15 Acoustic (mostly) Albums to Make You Wanna Play Guitar

Recently I was remembering back to the days when I was first getting into playing guitar and songwriting. Over the years certain albums have stood out as encouraging that process. In every case, the artists make it sound easy to deliver great music, it is often simple, and they're all masters at their craft. These are great albums, all things aside. Something about each one of them made me want to pick up my guitar and at least try and learn a song or two. I hope you have the same feeling.

In no particular order...

1. John Lennon - Acoustic

First off, the version I have came with chords printed along with the lyrics in the CD booklet. Wow, I wish this happened more often! It makes Lennon's songs so accessible. These tracks make you feel like anybody can pick up a guitar and learn the songs and I like to think maybe John Lennon felt that way. It's a great album featuring stripped down versions of many songs you'll recognize and a great place to start with learning chords and singing. (Start with: Working Class Hero, God)


2. Nirvana -  MTV Unplugged in New York

 Getting into Nirvana would have been impossible for me without this album, I was absolutely not ready for anything as heavy as their studio albums when I first heard of them. Thankfully, when I was in high school, I heard this and had a chance to hear what great performers they were and what great songwriters they were. Then, later when I transitioned into their other stuff, I was able to access it and enjoy the heck out of it. Also, some of the cover songs on this album were the gateway to me learning about other bands (Leadbelly, The Meat Puppets). I was young when I heard it the first time and the album has traveled with me in life. It's powerful and one of the best albums ever. (Start with: Come As You Are, Where Did You Sleep Last Night)


3. Beck - Stereopathetic Soulmanure

I had a tough time choosing between this one and One Foot In The Grave, but I've definitely gone to want to play songs off of Stereopathetic Soulmanure more often. The other thing this album accomplishes for a songwriter is that it makes you feel like you can take things from your world, record them, incorporate them into songs and come up with something cool and interesting. The songs are simple and very fun to play. The sounds and interludes are unlike anything else I've ever heard and add a lot. One step beyond acoustic songwriting/performing, get out a sound recorder and some basic sound editing software and go make some weird cool songs. (Start with: Satan Gave Me A Taco, Ozzy)


4. Bob Dylan -Blood On The Tracks

Blood on the Tracks was the first Dylan album I had. I was fortunate to see him live in 1999 and hear him play Tangled Up In Blue. Dylan is the master at writing a song with basic chords, structure, and vocal range, and yet making it so hard to perform well. I played some of the songs off this album quite a few times while in my dorm room, Westfield State College, with my friend Erik as we both struggled to pick up basic guitar skills. (Start with: Tangled Up In Blue, You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go)


5. Page and Plant - No Quarter

This album was basically the unplugged version of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant's tunes, although it wasn't quite that and was never officially called that. I think most of the fans called it that. I saw Page and Plant on tour in 1997 and they were anything but unplugged, wow, they rocked and Plant could definitely still hit the high notes. This album stands out to me because it shows how classic Led Zeppelin songs could be rearranged into mellow versions and still be amazing. I've listened to this album countless times and, if ever an opportunity arises, I'm going to play songs with a full orchestra. These songs are not as easy to learn as some on my other entries, as Page has a hard to learn style that is sloppy and technical at the same time and since it isn't one person singing and playing at the same time, sometimes the songs are hard to to that with. Still, these songs are worth checking out. (Start with: Gallows Pole, The Battle For Evermore)


6. Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker

I had the incredible fortune to see Ryan Adams live in New York, playing solo acoustic, shortly after this album was released. I was just getting into his music and had no idea he'd become so big. I shook his hand at a bar, he made some jokes, that was my interaction. I sat on the floor in a tiny club and was blown away by his command of his voice, the perfect songwriting, and his finger picking style. These songs sound great with just a guitar and voice and this is still my favorite of his releases. If you get a chance, see the video that comes with the deluxe version of Heartbreaker. I was at that show and you'll get a chance to see what I mean. (Start with: Come Pick Me Up, Oh My Sweet Carolina, Damn Sam (I Love A Woman That Rains))


7. Wilco - A.M. 

 Arguably Wilco has gone on to create bigger and better things than AM. They were still firmly grounded in their alt country roots at this point and the album lacks the expansive creativity that is present in their newer releases and I appreciate that they've continued to push the envelope creatively. However, these songs are great to play. I like the simple riffs that are present in most cases and the little tricks that can be discovered while singing the songs. They're fun to play over and over. Also, Tweedy is lyrically clever in places that I enjoy.  (Start with: Pick Up The Change, Passenger Side)


8. Billy Bragg - Back To Basics

 Perhaps it is fitting to follow up Wilco with a Billy Bragg entry since they did the albums together, but I find I much prefer Back To Basics. The songwriting is strong and the performance is basic. Bragg uses some reverb and electric clean tone to put on a show with this album. He doesn't try any fancy tricks, which I find appealing as I try and learn new songs to play. The title describes the album perfectly. The style almost reminds me of punk, although it's not that. Is there such thing as alt folk punk? If so, I wanna play that. (Start with: A New England)


