''24 Nights'' is a live album by
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
, compiled from 42 concerts performed at the
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272.
Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
in London, England, in 1990 and 1991. It was released on 8 October 1991. The cover illustration is by
Peter Blake. It was reissued in June 2023 as ''The Definitive 24 Nights'' in a limited edition box set containing songs which were not included in the original release. The reissue contains 35 previously unreleased performances and the collection is divided into three sets: Rock, Blues, and Orchestral.
Background
Following a record-setting run of 12 concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in 1989, Clapton broke his own record in 1990, playing 18 nights at the venue between 18 January and 10 February 1990, and again in 1991, playing 24 nights between 5 February and 9 March 1991. The album was named after the 1991 run, but included songs from both the 1990 and 1991 runs.
The 1990 concerts were performed with four different ensembles. The first six nights featured a four-piece band, with Clapton, bassist
Nathan East
Nathan Harrell East (born December 8, 1955) is an American jazz, R&B, and rock bass guitarist and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts ...
, drummer
Steve Ferrone
Stephen A. Ferrone (born 25 April 1950) is an English drummer. He is known as a member of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from 1994 to 2017, replacing original drummer Stan Lynch, and as part of the "classic lineup" of the Aver ...
and keyboardist
Greg Phillinganes. The second six nights featured a nine-piece band, with the four-piece band joined by
Phil Palmer
Philip John Palmer (born 9 September 1952) is a British rock sideman and session guitarist who has toured, recorded, and worked with numerous artists. He is best known for his work with Eric Clapton and Dire Straits.
Biography
Palmer grew up ...
on guitar,
Alan Clark
Alan Kenneth Mackenzie Clark (13 April 1928 – 5 September 1999) was a British Conservative Member of Parliament (MP), author and diarist. He served as a junior minister in Margaret Thatcher's governments at the Departments of Employment, Tr ...
on keyboards,
Ray Cooper
Raymond Cooper (born 19 September 1947) is an English musician who has worked as a session and road-tour percussionist. During his career, Cooper has worked and toured with numerous musically diverse bands and artists including Elton John (as ...
on percussion, and backing vocalists
Katie Kissoon and
Tessa Niles. Then came three nights with a blues band, featuring
Johnnie Johnson on keyboards, Richard Cousins on bass, and
Jamie Oldaker on drums, plus special guests
Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaug ...
and
Robert Cray. And finally three orchestra nights, with the nine-piece band joined by the
National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by
Michael Kamen
Michael Arnold Kamen (April 15, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an American composer (especially of film scores), orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, songwriter, record producer and musician.
Early life
Michael Arnold Kamen was born in ...
.
The 1991 concerts had a similar configuration, with four different ensembles, this time for six nights each. The only change in the four-piece, nine-piece, and orchestral groups was the substitution of
Chuck Leavell for Alan Clark.
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...
played some shows in 1991. The blues band was reshuffled, with
Joey Spampinato replacing Richard Cousins on bass, and adding
Jimmie Vaughan as a regular guitarist, Leavell on keyboards, and
Jerry Portnoy on harmonica; Guy and Cray were joined by an additional guest performer,
Albert Collins.
Recording
Five of the 1990 concerts were recorded for the live album – the final nights of the first three ensembles, and the final two nights of the orchestra.
The four-piece band recording on 24 January 1990 produced the versions of "Running on Faith", "White Room" and "Sunshine of Your Love" that were included on the CD and DVD. "Worried Life Blues", "Watch Yourself" and "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" were from the blues band recording on 5 February 1990. "Bell Bottom Blues" and "Hard Times" with the orchestra were taken from the first of those sessions, on 9 February 1990. No songs were used from the nine-piece band recording on 1 February 1990, or the second orchestral recording on 10 February 1990.
Clapton reportedly was not satisfied with these recordings, and delayed the release of a CD until the following year. Another five concerts were recorded in 1991, this time the penultimate nights with the first three ensembles, and the two orchestra nights before the final night.
