| 24 Nights | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 8 October 1991 (US) 14 October 1991 (UK)[1] | |||
| Recorded | January–February 1990 February–March 1991 | |||
| Venue | Royal Albert Hall, London | |||
| Genre | Rock,blues | |||
| Length | 105:20 (original album) 347:56 (expanded edition) | |||
| Label | Duck /Reprise | |||
| Producer | Russ Titelman | |||
| Eric Clapton chronology | ||||
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| Singles from 24 Nights | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide | |
| The New York Times | (favourable)[5] |
| Rolling Stone | |
24 Nights is a live album byEric Clapton, compiled from 42 concerts performed at theRoyal Albert Hall in London, England, in 1990 and 1991. It was released on 8 October 1991.[7] The cover illustration is byPeter Blake. It was reissued in June 2023 asThe Definitive 24 Nights in a limited edition box set containing songs which were not included in the original release.[8] The reissue contains 35 previously unreleased performances and the collection is divided into three sets: Rock, Blues, and Orchestral.[9]
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, bassistNathan East, drummerSteve Ferrone and keyboardistGreg Phillinganes. The second six nights featured a 13-piece band, with the four-piece band joined byPhil Palmer on guitar,Alan Clark on keyboards,Ray Cooper on percussion, backing vocalistsKatie Kissoon andTessa Niles, and a four-piece horn section. Then came three nights with a blues band, featuringJohnnie Johnson on keyboards, Richard Cousins on bass, andJamie Oldaker on drums, plus special guestsBuddy Guy andRobert Cray. And finally three orchestra nights, with the nine-piece band joined by theNational Philharmonic Orchestra conducted byMichael Kamen.[10]
The 1991 concerts had a similar configuration, with four different ensembles, this time for six nights each. The 13-piece band was trimmed to 9 by removing the horn section. For the nine-piece and orchestral groups,Chuck Leavell was brought in to replace Alan Clark.Phil Collins played some shows in 1991. The blues band was reshuffled, withJoey Spampinato replacing Richard Cousins on bass, and addingJimmie Vaughan as a regular guitarist, Leavell on keyboards, andJerry Portnoy on harmonica; Guy and Cray were joined by an additional guest performer,Albert Collins.[11]
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 13-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 four concerts were recorded in 1991, this time the penultimate nights with all four ensembles.
"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" and "Cocaine" which were subsequently released on various CD singles of "Wonderful Tonight".[12] "Hoodoo Man" was from the blues band night recorded on 28 February 1991. "Edge of Darkness" was from the orchestral session on 8 March 1991.
The versions of "Old Love", "Wonderful Tonight" and "Pretending" (second solo only) on the24 Nights DVD are different from their album counterparts. They can be identified as 1991 by the appearance ofChuck Leavell who was not with the band in 1990.
Disc one[edit]
| Disc two[edit]
|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording Date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pretending" | Jerry Lynn Williams | 18 Feb 1991 | 6:47 |
| 2. | "Running on Faith" | Jerry Lynn Williams | 24 Jan 1990 | 7:09 |
| 3. | "Breaking Point" | Jerry Lynn Williams/Marty Grebb | 1 Feb 1990 | 6:22 |
| 4. | "I Shot the Sheriff" | Bob Marley | Feb 1991 | 8:01 |
| 5. | "White Room" | Jack Bruce/Pete Brown | 24 Jan 1990 | 6:01 |
| 6. | "Can't Find My Way Home" | Steve Winwood | 18 Feb 1991 | 7:01 |
| 7. | "Bad Love" | Clapton/Mick Jones | 18 Feb 1991 | 6:17 |
| 8. | "Before You Accuse Me" | Ellas McDaniel | 1 Feb 1990 | 6:25 |
| 9. | "Lay Down Sally" | Clapton/George Terry/Marcy Levy | 24 Jan 1990 | 8:05 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording Date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" | Bob Dylan | Feb 1991 | 6:11 |
| 2. | "Old Love" | Clapton/Robert Cray | 24 Jan 1990 | 8:58 |
| 3. | "No Alibis" | Williams | 18 Feb 1991 | 6:39 |
| 4. | "Tearing Us Apart" | Clapton/Greg Phillinganes | 1 Feb 1990 | 7:01 |
| 5. | "Cocaine" | J.J. Cale | 1 Feb 1990 | 6:34 |
| 6. | "Wonderful Tonight" | Clapton | 18 Feb 1991 | 8:59 |
| 7. | "Layla" | Clapton/Jim Gordon | 18 Feb 1991 | 8:08 |
| 8. | "Crossroads" | Robert Johnson | 18 Feb 1991 | 8:55 |
| 9. | "Sunshine of Your Love" | Bruce/Brown/Clapton | 18 Feb 1991 | 11:26 |
Note: the digital release combines the Rock discs, renumbering disc two 10-18
FeaturingBuddy Guy on Everything's Gonna Be Alright and Something On Your Mind