9. The Jayhawks - Rainy Day Music

With the absence of Mark Olson, Gary Louris was front and center for this Jayhawks release and it came out great. Louris is a total package (the rest of the band is pretty good, too!), being able to song write, sing, and shred the guitar. The challenge I have with playing some of these songs is that I can't quite hit Louris' notes with the vocals at times. But, a capo or just taking it down an octave can be an easy fix if you encounter that (he's got a great range). Also, I've found that sings songs can often be played in a simpler version, or with Louris' sweet riffs added in. I got to see The Jayhawks on this tour and they were impressive, on tour with The Thorns, so it was cool to hear both of the bands perform Blue in the same show! (Start with: Angelyne, Save It For A Rainy Day)


10. Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison

 Johnny Cash was a master at using his amazing and unique voice to make up for less guitar skill. He was also a great song writer. He played guitar just enough to deliver his songs, it also helped that he often had super talented lead guitarists backing him up. He was one of the best front men of all time and nowhere is that showcased more than on At Folsom Prison. Cash's songs are often simple to learn, though nobody could ever perform like him. His songs are great to make your own, do your own version. If you want to learn how to do that, Cash is a great template for that too. He did great covers and made them distinctly Johnny Cash. Check out his American Recordings records for inspirado in that department. (Start with: I Still Miss Someone, The Long Black Veil)


11. Tom Petty - Wildflowers

Tom Petty is another performer with an unmistakable sound. I like a lot of his stuff, but always find myself coming back to Wildflowers. It is timeless and features Petty at his best. It is one of those albums and made me want to give up on my own songwriting because Tom Petty had already made the perfect album. After a while I just tried to use his performance to springboard my own creativity, which is what I imagine all great artists hope for their admirers. Recently, with Petty's death, I've heard some of the broadcasts of interviews with him (thanks NPR) and he sounds like he was such a humble, interesting, and inspiring human being. This album has all the ingredients for greatness. (Start with: You Don't Know How It Feels)


12. Ween - The Mollusk

The Mollusk stands as my favorite Ween album and it is possibly their mellowest. 12 Golden Country Greats is also great for learning some songs on guitar. I stuck with The Mollusk because many of the tunes are a little more to my preference and I find the album overall to be more interesting. The band definitely uses some effects and pedals, and stuff like that, but it's really not necessary to learn many of these songs. (Start with: Cold Blows The Wind, It's Gonna Be (Alright))


13.Tom Waits - Heartattack and Vine

When I moved back east to go to school in my undergrad, one thing I didn't anticipate was homesickness. I know, I should have seen that coming, but I was young and hadn't experienced such emotions before. Well, the cure for some of it came int he form of Tom Waits and this was the album I ended up connecting with. Waits has some albums that are more acoustic and they're great to check out, but this is the one that resonated with me and made me want to pick up my guitar. It's raw and dirty and makes you feel like you're doing something a little wrong by being a fan of it. It's music from dark alleys and rainy streets. I love it. Of course, Waits is a piano player so not all his songs work great for guitar... be warned. (Start with: Ruby's Arms, Jersey Girl, Saving All My Love For You)


14. Rodriguez - Cold Fact

 Rodriguez is most well known for the Searching For Sugarman ST and you'll find some of those songs on Cold Fact. I like his regular albums better than the soundtrack album, as I find they have more cohesion. He is straightforward with his playing and singing, and songwriting. It's politically tinged and a little dated with some of the accompanying instrumentation, but the quality shines through. With minimal practice, these songs can be picked up and performed. It seems many haven't heard of Rodriguez, so watch as your friends ask you "who wrote that?" and you can impress them by knowing about him and then introduce them to some new stuff. Go for it! (Start with: I Wonder, Like Janis)


15. Neil Diamond - 12 Songs

 
I'll be honest, before 12 Songs, I thought Neil Diamond's best days and albums were behind him. His few releases before it had not been impressive and he'd seemed to be on a steady decline as far as new albums was concerned. I've been a fan of Diamond for as long as I can remember and his hits are classic, some of the best songs (I love Hot August Night). When I heard this, though, I thought... wow. This is great. Diamond can still write songs and he showcases top notch ability on this album. His chord structures are basic enough (look at him hold that G chord on the cover!), it's the writing and unmistakable voice that stand out. His songs are fun to learn and usually pretty quick. Learn a few, show your friends, sing and play them together. Have a great time with it. (Start with: Captain of a Shipwreck, Save Me A Saturday Night)


That's it. I hope you enjoyed my list. If you have albums that have inspired you to pick up your guitar and play, feel free to mention them in the comments.