"Badge" was taken from the four-piece show on 10 February 1991. The nine-piece band session on 18 February 1991 produced "Pretending", "Bad Love", "Old Love" and "Wonderful Tonight" for this album, plus recordings of "
No Alibis", "
I Shot the Sheriff
"I Shot the Sheriff" is a song written by Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley and released in 1973 with his band Bob Marley and the Wailers, the Wailers.
Background
The song was first released in 1973 on Bob Marley and the Wailers, the Wailers ...
" and "
Cocaine
Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
" which were subsequently released on various CD singles of "Wonderful Tonight".
28 February 1991 - Eric Clapton Tour archive
at Where's Eric! "Hoodoo Man" was from the blues band night recorded on 28 February 1991. "Edge of Darkness" was from the first orchestral session on 7 March 1991. No songs were used from the second orchestral recording on 8 March 1991.
The versions of "Old Love", "Wonderful Tonight" and "Pretending" (second solo only) on the ''24 Nights'' DVD are different from their album counterparts. They can be identified as 1991 by the appearance of Chuck Leavell who was not with the band in 1990.
Track listing (CD)
Disc one
# "Badge
A badge is a device or accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and fir ...
" (Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
/George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...
) – 6:51
# "Running on Faith" ( Jerry Lynn Williams) – 6:49
# " White Room" ( Jack Bruce/ Pete Brown) – 6:10
# " Sunshine of Your Love" (Bruce/Brown/Clapton) – 9:11
# "Watch Yourself" (Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaug ...
) – 5:39
# " Have You Ever Loved a Woman" ( Billy Myles) – 6:52
# " Worried Life Blues" ( Big Maceo Merriweather) – 5:28
# " Hoodoo Man" ( Amos "Junior" Wells) – 5:41
Disc two
# " Pretending" ( Jerry Lynn Williams) – 7:08
# " Bad Love" (Clapton/ Mick Jones) – 6:25
# " Old Love" (Clapton/ Robert Cray) – 13:01
# " Wonderful Tonight" (Clapton) – 9:11
# " Bell Bottom Blues" (Clapton/Bobby Whitlock
Robert Stanley Whitlock (born March 18, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as a member of the blues-rock band Derek and the Dominos, with Eric Clapton, in 1970–71. Whitlock's musical career began with Memph ...
) – 6:39
# " Hard Times" (Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...
) – 3:45
# " Edge of Darkness" (Clapton/Michael Kamen
Michael Arnold Kamen (April 15, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an American composer (especially of film scores), orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, songwriter, record producer and musician.
Early life
Michael Arnold Kamen was born in ...
) – 6:30
''The Definitive 24 Nights'' (2023)
Disc one: Rock
# "Pretending" (Jerry Lynn Williams) – 6:47
# "Running on Faith" (Jerry Lynn Williams) – 7:09
# "Breaking Point" (Jerry Lynn Williams/Marty Grebb
Martin Joseph Grebb (September 2, 1945 – January 1, 2020) was an American keyboardist, guitarist, and saxophonist. A member of The Buckinghams in the late 1960s, Grebb was also a record producer and an arranger, who worked with musicians inc ...
) – 6:22
# "I Shot the Sheriff
"I Shot the Sheriff" is a song written by Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley and released in 1973 with his band Bob Marley and the Wailers, the Wailers.
Background
The song was first released in 1973 on Bob Marley and the Wailers, the Wailers ...
" (Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...
) – 8:01
# "White Room" (Jack Bruce/Pete Brown) – 6:01
# " Can't Find My Way Home" (Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a guitarist, keyboard player, and vocalist prominent for his dis ...
) – 7:01
# "Bad Love" (Clapton/ Mick Jones) – 6:17
# " Before You Accuse Me" ( Ellas McDaniel) – 6:25
# " Lay Down Sally" (Clapton/ George Terry/ Marcy Levy) – 8:05
Disc two: Rock
# "Knockin' On Heaven's Door
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, written for the soundtrack of the 1973 film '' Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid''. Released as a single two months after the film's premiere, it became a worldwide hit, ...
