Unplugged (Eric Clapton album)

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Unplugged
Eric Clapton Unplugged.jpg
Live album by Eric Clapton
Released 25 August 1992
Recorded 16 January 1992, Bray Film Studios, Windsor, England, UK
Genre Acoustic rock, acoustic blues
Length 61:47
Label Reprise, Duck, MTV
Producer Russ Titelman
Eric Clapton chronology
Rush
(1991)Rush1991		 Unplugged
(1992)		 From the Cradle
(1994)From the Cradle1994

Unplugged is a live album by Eric Clapton released in 1992.[1] It was recorded for the MTV Unplugged series and includes both the hit song "Tears in Heaven" and a heavily reworked acoustic version of "Layla". The album won three Grammy Awards in 1993 and sold 26 million copies worldwide.[2]

Background

Clapton performed the show in front of a small audience on 16 January 1992 at Bray Film Studios in Windsor, England.[3] 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'".[4] Clapton played Martin 000-42 acoustic guitars for much of the performance, and in 2004, one of the guitars sold for 791,500 USD (£ 434.400) in auction.[1][5] 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.[6]

Critical Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4.5/5 stars[7]
Chicago Tribune 2.5/4 stars[8]
Entertainment Weekly (A-)[9]
Los Angeles Times 3/4 stars[10]
Robert Christgau B−[11]

AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine starts his review by looking at the commercial figues, calling this Unplugged release a "massive success" and "one of the rare albums to be certified as diamond in the U.S. and it went platinum all over the world". He also notes that the album "was the first-ever MTV album, that it alone was responsible for revitalizing [Eric Clapton]s career". Erlewine goes on to uplift the release saying the songs that were recored are "lively and relaxed". He finished his review saying that this live release "cut[s] to the quick of Clapton's musical DNA". He rated the album with 4.5 of 5 possible stars.[7]

Greg Kot of 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.[8] Entertainment Weekly journalist Steve Simels scores the album (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”)".[9] Steve Hochman from the Los Angeles Times music section gives the album three out of four possible stars (good) and calls the tapes "Clapton's most passionate collection in years".[10]

Accolades

Clapton earned three Grammy Awards for the album, including Album of the Year, Best Rock Male Vocal Performance and Best Rock Song.[12] Although "Tears in Heaven" also earned three Grammy Awards, it was the version from Rush that the judges awarded.[12]

Year Organisation Award Work Result Ref.
1992 Guitar World Best guitar-albums of 1992 Unplugged #9 [13]
Musikexpress Best albums of 1992 #8 [14]
1993 NARAS Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance Won [15]
Grammy Award for Album of the Year [16]
Grammy Award for Best Rock Song Layla [17]
NCTA CableACE Award Unplugged Nominated [18]
2000 Q Best British albums #71 [19]
2005 Musikexpress Best albums of the 1990s #32 [20]
2006 Billboard Worlds 300 best-selling albums #43 [21]

Personnel

Commercial performance

In Germany the album peaked at #3 in the German Albums Chart and sold a total of 1.25 million copies, becoming one of the best-selling albums in Germany. In Austria Unplugged reached the charts selling 13,000 copies in the first week.[22] The album held itself 46 weeks in the Austrian Albums Chart and sold more than 100,000 copies in total. In Switzerland the album also reached #3 in the country's chart with 16,500 copies sold in the first week alone.[22] Selling 60,000 copies in the first two weeks, the live album was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry – a record for any British artist.[23] In the U.S. the album peaked at number two selling 230,000 copies in week one,[22] going on to sell four million copies in the first year after its original release.[24] In Australia the album sold 70,000 copies just one week after its release, getting a Platinum disc.[22] In Canada and the Netherlands the album sold 43,000 and 59,000 copies in week one.[22] In New Zealand and France Unplugged sold 26,000 in its first week and went on to become an 11-times and double Platinum record.[22] In Italy the album sold 124,000 in one year and was certified triple platinum after 14 months with total sales of 150,000 copies.[22]

Re-release

On 15 October 2013 the album and concert DVD were re-released, titled Unplugged: Expanded & Remastered. The album includes the original 14 tracks, remastered, as well as six additional tracks, including two versions of "My Father's Eyes". The DVD includes a restored version of the concert, as well as over 60 minutes of unseen footage from the rehearsal.

