Unplugged

It's a good album from beginning to end. But if you like Clapton's older stuff (Cream, Derek & the Dominoes) then you may be a little disappointed by the fact it's unplugged.

This par I'm talking about here is not golf, where under par is good. This album just does not measure up to Clapton's other work. Cranking out albums because you can is not alway a good idea and this is a good example of such.

The universal concensus in fall of 1992 was the brilliance of Eric Clapton's new release " Unplugged". My seventeen year old peers loved this disc with equal devotion to match the lifelong admiration of my fifty year old father. Of course, Clapton had touched a nerve with the beautifully written tribute to his sweet son, " Tears in Heaven". Once this disc was in possession, though, a whole new fan base was proclaiming " Clapton is God", at least God of the guitar.

" Signe", a nice little ditty to set the mood, opens the CD. It's a warm feeling, as if sitting around a fire, listening to the best musician in the group show his chops. These Unplugged sessions have a plastic feeling many times, but not in Clapton's case. He brought a seasoned sensitivity that colors the whole album.

Blues take a bow with " Before You Accuse Me" and " Hey Hey". " Lonely Stranger" is followed by " Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out", a song where the upbeat melody contradicts the dour lyrics. " Layla" gets a sophisticated face-lift, while " Alberta" and " San Francisco Bay Blues" bounce around from strolling to skipping. " Old Love" sounds even better live than it did on " Journeyman". " Rollin' and Tumblin'", the closer, allows the artist to end on a high note, giving a mid-tempo flavor to an old blues classic.

Essential.

Unlike many in the music business who rely on studio wizardy, excessive charm, or fearlessness, Clapton built - and kept - his reputation based on one simple fact: the man plays guitar better than just about anyone, ever. Whether he's playing his own compositions, blues standards, or rock, Clapton engages the listener with a passion few can match.

Unplugged shows a different side of Clapton, a side I believe is his best. You feel his pain in Heaven and frivolity in Milk Cow Blues. He's having fun and sharing the experience with you. This CD is one you can play over and over again. Even today, 15 years after its release, it stands the test of time and still brings a big smile to those who listen. Highly recommended.

This album reinforces, and reminds us, why "Claptin is God" got spraypainted all over the western world in the 1970s. Play the unplugged version of "Layla" back-to-back with the "plugged" version and you'll see how a guitar maestro can create two different songs out of the same cloth.

Unlike other artists who appeared on "Unplugged" but then refused to unplug (Springsteen comes to mind), Clapton is unafraid to demonstrate his chops in what could have been a difficult playing atmosphere.

"Unplugged" also allows Clapton to show his full range of stylistic abilities, from rock to blues and back again.

Well worth buying.