10 Greatest Unplugged Rock Songs
7. I Stay Away - Alice in Chains
For as grimy as the grunge movement sounded in its inception, there were actually a lot of bands who translated well to the unplugged format.
Pearl Jam always knew how to bring it down a notch, and even Nirvana's live Unplugged is among some of the greatest acoustic gigs ever recorded. But metal and acoustic...that's kinda stretching it. And you'd be right...if the band wasn't Alice in Chains.
Having already done acoustic songs on their EP Sap, I Stay Away is Alice playing to all of their strengths when behind the unplugged material. As much as the chiming guitars lead the charge, there's a deranged feeling coming off of the vocals, as Layne Staley struggles to stay sane as he goes through the throes of addiction.
You also have to give them kudos for having the guts to put strings over the top, which turn the song into some of the more melodramatic songs that you'd find on a Neil Young record.
Even if the vocals are top notch, it's almost haunting listening back to something like this, with Layne holding nothing back about his ongoing battle that he was not going to win. At the very least, this makes for the greatest cautionary tale of what happens when you go down a very dark path.