just how much care he had for the art form. And when he goes back to the country pool on songs like Give My Love to Rose, you know you're not looking at the same guy who stepped out of Folsom Prison. He is now a grown man and he's got a lot of demons to unpack.