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Signe"   Eric Clapton 3:13
2. "Before You Accuse Me"   Bo Diddley 3:44
3. "Hey Hey"   Big Bill Broonzy 3:16
4. "Tears in Heaven"   Clapton, Will Jennings 4:36
5. "Lonely Stranger"   Clapton 5:27
6. "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out"   Jimmy Cox 3:49
7. "Layla"   Clapton, Jim Gordon 4:46
8. "Running on Faith"   Jerry Lynn Williams 6:30
9. "Walkin' Blues"   Son House 3:37
10. "Alberta"   Traditional, arr. by Huddie William Ledbetter 3:42
11. "San Francisco Bay Blues"   Jesse Fuller 3:24
12. "Malted Milk"   Robert Johnson 3:36
13. "Old Love"   Clapton, Robert Cray 7:54
14. "Rollin' and Tumblin'"   McKinley Morganfield 4:11
Total length:
 61:47

Single releases

The acoustic rework of "Layla" was released as the single "Layla (Acoustic)", sometimes titled as "Layla (Unplugged)" in September 1992.[25] The release reached top positions in both 1992 and 1993, reaching number one in the RPM Canadian Top Singles chart[26] as well as peaking at number four in the Canadian Adult Contemporary Tracks the same year.[27] It too became popular in the US reaching number four[28] on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, peaking at number nine in the Mainstream Rock chart[29] and reaching place 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.[30] It also reached the top ten five other countries and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association.[31] Being also certified double platinum by Canadian Recording Industry Association[32] it sold more than 1,5 million copies worldwide.[33]

Clapton's acoustic version of "Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out" was released as a single in Argentina only on 27 September 1992.[34] Journalist Morten Holgersson from Norway liked the cover version noting that Clapton recorded the song more sinfully and in a more modern style than any other artist before. This, recalls Holgersson, is due to the changing of Clapton's finger picking and guitar playing with a pick. He therefore ended his review saying this was "tactful and percussive".[35] American music critic Will Branson also liked Ray Cooper's and Chuck Leavell's work on their instruments.[36] The single reached position eight in Argentina and was certified gold in 1992 for sales of 50,000 copies.[34]

"Running on Faith" was not released as a single, but reached number 15 on the Billboard Mainstream rock chart in 1993 as well as position 28 on the Adult Contemporary chart which are based on radio airplay.[37] "Tears in Heaven" was not released as a single from Unplugged but from the soundtrack for the film Rush.

Chart positions

Certifications

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Clapton's guitar smashes record BBC News Retrieved 28 January 2011
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Clapton, Eric: Unplugged
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Fretbase: Eric Clapton Unplugged – His Guitars and Gear
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Unplugged at AllMusic
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Billboard 6 Mar 1993 Billboard Retrieved 28 January 2011
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  18. ↑ IMDb nm0002008 Eric Clapton
  19. ↑ Eric Clapton – Unplugged. Q. 2000
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6 Music in 1992. London 2001, p. 23.
  23. ↑ See BPI Gold/Platinum.
  24. ↑ Grammy Sweep Could Electrify Clapton's Sales. Billboard Magazine. 6 March 1993.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  38. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Eric Clapton – Unplugged". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  39. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Eric Clapton – Unplugged" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  40. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Eric Clapton – Unplugged" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  41. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Eric Clapton – Unplugged" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  42. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue {{{chartid}}}." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
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  44. ↑ "Top Stranih [Top Foreign]" (in Croatian). Top Foreign Albums. Hrvatska diskografska udruga. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
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  47. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Eric Clapton – Unplugged" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
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  50. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. ↑ "Top 40 album DVD és válogatáslemez-lista – 1992. 52. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  53. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 44, 2013". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
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  58. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Eric Clapton – Unplugged". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  59. ↑ 59.0 59.1 59.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  60. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
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  62. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Eric Clapton – Unplugged". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  63. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Eric Clapton – Unplugged". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  64. ↑ "Eric Clapton | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  65. ↑ "Eric Clapton – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Eric Clapton.
  66. ↑ "Eric Clapton – Chart history" Billboard Top Catalog Albums for Eric Clapton.
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  91. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Eric Clapton in the field Interpret. Enter Unplugged in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
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  99. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Click on næste to go to page if certification from official website
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  104. ↑ IFPI Hong Kong: "在1992年，只有一個白金獎：埃里克·克萊普頓的演唱會專輯"不插電"被授予。". [In 1992, there was only one double Platinum certification awarded. It went to Eric Clapton to recognize outstaning sales of his live-album Unplugged. Rén Yamika. 1993. An interview with Billboard Magazine.
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  116. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. ID-Numbers from the LP, Cassette and CD album: 9 45024-2, 9362450242, 936245024-2, stating five-time Platinum awards.
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  123. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Unplugged in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
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  135. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Unplugged in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select DVD in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  136. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Video Longform, then click SEARCH
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