Eric Clapton's catalog gets an upgrade this Friday with the deluxe reissue of his fifth live album, 1991's 24 Nights.
It was compiled from 42 concerts — 18 in 1990 and 24 in '91 — at London's Royal Albert Hall, where he's performed more than 200 times, more than any artist. He calls his engagements there the "annual dust-up."
For the shows represented on this album he was joined by Johnnie Johnson, Jimmie Vaughan, Chuck Leavell, Phil Collins, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins and many others.
The limited-edition boxed set, The Definitive 24 Nights, includes nearly six hours of music and video, along with 35 unreleased performances. It's available as either a six-CD or eight-LP set, and both versions come with three Blu-ray discs for the video content, along with a hardbound book, and an individually numbered lithograph featuring a photograph of Clapton.
There are also standalone versions of the individual concerts – 24 Nights: Rock, 24 Nights: Blues, and 24 Nights: Orchestral in two-CD/DVD or three-LP Rock and Orchestral, and two-LP Blues configurations.
The orchestral concert has Clapton and his nine-piece band backed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by the late Michael Kamen. Included in this set is the previously unreleased 30-minute epic “Concerto for Guitar.” Kamen composed the piece for Clapton, which made its live debut at Albert Hall.
The Definitive 24 Nights track listing:
24 Nights: Rock
- “Pretending”
- “Running on Faith”
- “Breaking Point” *
- “I Shot the Sheriff” *
- “White Room”
- “Can’t Find My Way Home” *(Nathan East on lead vocals)
- “Bad Love”
- “Before You Accuse Me” *
- “Lay Down Sally” *
- “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” *
- "Old Love” *
- “No Alibis” *
- “Tearing Us Apart” *
- “Cocaine” *
- “Wonderful Tonight”
- “Layla” *
- “Crossroads” *
- “Sunshine of Your Love” *
24 Nights: Blues
- “Key to the Highway” *
- “Worried Life Blues”
- “Watch Yourself”
- “Have You Ever Loved a Woman”
- “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” *
- “Something on Your Mind” *
- “All Your Love (I Miss Loving)” *
- “It’s My Life Baby” *
- “Johnnie’s Boogie” *
- “Black Cat Bone” *
- “Reconsider Baby” *
- “My Time After a While” *
- “Sweet Home Chicago” *
- “Watch Yourself” (Reprise) *
24 Nights: Orchestral
- “Crossroads” *
- “Bell Bottom Blues”
- “Lay Down Sally” *
- “Holy Mother” *
- “I Shot the Sheriff” *
- “Hard Times”
- “Can’t Find My Way Home” * (Nathan East on lead vocals)
- “Edge of Darkness”
- “Old Love” *
- “Wonderful Tonight” *
- “White Room” *
- “Concerto for Electric Guitar” *
- “A Remark You Made” *(Tribute to Jaco Pastorius)
- “Layla” *
- “Sunshine of Your Love” *
*Previously Unreleased
Eric Clapton has released his performance of “Key to the Highway” from his upcoming box set, The Definitive 24 Nights, which will be out today. The album features six hours of music from his 24-night stand at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1991.