[rating=9.00]
It is a tribute to Eric’s Clapton’s fundamental integrity as a musician that, no matter how deeply he’s pursued mainstream acceptance, he’s never wholly forsaken his roots in the blues. Accordingly, what might seem just another careerist move, his appearance on “MTV’s Unplugged television program in 1992, turns into a reinvention of his persona as an all around player. This expanded edition offers insight as to how this move resonated so deeply with the mainstream audience at the time and, in fact, elevates its prominence in Slowhand’s discography.
Unlike contemporaries Neil Young and Bob Dylan, who stretched the stripped-down concept of the program, Clapton took it literally and to great effect, particularly since its acoustic arrangements were a marked departure for him at this point in his career (see Money & Cigarettes, Journeyman, Behind the Sun). “Signe” is merely a pretty instrumental featuring the interweaving of the man’s guitar with fretboard partner Andy Fairweather-Lowe, but the tasteful simplicity of the musicianship, combined with the intimacy of the sound, prevents the song from becoming mere fluff. The bulk of the setlist is traditional blues, some of which Clapton had previously recorded, such as “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out,” from Layla, but the novel likeminded traditionals like ” Walkin Blues” and “Malted Milk,” restated Clapton’s roots, particularly when hearing such music on its own terms via the cd in this three-disc package.
Originals in the form of a reworked version of “Layla,” and in particular “Tears in Heaven” departed from the genre in structure, but not in spirit. The former offered a revelation for those who had not fully discovered the masterwork from 1970, while the latter, a paean to Clapton’s deceased son, became an across the board hit and rightly so: deeply felt in both melody and lyric, its performance was equally evocative, in sum as personal as anything Clapton wrote and recorded besides the title track to the single Derek & The Dominos album.
A half hour of outtakes from the final song sequence suggest how the balance between blues and originals might well have been tipped with the inclusion of “My Father’s Eyes,” plus another homage to Clapton’s departed offspring, the tender “Circus.” “Running on Faith” too would create a portrait of vulnerability linked to his roots: the dobro parallels Chuck Leavell’s gentle piano as the two instruments front a comparably light touch of bass and drums, while the gentle crooning from singers Katie Kasson and Tessa Niles add the crowning touch of the arrangement.
On DVD, along with the official program, is rehearsal footage for the broadcast itself. The footage is illuminating, as it includes two songs not part of the show as aired (equally stirring takes of “My Father’s Eyes” and “Circus”). Jocular interludes near the end aside (the relaxed atmosphere of which may be an indication of how well prepared the band felt), the musicians are otherwise all business: they move without hesitation or interruption from one song to another, but less in concentrated preparation, than in the midst of an impromptu jam session. Conceived to confirm camera angles as well as audio settings–techs walk around to and from during and between tunes-the fragility of such rare moments is what “MTV Unplugged” was aiming for and the highest standards of production add to that atmosphere rather than rendering it artificial.
The good-naturedly corny “San Francisco Bay Blues,” complete with kazoo solos all around, contradicts the sensitivity and care in which the concert was crafted. At the time another apparent concession to commercialism, the extra content within this handsomely designed set (even ,stripped of substantial instrumentals to reinforce his stature as a seminal guitar hero), elevates the title to one of the high points of Eric Clapton’s discography.This performance goes into further cementing his status as an icon of contemporary rock and blues.
