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Slash may have said it best: "There's no lying with the acoustic guitar. There's something very pure, and very humbling, about it."
A profound statement coming from one of rock 'n' roll's most celebrated electric guitarists.
But strip away all the muck of multi-layered overdubs, rack effects and endless symphonies of tracks, and you separate the dodgers hiding behind studio wizardry and the artists who know a great song only needs six-strings and a melody.
Here are 25 of hard rock's best acoustic rockers. Some are pure acoustic jams, others only start out out that way before ascending into grand opuses. But what makes these songs iconic is their elemental simplicity. In other words, all you need to bring them to life is an acoustic guitar and a little feeling. And from the looks of these rockers, some gaudy jewelry helps.
"STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN" LED ZEPPELIN Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
Led Zeppelin III was largely an unplugged affair, but "Stairway to Heaven," from the band's follow-up, wins the prize for acoustic guitar excellence. Jimmy Page's delicately fingerpicked arpeggios made the song Zeppelin's-and rock's-definitive acoustic moment. Over the years, "Stairway to Heaven" has dominated countless "greatest rock song ever" lists, thanks to its spellbinding mix of lyrical mysticism, compositional and production genius and instrumental virtuosity. But its most celebrated moment remains Page's unaccompanied intro: whether heard on a radio or played by some pimply kid in a guitar store, all it takes is those first few acoustic guitar notes and you can instantly name that tune.
"MORE THAN A FEELING" BOSTON Boston (1976)
Tom Scholz's soaring leads (recorded with an early version of his Rockman amp unit) and crunchy, multi-tracked electric guitar rhythms have more than a little to do with "More Than a Feeling" becoming one of classic rock's most enduring anthems. But it is the song's lilting, arpeggiated acoustic intro that puts fans in the mood. Working as something of a one-man band in his basement, Scholz, one of music's first DIY dudes, played all the guitar parts on "Feeling." For the arpeggiated intro and verses, he used a Yamaha 12-string; the more fully strummed choruses called for a Guild D-40. A bit of trivia: Noting the similarities between "More Than a Feeling" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Kurt Cobain teased fans at Nirvana's 1992'S Reading Festival performance with a few bars of the Boston classic.
"DUST IN THE WIND" KANSAS Point of Know Return (1977)
When Vicci Livgren overheard her husband, Kansas guitarist Kerry, practicing finger exercises on his acoustic one day, she told him she heard a song there and suggested he add some lyrics. He listened, and the result was "Dust in the Wind." A departure from Kansas' characteristic prog-rock bombast, "Dust in the Wind" was a stark, plaintive meditation on the meaning of life. While many assume that the track features a 12-string acoustic, the rich unplugged sound is actually the result of multiple six-strings (a few in Nashville tuning), played by Livgren and co-guitarist Rich Williams. The song became Kansas' only Top-10 single, charting at Number Six in 1978. In the years since, it has become something of a cultural touchstone, popping up everywhere from TV shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy to movies like Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Old School.
"STREET FIGHTING MAN" THE ROLLING STONES Beggars Banquet (1968)
One might assume this rebel yell, released during the tumultuous summer of 1968, would rage with the sound of electric guitars. Not so: with the exception of an electric bass, played by Keith Richards, the track is 100 percent acoustic. Preparing a demo for the song, Richards miked two acoustics and recorded them into a cheap Phillips mono cassette recorder. The guitarist was so enamored of the resulting distortion (the machine had no limiters, causing the signal to overload) he decided to go au naturale and ditch the electrics.
"PINBALL WIZARD" THE WHO Tommy (1969)
By 1969, Pete Townshend was known as much for smashing guitars as for playing them. But on the Who's ground breaking Tommy, he demonstrated some astonishing six-string skills. And with an acoustic in his hands (check out "It's a Boy" for some deft blues-meets-flamenco work), he was unstoppable. Although electrics bolster the verses and choruses of the album's centerpiece, "Pinball Wizard," a 1968 Gibson J-200 acoustic is the dominant instrument throughout. Townshend's furiously strummed barre chords (which he deemed "mock baroque"), heard in the intro and breakdown section, provide the kind of power and majesty befitting a genuine rock opera.
