There was always going to be a slightly overblown aspect of Eric Clapton. There was a limit to how many times someone could be called God before people began to question whether or not he was truly free of musical sin, even though he was a phenomenal guitarist by all accounts and could still play killer solos. Clapton acknowledged that he never understood the appeal of his Unplugged album, despite being somewhat lax about his title.
Unplugged might have been the best situation Clapton could have asked for by the time the 1990s rolled around. There was a lot of hope that he could give his fans another great album because this was a few years after his enormous hit with the heartbreaking ballad “Tears in Heaven.”
Instead, we received a live album filled with acoustic songs, which dads today still highly demand. While this does not imply that it is a poor album. Rather, it simply means that you are listening to a more subdued version of Clapton’s repertoire. This adds to the album’s surprising number of surprises.
Clapton sounds like a contemporary Robert Johnson on the acoustic renditions of songs like “Before You Accuse Me” and “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out.” His rendition of “Layla” is also far beyond just another acoustic cut. Replacing the lovesick man from the 1970s version, the lonely old man who never realized his dreams emerges. This rendition is, for many, the definitive version of the song.
“Slowhand” never thought this was as good as people made it out to be, telling Guitarist, “I must admit I found it all a little bit overblown,” even though most people saw it as a turning point for Clapton. To be honest, I felt the album was quite difficult. I don’t want to put it down. Although I’m grateful for everything, I thought it was all a little over the top. It would have destroyed me if I had taken it too seriously.
Going back and listening to your performances seems to be a problem that nearly every rock star faces. This is true even with the absurd notion that Clapton is just an also-ran. Even though you might think you’re killing it on stage right now, it’s likely that when Clapton looks back, he recognizes a few songs that could have used a little tweaking.
Despite this, Eric Clapton continued to be a blues musician. Based on his music released soon after this album, it sounds like he enjoyed his live performance a little bit more than he initially admitted.
Perhaps Clapton saw himself as the soulful bluesman who could occasionally entertain his kids unplugged. This is evident in his later albums, which feature more acoustic guitar and cover songs. Though Eric Clapton had moved on from his dangerous persona, the guitar legend remained vocal and outspoken.
