Guest
Unplugged is a 1992 live album by Eric Clapton, recorded at Bray Studios, England in front of an audience for the MTV Unplugged television series.[1] It includes a version of the successful 1992 single “Tears in Heaven“ and an acoustic version of “Layla“. The album itself won three Grammy awards at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in 1993 and became the bestselling live album of all time, and Clapton's bestselling album, selling 26 million copies worldwide. Clapton performed the show in front of a small audience on 16 January 1992 at Bray Film Studios in Windsor, England.[4] In addition to the final album tracks, the performance included early versions of “My Father's Eyes“ and “Circus Left Town“ along with “Worried Life Blues“ and a version of “Rollin' and Tumblin'“.[5] Shortly after telling the studio audience “that's it,“ Clapton said they needed to do “two – no, three - no, five“ songs over again, adding “if you don't mind, I don't mind.“ After the second take of “My Father's Eyes“ there was a brief break and cameras were off. Clapton broke into an impromptu “Rollin' and Tumblin'“, which he had last performed with Cream. The seasoned musicians quickly picked up on it and the crowd clapped along. The director signaled the crew to record, which is why there is such an abrupt start to the song mid-verse. Clapton was so pleased with it that when the song ended, he asked the director, “did you get that?“[6] For much of the performance, Clapton played Martin 000-42 acoustic guitars. In 2004, one of the guitars sold for $791,500 (£434,400) at auction.[1][7] The album was released on 25 August 1992 to some of the best reviews of his career. The album renewed the public's interest in Clapton, and boosted his popularity.[6] Critical reception has been mixed though muted; in general, reviewers report that the album, if unremarkable, is “relaxed“ and “pleasant“. Stephen Thomas Erlewine for AllMusic feels that people have misrepresented and mythologised the album; that though it came after Paul McCartney's MTV Unplugged album, Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) (1991), people often mistake it for “the first-ever MTV album“, that they often feel that “it alone was responsible for revitalizing Clapton's career“, and that “Tears in Heaven“ was first recorded here. Erlewine feels that the songs are “lively and relaxed“, that Clapton turns “Layla“ from an “anguished howl of pain into a cozy shuffle and the whole album proceeds at a similar amiable gait“ while “Clapton is embracing his middle age“.[8] Robert Christgau was sharper in his comments, feeling that in an effort to be inoffensive “Clapton-the-electric-guitarist“ has been relegated “to the mists of memory“, and that “Layla“ was turned into a “whispery greeting card“.[10] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune calls the release a “blues album for yuppies“ and rates it with 2.5 of 4 stars, saying it is between fair and good.[11] Entertainment Weekly journalist Steve Simels scores the album an A− calling the album “a charmer, a collection of blues standards and recent Clapton songs rendered with just the right combination of intensity (a deeply felt version of “Tears in Heaven“) and giddy fun (Clapton actually plays kazoo on “San Francisco Bay Blues“)“.[12] Steve Hochman in the Los Angeles Times felt that “Tears in Heaven“ was “maudlin but moving“, “Layla“ was “low-key but seductive“, but the blues numbers performed in an intimate setting makes the album “Clapton's most passionate collection in years“.[13] Commenting on the popularity of the album in his 2007 autobiography, Clapton wishes the reader to understand the great emotional toll he experienced around that time, and suggests that they visit the grave of his son Conor in Ripley to do so.[14] It was voted number 788 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).[15]