" (Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
) – 6:11
# "Old Love" (Clapton/ Robert Cray) – 8:58
# "No Alibis" (Williams) – 6:39
# " Tearing Us Apart" (Clapton/ Greg Phillinganes) – 7:01
# "Cocaine
Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
" ( J.J. Cale) – 6:34
# "Wonderful Tonight" (Clapton) – 8:59
# " Layla" (Clapton/ Jim Gordon) – 8:08
# "Crossroads" (Robert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...
) – 8:55
# "Sunshine of Your Love" (Bruce/Brown/Clapton) – 11:26
''Note: the digital release combines the Rock discs, renumbering disc two 10-18''
Disc three: Blues
# "Key to the Highway" ( Charles Segar/ William Broonzy) – 6:32
# "Worried Life Blues" ( Big Maceo Merriweather) – 5:24
# "You Better Watch Yourself" ( Walter Jacobs) – 5:12
# "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" ( Billy Myles) – 6:57
# "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" (Walter Jacobs) – 7:23
# "Something On Your Mind" ( Cecil James McNeely) – 6:12
# " All Your Love (I Miss Loving)" ( Otis Rush) – 6:18
Disc four: Blues
# "It's My Life Baby" ( Don Robey/Ferdinand Washington) – 6:54
# "Johnnie's Boogie" featuring Johnnie Johnson (Johnnie Johnson) – 2:48
# "Black Cat Bone" featuring Albert Collins ( Sam Hopkins) – 4:59
# " Reconsider Baby" ( Lowell Fulson) – 10:50
# "My Time After a While" featuring Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaug ...
( Bob Geddins/Ron Badger) – 10:54
# "Sweet Home Chicago" (Robert Johnson) – 5:23
# "You Better Watch Yourself (Reprise)" (Walter Jacobs) – 3:03
''Note: the digital release combines the Blues discs, renumbering disc four 8-14''
Disc five: Orchestral
Featuring the National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen
# "Crossroads" (Robert Johnson) – 9:57
# " Bell Bottom Blues" (Clapton/Bobby Whitlock) – 6:01
# " Lay Down Sally" (Clapton/George Terry/Marcy Levy) – 5:51
# "Holy Mother" (Clapton/ Stephen Bishop) – 5:24
# "I Shot the Sheriff" (Bob Marley) – 8:12
# "Hard Times" (Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...
) – 3:52
# "Can't Find My Way Home" (Steve Winwood) – 6:59
# "Edge of Darkness" (Clapton/Michael Kamen) – 6:15
# "Old Love" (Clapton/Robert Cray) – 9:18
Disc six: Orchestral
# "Wonderful Tonight" (Clapton) – 9:22
# "White Room" (Jack Bruce/Pete Brown) – 5:58
# "Concerto for Electric Guitar" (Kamen) – 28:57
# " A Remark You Made" ( Josef Zawinul) – 1:40
# "Layla" (Clapton/Jim Gordon) – 8:18
# "Sunshine of Your Love" (Bruce/Brown/Clapton) – 8:43
''Note: the digital release combines the Orchestral discs, renumbering disc four 10-15''
Track listing (DVD)
# " Running on Faith" (6:49)
# " White Room" (6:10)
# " Sunshine of Your Love" (9:11)
# "Watch Yourself" (5:39)
# " Have You Ever Loved A Woman" (6:52)
# " Worried Life Blues" (5:28)
# " Pretending" (7:08)
# " Bad Love" (6:25)
# "Old Love" (13:01)
# " Wonderful Tonight" (9:11)
# " Bell Bottom Blues" (6:39)
# "Hard Times" (3:45)
# " Edge of Darkness" (6:30)
Charts
Weekly charts
Certifications
Album
Video
References
External links
Eric Clapton Bootography
{{Authority control
Albums produced by Russ Titelman
Eric Clapton live albums
Live albums recorded at the Royal Albert Hall
1991 live albums
Reprise Records live albums
Eric Clapton video albums
National Philharmonic Orchestra albums
Albums conducted by Michael Kamen