24 Nights
Encyclopedia
24 Nights is a live album by Eric Clapton
, recorded at the Royal Albert Hall
in London, England in 1990 and 1991. It was released on October 8, 1991. The album is a "best of" from the 42 concerts Eric Clapton did at the Royal Albert Hall in those two years. Clapton set a new record by playing a run of 24 nights at the London Royal Albert Hall
between February 5 and March 9, 1991 following an 18 night run in 1990. Clapton reportedly was not satisfied with the 1990 concert recordings and delayed the release of a CD until after the "24 Nights" of the 1991 dates.
These concerts were performed with 4 different instrumental formations, 4-piece, blues, 9-piece and orchestra nights, the last featuring the National Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Michael Kamen
.
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, recorded at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
in London, England in 1990 and 1991. It was released on October 8, 1991. The album is a "best of" from the 42 concerts Eric Clapton did at the Royal Albert Hall in those two years. Clapton set a new record by playing a run of 24 nights at the London Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
between February 5 and March 9, 1991 following an 18 night run in 1990. Clapton reportedly was not satisfied with the 1990 concert recordings and delayed the release of a CD until after the "24 Nights" of the 1991 dates.
These concerts were performed with 4 different instrumental formations, 4-piece, blues, 9-piece and orchestra nights, the last featuring the National Philharmonic Orchestra
National Philharmonic Orchestra
The National Philharmonic Orchestra was a British orchestra created exclusively for recording purposes. It was founded by RCA producer Charles Gerhardt and orchestra leader / contractor Sidney Sax due in part to the requirements of the Reader's Digest-History:...
conducted by Michael Kamen
Michael Kamen
Michael Arnold Kamen was an American composer , orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, song writer, and session musician.-Background:...
.
Disc One
- "BadgeBadge (song)"Badge" is a song performed by Cream, written by Eric Clapton and George Harrison. It was included as a track on Cream's final album, Goodbye. Peaking at number 60 on Billboard's Hot 100, "Badge" was a minor hit after its release as a single in April 1969...
" (Eric ClaptonEric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
/George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
) – 6:51 - "Running On Faith" (Jerry Lynn Williams) – 6:49
- "White RoomWhite Room"White Room" is a song by British "supergroup" Cream. The song was a psychedelic rock number written by bassist Jack Bruce and poet Pete Brown. It originally appeared on the US release of their double album, Wheels of Fire, by Atco Records in July 1968 and was released as a single in September 1968...
" (Jack BruceJack BruceJohn Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
/Pete BrownPete BrownPeter Ronald Brown is an English performance poet and lyricist.Best known for his collaborations with Jack Bruce, Brown also worked with The Battered Ornaments, formed his own group Pete Brown & Piblokto!, and worked with Graham Bond and Phil Ryan. Brown also writes film scores and formed a film...
) – 6:10 - "Sunshine Of Your LoveSunshine of Your Love"Sunshine of Your Love" is a 1967 song by the British supergroup Cream. The song was originally released on the album Disraeli Gears in November 1967, and was later released as a single in January 1968. It is Cream's only gold-selling single in the United States. It features a distinctive...
" (Bruce/Brown/Clapton) – 9:11 - "Watch Yourself" (Buddy GuyBuddy GuyGeorge "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...
) – 5:39 - "Have You Ever Loved A Woman" (Billy MylesBilly MylesWilliam Myles Nobles , known as Billy Myles, was an American R&B songwriter active in the 1950s and 1960s. He is best known for " All My Love" recorded by Jackie Wilson , and "Have You Ever Loved A Woman" recorded by Freddie King , then Eric Clapton .-History:Billy Myles specialised in love ballads...
) – 6:52 - "Worried Life BluesWorried Life Blues"Worried Life Blues" is a song that has become one of the most recorded blues songs of all time. Originally recorded by Major "Big Maceo" Merriweather in 1941, "Worried Life Blues" was an early blues hit and Maceo's most recognized song...
" (Big Maceo MerriweatherBig Maceo MerriweatherBig Maceo Merriweather was an American Chicago blues pianist and singer, active in Chicago in the 1940s.-Career:...
) – 5:28 - "Hoodoo Man" (Amos "Junior" Wells) – 5:41
Disc Two
- "PretendingPretending (Eric Clapton song)Pretending is a strong rock song written and composed by Jerry Lynn Williams. It was released in 1989 on Eric Clapton's Journeyman as the first track of the album. The song was released as the lead single from the album and reached #55 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it his highest charting single...
" (Williams) – 7:08 - "Bad LoveBad Love (Eric Clapton song)"Bad Love", is a rock song from Eric Clapton's 1989 album Journeyman, released as the second single of the album. It was composed by Eric Clapton and Foreigner lead guitarist Mick Jones and features Phil Collins on drums and harmony vocals, Alan Clark on keyboards and Pino Palladino on bass guitar...