"FEEL LIKE MAKIN' LOVE" BAD COMPANY Straight Shooter (1975)
As the first band signed to Led Zeppelin's Swan Song label, Bad Company, led by former Free Singer Paul Rodgers and former Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs, followed their bosses' lead and specialized in sweaty, swaggering blues rock. Taking another lesson from the Zepmen, Ralphs juxtaposed chiming acoustics with explosive power chords on this Top 10 smash, to wondrous effect. The bright, jangly acoustics lend a relaxed, down-home country vibe to the verses, while the electric guitars in the chorus scream with big, brash British rock. Presumably, quite a few people felt like doing the nasty after hearing this cut.
"YOU CAN'T PUT YOUR ARMS AROUND A MEMORY" JOHNNY THUNDERS So Alone (1978)
As a member of the proto-punk glam-rockers the New York Dolls, and later with his own band, the Heartbreakers, Johnny Thunders knew how to dish out rough-and ragged three-chord rock. And with a Les Paul Junior slung well below his waist, he had "cool" written all over him. So it came as a surprise when Thunders, on his debut solo album, issued this poetic acoustic ballad. Tempering his patented pounding style, the singer-songwriter lays out his junkie lifestyle with unflinching candor, practically caressing his guitar strings in the process. Melancholic and remorseful, the song has come to serve as an elegy of sorts for the troubled Thunders, who died of an apparent drug overdose in 1991. (The song's title, it should be noted, was lifted from a line spoken in an episode of the Fifties TV sitcom The Honeymooners. Punk rock, indeed .)
"CLOSER TO THE HEART" RUSH A Farewell to Kings (1977)
By 1977, Rush had firmly established themselves as fine purveyors of glorious 20-minute sci-fi opuses that could fill entire album sides. But on this, their fifth studio release, the Canadian prog trio demonstrated their ability to be hooky, concise and, with "Closer to the Heart," radio-friendly. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the song's gentle, ringing 12-string acoustic guitar intro is that it was written by bassist Geddy Lee, rather than guitarist Alex Lifeson. The same figure is later repeated after a particularly ripping electric guitar solo-only this time the 12-string acoustic is smartly doubled by a six-string electric. When it comes to Rush, of course, the contributions of drummer extraordinaire Neil Peart can never be overlooked. Here, he adds plenty of bells and whistles throughout. Okay ... they're actually chimes.
"ROUNDABOUT" YES Fragile (1971)
Pick up a Martin 00-8 acoustic, pluck octave harmonics at the 12th fret (essentially comprising an Em chord) and voila!-you'll have a whole room of guitar dudes sitting up and taking notice. And with good reason-this simple move is Steve Howe's signature opening line to "Roundabout," Yes' breakthrough 1971 hit. Make it past Howe's harmonic-heavy unaccompanied intro, and you just might have a chance at mastering this intricate prog-rock masterpiece, in which acoustics and electrics, played in classical, jazzy and rocking splendor, weave in, out and "roundabout." As for the lyrics, this is prog-you're on your own there.
"DEE" RANDY RHOADS Blizzard of Ozz (1980)
With his inventive, neoclassical spin on Eddie Van Halen's already established bag of tricks, Randy Rhoads became the new heavy metal guitar king after fans heard his work on Ozzy Osbourne's 1980 solo debut, ,Blizzard of Ozz. But while electrified Ozz rockers like "Crazy Train" and "I Don't Know" wowed the metal masses, it was the solo classical piece "Dee" that was Rhoads' true masterpiece. Rhoads grew up in a musical family-h is mother, Delores, runs a music school in North Hollywood, California-so it was only fitting that "Dee," all 49 seconds of it, paid tribute to the woman who inspired and nurtured his dreams. Fingerpicked on a nylon-strong acoustic, the piece is by turns playful, melancholy, heartbreaking and hopeful. Tragically, Rhoads was killed in a 1982 plane crash, at the age of 25. Five years later, Ozzy Osbourne included an extended, studio outtake version of "Dee" on his album Tribute, reminding us all of Rhoads' immense and largely untapped talent.
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Mike
We are more inclined to rock songs being turned to acoustic ones but several bands are also doing it vice versa and the results are amazing. Rock bands have always been present throughout the years and they surely bring so much flavor and creativity in the music industry. Thank you for sharing this post. These are certainly incredible songs!
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