is a
1992 live album
by
recorded at
Bray Studios, England
in front of
an audience
for the
MTV Unplugged
television series.
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.
Recording
Clapton performed
the show
in front of a
small audience
on
January16th 1992
at Bray Film Studios
in
Windsor, England.
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'".
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.
He 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?"
Critical Reception
The album was released on
August,25th 1992
to some of the
best reviews of his career.
The album renewed
the public's interest
in Clapton,
and boosted his popularity.
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".
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".
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