Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost Of Tom Joad (LP)

While 1982’s Nebraska was Springsteen’s first acoustic work, it was a happy accident, drawing from a series of spare four-track demos recorded in his bedroom. The Ghost Of Tom Joad, meanwhile, was an intentionally stark album, primarily consisting of solo acoustic numbers like the aching title track (famously re-interpreted by Rage Against The Machine). It also featured several full band tracks, including appearances by E Street Band keyboardist Danny Federici and bassist Garry Tallent after a full band reunion in the studio the previous year. The Ghost Of Tom Joad was also Springsteen’s first full album to win a Grammy Award, in the category of Best Contemporary Folk Album.