One of the more vital music television series in the history of rock is MTV Unplugged, which really flourished in the ’90s as an outlet for acts to showcase their material in acoustic setting. In this list, we’re counting down 10 of the best MTV Unplugged episodes in the history of the show’s run.
The first episode was taped in 1989 featuring Squeeze, Syd Straw and Elliott Easton. Over the next year, bigger names would start to show and interest and by the early ’90s MTV Unplugged had become one of the network’s top rated shows.
The experience was so beloved by musicians that many of them decided to eventually release their Unplugged sets as live albums. Eric Clapton even earned Grammy Awards for his work during the taping of MTV Unplugged back in 1992.
Some acts like The Black Crowes and Pearl Jam used MTV Unplugged to springboard their careers forward while still somewhat in their infancy. Others like KISS and Jimmy Page and Robert Plant used it to provide true “moments” for fans of their legendary careers.
While MTV scaled back on music programming in the 21st Century, they have held onto the MTV Unplugged format and series welcoming artists to play acoustic for sets over the years.
Join us as we count down 10 of the best MTV Unplugged sets of all-time in the gallery below.
MTV Unplugged Episodes Ranked