Customer Reviews

24 Nights

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is Eric's best solo live album. It has a great selection of songs, and the band backs him up perfectly. His blues band, with Buddy Guy and Robert Cray, plays incredibly, especially in Watch Yourself. He plays great versions of Cream songs, especially Badge, and from his Journeyman album, particularly Pretending. This CD has his best version of Wonderful Tonight, with beautiful backup singing by Katie Kisson, who is great in Bell Bottom Blues, too. There's also Hard Times, one of his favorite songs, and his heartfelt version is wonderful. Heart of Darkness is an odd choice to be in the CD, but it's good too. All in all, a must-have.

Seeing how this album only has fifteen tracks, I think it's safe to say that not all of Eric Clapton's 24 Royal Albert Hall performances are represented.

Never mind, though. "24 Nights" is still worthwhile, even if it is a far cry from the gritty and powerful "Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert" from '73.
Recorded in 1990 and 1991, "24 Nights" draws from material recorded through his entire career, and the listener has plenty of opportunities to complain about the songs that aren't here.
But let us focus on what is here instead. The man from Surrey draws no less than five songs from his then-current studio album "Journeyman", and all of them work well in this live setting, souning a little less polished than they do on the studio recordings. Especially "Pretending", which comes off slick and over-produced on "Journeyman", but rocks reasonably well here.

The first four songs are recorded with Eric Clapton's touring band (bass, drums, keyboards and Clapton himself), and they come of a little bit bland at times.
Of course I'm always looking for more grit and more real blues riffing in Clapton's playing, rather than just extended soloing, and "24 Nights" doesn't really deliver too much of that, but that is not to say that the arrangements are bad, and Clapton was never too big on the blooze-and-boogie-stuff anyway.
Still, I much prefer the next four tracks, which are recorded with Robert Cray and Chicago blues king Buddy Guy. The two additional guitars make for a richer sound, and lend a real blues-rock feel to "Watch Yourself". The slow, groovy renditions of "Hoodoo Man", and "Worried Life Blues" fare pretty well, too, but I don't know if we really need yet another version of "Have Your Ever Loved A Woman".

The third installment (tracks 9-13) features seven musicians and two backup singers, and that band includes a second guitarist (Phil Palmer, who has worked with everybody from Ralph McTell to Robbie Williams), which bolsters the sound nicely, particularly on the aforementioned "Pretending" and on "Bad Love". This set also includes an unfortunately listless rendition of the classic "Bell Bottom Blues", which features some awful 80s-style keyboard playing and which largely lacks the soul and the intenstity of the original.

The final two songs are recorded with the Royal Philharminic Orchestra (in addition to a full rock band). Whether or not that adds anything interesting to "Hard Times" or "Edge Of Darkness", which aren't the most interesting songs to begin with, is probably a matter of taste.
All in all, "24 Nights" is a pleasant, somewhat laid-back live album. The arrangements are more pop than blues at times, but the songs are generally well executed, and the sound quality is excellent.
3 1/2 stars. A good purchase if you like Eric Clapton's solo years, particularly from the late seventies onwards.

I attended two of the Albert Hall performances that feature on this recording (one blues and one orchestral) and can state that even with my modest hi-fi equipment, the atmopsphere and ambience of the live performances shine through on the album. My only regret is that the orchestra backed version of 'Layla' didn't feature on the album.

Clapton played the Royal Albert Hall several times in 1989, 90, and 91. Most of those shows were professionally recorded for this album, and after the death of Eric's son, Conor, in 1991, he went into a sort of seclusion, leaving the decisions about this album to the producers.

The result? An album that compiles a nice little collection of performances but for some nonsensical reason leaves off some of his best from that run. Perhaps my favorite version of "Layla" came from these shows, with a long, orchestral-dressed opening leading into a fiery performance true to the original recording. Also gone is a marvelous performance of "Cocaine," perhaps the greatest version of "Holy Mother" he ever played, and "I Shot the Sheriff," which was performed with a mesmerizing solo that led to a giant climax - certainly his best ever performances of that song as well. All that is gone.

But all is not lost. "Badge," "Bell Bottom Blues," and "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" are reason enough to buy this album. The version of "Wonderful Tonight" released here is an edited version of the live performances (which is too bad, because the unedited version was outstanding), but is still good, albeit about the millionth live release of "Wonderful Tonight" the public has seen.

I usually stop "Sunshine of Your Love" about 5 minutes into the song, I really don't see much of a point to that agonizing drum solo. I do have to give the producers a hand for this edit, however, because the original live performance of this one was usually about 15 minutes long, with an annoying chant and crowd interaction sequence following that drum solo.

