THE BARGAIN BUY: Eric Clapton; Unplugged Deluxe + DVD (Warners)

 |   |  1 min read

Eric Clapton: Running on Faith (take one)
THE BARGAIN BUY: Eric Clapton; Unplugged Deluxe + DVD (Warners)

In late 1989, Eric Clapton released one of the most satisfying albums of his solo career to that point.

Under the self-effacing title Journeyman, he delivered an album of blues-rock with a pop twist which made good on the promise of some rather more patchy previous albums.

Regrettably the single Pretending wasn't one of the finer moments, but it did manage to draw attention to the album . . . which received excellent critical comment and didn't sell too badly at all.

Not bad anyway for a mid-career guy who'd released about 10 other solo albums before it.

But Clapton's career -- saleswise and critically -- really took off a little over two years later with his Unplugged session for MTV in which he delivered an acoustic version of Layla and the moving Tears in Heaven, written about the death of his son the previous year.

Although some wrote off Clapton's earlier Wonderful Tonight as a piece of sentimental nonsense, it was harder to argue against Tears in Heaven on similar grounds, even though both possessed the same kind of emotional simplicity and directness.

Tears in Heaven was a song and sentiment which connected with a massive audience and the album Unplugged sold in excess of 14 milion . . . and picked up six Grammys.

This repackaged CD/DVD version is a major expansion of the original album. It includes an extra disc of six rehearsal takes (two of My Father' Eyes) and the stand-alone DVD  of the show has an extra hour of previously unseen footage of the rehearsals and backstage material.JB_HZ_CHEAP_long

And at just $25 from JB Hi-Fi stores here that makes this cornerstone Clapton album this week's Bargain Buy.

And while you are in the store, pick up Journeyman. 

Share It

Your Comments

Mike - Nov 4, 2013

A long time Clapton fan - great album, had it since it came out, but now I shall have to get the new edition with bonus tracks and DVD. Journeyman is an excellent album as well! EC is God!

post a comment

More from this section   The Bargain Buy articles index

THE BARGAIN BUY: Keith Richards; Crosseyed Heart

THE BARGAIN BUY: Keith Richards; Crosseyed Heart

Here's a question for you to ponder this week. Should this long overdue Keith Richards solo album make it into the Best of Elsewhere list which will appear shortly? We had our say about it in... > Read more

THE BARGAIN BUY: Flight of the Conchords: I Told You I Was Freaky (Sub Pop)

THE BARGAIN BUY: Flight of the Conchords: I Told You I Was Freaky (Sub Pop)

Writing parody songs is harder than it seems -- one Neil Young is possible but then try for Neil Diamond, the Bee Gees, Hendrix etc. Yet the Flight of the Conchords accomplish it with what seems an... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

Fripp and Eno: No Pussyfooting (1973) and Evening Star (1975)

Fripp and Eno: No Pussyfooting (1973) and Evening Star (1975)

Context is everything -- or almost everything -- at Essential Elsewhere, these being albums you can return to repeatedly so probably stand outside of time, yet are always born of a specific place... > Read more

A MIGHTY WIND, INTERVIEW (2003): And the Wind cries hilarity

A MIGHTY WIND, INTERVIEW (2003): And the Wind cries hilarity

It was less a mighty wind which briefly blew through Auckland this week than a brisk breeze in the form of actors Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and Michael McKean. The trio may not be... > Read more