Released today (June 23rd) is Eric Clapton's The Definite 24 Nights. The new expanded set expands Clapton's classic 1991 live album with several hours of unreleased performances from “Slowhand's” record-setting residency at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
The package is available in six-CD/three-Blu-ray and eight-LP/three-Blu-ray configurations. Both versions come with three Blu-ray discs for the video content, a hardbound book, and an individually numbered lithograph featuring a photograph of Clapton by Carl Studna.
Standalone versions of the individual concerts — 24 Nights: Rock, 24 Nights: Blues, and 24 Nights: Orchestral — have also been released today in two-CD/DVD and triple-LP (Rock and Orchestral) ($49.98) and 2-LP (Blues) configurations.
Among the special guests appearing on the set are Johnnie Johnson, Jimmie Vaughan, Chuck Leavell, Phil Collins, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Nathan East, Greg Phillinganes, Steve Ferrone, Ray Cooper, and Jerry Portnoy.
Eric Clapton's 24 Nights was originally released on October 8th, 1991 at peaked at Number 38 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The set was culled from 42 shows performed in 1989 and 1990 at London's Royal Albert Hall. The shows alternated Clapton performing with a four-piece band, a nine-piece band, a scaled-back blues ensemble, and the nine-piece band along with the National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen.
Often touted as a “Guitar God,” Eric Clapton told us that he's not really sure he deserves that kind of recognition: “If it's true — and I presume you think it is — then I think it's a wonderful thing, and it's a great honor to be able to have that. It's a privilege, y'know, that I'm very grateful for. I would never want to belittle that.”