Overall, still definitely a must-have. But, as seems to be the tradition in live albums, it could've been a whole lot better. Complete live performances from this run can easily be found through RoIO trades, and I recommend those as well.

Nearly every year, starting in 1987, Eric Clapton would have several night stints at Royal Albert Hall. This album is taken from shows from 1990 and 1991. The album is broken up into performances from 4 different bands: 4 piece band, a blues band featuring Robert Cray, Buddy Guy and Jimmie Vaughn, a 9 piece band and an orchestra.

The first four songs are performed by Clapton`s long standing back up band from the eighties. Some critics say that this was the best Clapton band ever and that the versions of the Cream songs are powerful. I always felt that this was Clapton's bleakest period and that these versions of the Cream songs are bland and boring. On some songs, he just rushes through them. There is no energy or emotion. Worse yet, there are no Clapton guitar solos. Sunshine of Your Love is nine minutes long, but most of the extended time is taken up with a drum solo. While it is good that Clapton gives room to the other players, this drum solo isn't very good.

The last half of the first CD is the blues band featuring Guy, Cray and Vaughn. You would expect that mix to be fantastic. But, the guest musicians are relegated to the background, playing rhythm guitar and don't add anything to the songs. Clapton really should have given up singing Have You Ever Loved A Woman by now. It no longer has the meaning to him that made is so powerful as when he first sang it. You wonder if there were other better songs from this band that didn't get include on the CD.

The second CD comes from 1991 when Clapton was just beginning to turn things around in his life and music. The first 5 songs are from a 9 piece rock band, similar to his back up band from the mid-seventies. It features some of his best live music. You might expect that the larger band would be overproduced and Clapton would get lost in the overwhelming sound. But it is just the opposite. The sound is crisp and clean and Clapton comes up front, playing and singing with emotion. I think that Clapton needs a larger group to keep him energized. Old Love is a fantastic blues number. The version of Wonderful Tonight is the best on record.

The last part of the CD is Clapton fronting an orchestra. If you ever thought that Clapton is at his best playing with a stripped down band, listen to his leads with a full orchestra. He really pulls and moves the orchestra with some of his best guitar work ever.

This ablum is just over 50 minutes per CD. You would think that in the age of the CD, that they could have included more songs. Alot of the music is so promising, you would expect that was alot of good stuff left off. This show also comes in a DVD, but the DVD has fewer songs and some of the songs were edited. As an alternative to this CD, I would recommend the 4 CD set, Crossroads 2, Live in the Seventies. It has three CD's that are on a par with the 9 piece group, and 1 CD featuring the 4 piece group.

The album is worth owning just for his playing of Have You Ever Loved a Woman. The pianist, Johnny Johnson, is great, too. Small blues band. Jazz band, really. Clapton should put this same band together for another whole album.

Clapton plays with four completely different groups on the album. The blues section of the album is really like jazz, and Clapton's all over it.

Clapton plays several pieces with the full Royal Brit Orkestra or some such thing behind him. But in the "Edge of Darkness" and at times in other songs, the orchestra really gets in front of him -- plus, the orchestra starts getting a little syrupy and muddy, but the only song it ruins is "Edge of Darkness."

Overall, the album is excellent. A necessity for Clapton fanatics, really unlike other albums.

His guitar has a very clean, undistorted sound through most or all of the album, which is great.

The album focuses on Clapton the guitarist rather than Clapton the singer, and that's the best thing about it, and enough of a reason for real fans to get it. It's some really nice guitar-playing, as good as when he played with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers.

GET THIS ALBUM! It'll change your life; it changed mine. It may persuade you to accept Clapton as your personal saviour. The way he plays here, it makes you want to hear alot more from him. But more jazz, more reggae. Am I crazy?

Of course the album (CD) is great, but the case is destroyed. How can you ship a jewel case in a plastic wrapper with no padding. I buy the physical product so I can present it. Pity.

I had this on tape when it first came out and I loved it! I got it for real cheap on amazon and it is fantastic! CLAPTON IS GOD!

I'm a big Eric fan and love this concert its great and is from an era of Clapton that really shines.

This is probably Eric Clapton's best live set before he laid back into a more acoustic and bluesy mode. Recommended for great playing, and crackling energy. Part of the resurgence at this time was due to Eric Clapton's more commercial direction in the 80s and 90s - with Behind the Sun and Journeyman. Clapton's playing was always better live and this album captures a good cross section of his best work at the time. Every song works and gels well and establishes Eric as the rock / blues force he has always been. Absent are Layla, and Forever Man, etc - but you don't really miss them.

I have always felt that Clapton became a little more subdued as he aged - although the recent Clapton / Winwood set is a nice return to form as well and worth getting.