One of the unquestionable milestones of Eric Clapton’s career – his Unplugged live album – is set for an expanded CD/DVD reissue next month from the good folks at Rhino.
When Clapton took to an intimate stage at Windsor’s Bray Film Studios in January 1992 for MTV’s Unplugged, he was already an unabashed master of his craft. But he was a man in transition: the ’80s saw him embracing mainstream pop on albums like August and Journeyman, and some quietly wondered if he’d ever revisit the blues tunes he so successfully introduced to the masses.
Then in 1991, an unthinkable tragedy happened: Clapton’s four-year-old son, Conor, fell from the window of a New York apartment and died. The heartbroken father laid his emotions bare on a new song, “Tears in Heaven,” first released on the soundtrack to the film Rush, was out barely a week when Clapton played it for Unplugged – and the feeling was just as raw as the studio version.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyk2eQcltso]
“Tears in Heaven” was one of many highlights of Unplugged, a set which saw Clapton tackle his old blues favorites (“Before You Accuse Me,” “Alberta,” “Malted Milk”) as well as a dramatic reworking of Derek & The Dominos’ fiery “Layla.” Both “Layla” and “Tears in Heaven” were Top 20 hits, and the album was a massive success, topping the Billboard charts, certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America for over 10 million copies shipped, and winner of six Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year.
An album this big deserves some classy treatment, and the expanded, triple-disc Unplugged looks like it delivers. In addition to the original album, a six-track bonus disc of rehearsal takes is included, featuring “Big Maceo” Merriweather’s “Worried Life Blues,” and originals “Circus” and “My Father’s Eyes,” later released on 1998’s Pilgrim. A bonus DVD features both the original MTV Unplugged feature and 14 rehearsal tracks recorded in addition to the final set.
The expanded Unplugged hits stores October 15. Pre-order links are not yet live, but the full track list is after the jump!
Unplugged: Expanded Edition (Reprise/Rhino, 2013)
Disc 1: Original album (released as Reprise 45024, 1992)
- Signe
- Before You Accuse Me
- Hey Hey
- Tears in Heaven
- Lonely Stranger
- Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out
- Layla
- Running on Faith
- Walkin’ Blues
- Alberta
- San Francisco Bay Blues
- Malted Milk
- Old Love
- Rollin’ & Tumblin’
Disc 2: Rehearsal Takes (previously unreleased)
- Circus
- My Father’s Eyes (Take 1)
- Running on Faith (Take 1)
- Walkin’ Blues (Take 1)
- My Father’s Eyes (Take 2)
- Worried Life Blues
Disc 3: DVD
Original Unplugged feature (same track list as Disc 1)
Rehearsal footage:
- Signe
- Before You Accuse Me
- Hey Hey
- Tears in Heaven
- Circus
- Lonely Stranger
- Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out
- Layla
- My Father’s Eyes
- Running on Faith
- Walkin’ Blues
- Alberta
- San Francisco Bay Blues
- Malted Milk
Now if he could only do the same with 24 Nights. THAT album has tons of material left out that’s worth releasing…!
24 nights worth, if I’m not mistaken.
That’s a big ass box set.
Which could be broken down into five double CD sets: the 4 piece band, the 9 piece band (which both have identical sets), the first blues band, the second blues band and the orchestral nights.
I know at least 1 blues, 1 9-piece and 1 orchestra concert were broadcast in full thanks to bootlegs. And they prove that there are some pieces worth releasing, including a live performance of “Concerto For Electric Guitar” which has never appeared on a Clapton LP!
I like your thinking, Brian! I’d be interested in hearing more of those shows too. Esp. the blues stuff, certainly, but I’d like to hear it all.
probably my fav clapton album. I’ll pick this up, it’ll be nice to get the dvd bundled with it
I believe there are some great Cream boots out there; I wish the 3 of them would look into giving the OK for their official release!
As good as this performance was at the time — and it certainly was — I got so tired of hearing it everywhere (esp. the acoustic “Layla,” which was a cool idea for a remake but now seems to get played more than the epic, superior original).
Interesting that “Circus” is being released as a commercial. It was actually performed on the MTV telecast, and I’ve always been upset that Clapton didn’t include it on the original album. Likewise, “Rollin’ & Tumblin’ ” seems to fade in on the album, so I assume we never got the full song there either.
Sorry, that should read “Interesting that “Circus” is being released as a REHEARSAL.”
If I remember back then correctly “Rollin’ and Tumblin” wasn’t meant to be recorded or even rehearsed. Clapton just started playing it during a tape change and they got the last part after the machines started rolling again. During the original broadcast they used it as a commercial bump.
Thanks for the explanation… I always wondered about that.
I have two of the blues shows on bootleg cassette, and one of the big band. All are quality stereo recordings.