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording Date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Key to the Highway" | Charles Segar/William Broonzy | 5 Feb 1990 | 6:32 |
| 2. | "Worried Life Blues" | Big Maceo Merriweather | 5 Feb 1990 | 5:24 |
| 3. | "You Better Watch Yourself" | Walter Jacobs | 5 Feb 1990 | 5:12 |
| 4. | "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" | Billy Myles | 5 Feb 1990 | 6:57 |
| 5. | "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" | Walter Jacobs | 5 Feb 1990 | 7:23 |
| 6. | "Something On Your Mind" | Cecil James McNeely | 5 Feb 1990 | 6:12 |
| 7. | "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)" | Otis Rush | 28 Feb 1991 | 6:18 |
FeaturingJohnnie Johnson on Johnnie's Boogie,Albert Collins on Black Cat Bone, Robert Cray on Reconsider Baby, andBuddy Guy on My Time After A While
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording Date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It's My Life Baby" | Don Robey/Ferdinand Washington | 28 Feb 1991 | 6:54 |
| 2. | "Johnnie's Boogie" | Johnnie Johnson | 28 Feb 1991 | 2:48 |
| 3. | "Black Cat Bone" | Sam Hopkins | 28 Feb 1991 | 4:59 |
| 4. | "Reconsider Baby" | Lowell Fulson | 28 Feb 1991 | 10:50 |
| 5. | "My Time After a While" | Bob Geddins/Ron Badger | 28 Feb 1991 | 10:54 |
| 6. | "Sweet Home Chicago" | Robert Johnson | 28 Feb 1991 | 5:23 |
| 7. | "You Better Watch Yourself (Reprise)" | Walter Jacobs | 28 Feb 1991 | 3:03 |
Note: the digital release combines the Blues discs, renumbering disc four 8-14
Featuring the National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording Date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Crossroads" | Robert Johnson | 8 Mar 1991 | 9:57 |
| 2. | "Bell Bottom Blues" | Clapton/Bobby Whitlock | 9 Feb 1990 | 6:01 |
| 3. | "Lay Down Sally" | Clapton/George Terry/Marcy Levy | 8 Mar 1991 | 5:51 |
| 4. | "Holy Mother" | Clapton/Stephen Bishop | 8 Mar 1991 | 5:24 |
| 5. | "I Shot the Sheriff" | Bob Marley | 8 Mar 1991 | 8:12 |
| 6. | "Hard Times" | Ray Charles | 9 Feb 1990 | 3:52 |
| 7. | "Can't Find My Way Home" | Steve Winwood | 8 Mar 1991 | 6:59 |
| 8. | "Edge of Darkness" | Clapton/Michael Kamen | 8 Mar 1991 | 6:15 |
| 9. | "Old Love" | Clapton/Robert Cray | 8 Mar 1991 | 9:18 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording Date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wonderful Tonight" | Clapton | 9 Feb 1990 | 9:22 |
| 2. | "White Room" | Jack Bruce/Pete Brown | 8 Mar 1991 | 5:58 |
| 3. | "Concerto for Electric Guitar" | Kamen | 8 Mar 1991 | 28:57 |
| 4. | "A Remark You Made" | Josef Zawinul | 8 Mar 1991 | 1:40 |
| 5. | "Layla" | Clapton/Jim Gordon | 8 Mar 1991 | 8:18 |
| 6. | "Sunshine of Your Love" | Bruce/Brown/Clapton | 8 Mar 1991 | 8:43 |
Note: the digital release combines the Orchestral discs, renumbering disc four 10-15

| Chart (1991–2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] | 49 |
| Australian Music DVD (ARIA)[14] | 34 |
| Danish Music DVD (Hitlisten)[15] | 2 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[16] | 36 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] | 48 |
| Italian Music DVD (FIMI)[18] | 13 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[19] | 29 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[20] | 49 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] | 19 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[22] | 17 |
| USBillboard 200[23] | 38 |
| USTop Music Videos (Billboard)[24] | 5 |
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[25] | 187 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[26] | 30 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[27] | 64 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[28] | 31 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] | 27 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[30] | 59 |
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[31] | 146 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[32] | 16 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[33] | 60 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[27] | 43 |
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[34] | 131 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[35] | 25 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[36] | 82 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[37] | 52 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[27] | 58 |
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[38] | 159 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[39] | 31 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[40] | 40 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[27] | 47 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[41] | 99 |
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