This classic album demands a revisit. For those who have been a little dissapointed by Clapton’s releases since heady days of Cream, Blind Faith and the Dominos, this live performance recorded on Jan. 16, 1992, in front of 300 music fans gathered at Bray Studios, near Windsor, made music history. There on Soundstage 1, MTV filmed the opening episode of Unplugged’s third season. It turned out to be some of the finest music ever recorded by Eric Clapton.
Backed by a more than capable backing group (featuring Nathan East on bass and the legendary Andy Fairweather-Low, formerly in Amen Corner, on rhythm guitar) the album, which is a mixture of blues covers and acoustic remakes of his own songs, highlights the best of a mixed career.
Top tracks include yet another version of the Bo Diddley classic “Before You Accuse Me” an improvement over the electric cover with Robert Cray of the Journeyman album, “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” from the seminal Layla album and a fun version of the blues standard “San Francisco Bay Blues.” Clapton’s tour-de-force, “Layla,” is given a bluesy laidback feel that really makes this classic equally good if not better that the original. Top all this with a few more blues standards and the fact that it’s pressed on 180-gram vinyl and you’ve got a great package.
Clapton’s bestselling album — and the bestselling live album of all time — with more than 26 million copies sold worldwide, Unplugged was awarded Album of the Year at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards, with Clapton also winning Best Rock Vocal Performance — Male (Unplugged) and Best Rock Song (“Layla”).
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’ And Tumblin’