" (Clapton/Mick JonesMick Jones (Foreigner)Michael Leslie "Mick" Jones is an English guitarist, songwriter, and record producer best known as the founding member of the rock band Foreigner.-Life and career:...
) – 6:25 - "Old Love" (Clapton/Robert CrayRobert CrayRobert Cray is an American blues guitarist and singer. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he has led his own band, as well as an acclaimed solo career.-Career:...
) – 13:01 - "Wonderful TonightWonderful Tonight"Wonderful Tonight" is a song written by Eric Clapton. It was included on Clapton's 1977 album Slowhand and released as a single the following year. Clapton wrote the song about Pattie Boyd, and it is mentioned in her autobiographical book Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me...
" (Clapton) – 9:11 - "Bell Bottom Blues" (Clapton) – 6:39
- "Hard TimesHard TimesHard Times - For These Times is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens, first published in 1854. The book appraises English society and is aimed at highlighting the social and economic pressures of the times....
" (Ray CharlesRay CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
) – 3:45 - "Edge Of DarknessEdge of DarknessEdge of Darkness is a British television drama serial, produced by BBC Television in association with Lionheart Television International and originally broadcast in six fifty-five minute episodes in late 1985...
" (Clapton/Michael KamenMichael KamenMichael Arnold Kamen was an American composer , orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, song writer, and session musician.-Background:...
) – 6:30
Track listing (DVD)
- "Running On Faith" (6:49)
- "White RoomWhite Room"White Room" is a song by British "supergroup" Cream. The song was a psychedelic rock number written by bassist Jack Bruce and poet Pete Brown. It originally appeared on the US release of their double album, Wheels of Fire, by Atco Records in July 1968 and was released as a single in September 1968...
" (6:10) - "Sunshine Of Your LoveSunshine of Your Love"Sunshine of Your Love" is a 1967 song by the British supergroup Cream. The song was originally released on the album Disraeli Gears in November 1967, and was later released as a single in January 1968. It is Cream's only gold-selling single in the United States. It features a distinctive...
" (9:11) - "Watch Yourself" (5:39)
- "Have You Ever Loved A Woman" (6:52)
- "Worried Life BluesWorried Life Blues"Worried Life Blues" is a song that has become one of the most recorded blues songs of all time. Originally recorded by Major "Big Maceo" Merriweather in 1941, "Worried Life Blues" was an early blues hit and Maceo's most recognized song...
" (5:28) - "PretendingPretending (Eric Clapton song)Pretending is a strong rock song written and composed by Jerry Lynn Williams. It was released in 1989 on Eric Clapton's Journeyman as the first track of the album. The song was released as the lead single from the album and reached #55 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it his highest charting single...
" (7:08) - "Bad LoveBad Love (Eric Clapton song)"Bad Love", is a rock song from Eric Clapton's 1989 album Journeyman, released as the second single of the album. It was composed by Eric Clapton and Foreigner lead guitarist Mick Jones and features Phil Collins on drums and harmony vocals, Alan Clark on keyboards and Pino Palladino on bass guitar...
" (6:25) - "Old Love" (13:01)
- "Wonderful TonightWonderful Tonight"Wonderful Tonight" is a song written by Eric Clapton. It was included on Clapton's 1977 album Slowhand and released as a single the following year. Clapton wrote the song about Pattie Boyd, and it is mentioned in her autobiographical book Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me...
" (9:11) - "Bell Bottom Blues" (6:39)
- "Hard TimesHard TimesHard Times - For These Times is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens, first published in 1854. The book appraises English society and is aimed at highlighting the social and economic pressures of the times....
" (3:45) - "Edge Of DarknessEdge of DarknessEdge of Darkness is a British television drama serial, produced by BBC Television in association with Lionheart Television International and originally broadcast in six fifty-five minute episodes in late 1985...
" (6:30)
Recording dates
- 24/01/1990 – 4-piece : "Running On Faith", "White Room" and "Sunshine of Your Love".
- 05/02/1990 – Blues Band : "Worried Life Blues", "Watch Yourself" and "Have You Ever Loved a Woman".
- 09/02/1990 – Orchestra : "Bell Bottom Blues" and "Hard Times".
- 10/02/1991 – 4-piece : "Badge".
- 18/02/1991 – 9-piece : "Pretending", "Bad Love", "Old Love" and "Wonderful Tonight". "No Alibis", "I Shot The Sheriff" and "Cocaine" released on various CD singles of "Wonderful Tonight".
- The versions of "Old Love", "Wonderful Tonight" and "Pretending" (2nd solo only) on the "24 Nights" video are different from their album counterparts, but they were not taken from the previous night's show. They may even have been taken the year before.
- 28/02/1991 – Blues Band : "Hoodoo Man".
- 08/03/1991 – Orchestra : "Edge of Darkness".