Eric was unhappy with the recordings from the previous year’s run at the Albert Hall for an official live CD which was on the drawing board. In February, he played a series of 4 piece, 9 piece, blues and orchestra nights which were again recorded. Ultimately, the best tracks would evolve into the 2CD official release, 24 Nights.
Once the dates were complete, he had no further professional plans for the remainder of the year. He planned to take the year off to spend time with his young son, Conor. Tragically, Conor died in March. Eric began writing songs to help heal himself. In December, he “loaned” himself, his band and crew to his friend, George Harrison, for a tour of Japan. For more than a decade, there were a scarcity of recordings. That finally changed in 2003.
The best Eric Clapton bootleg recordings from 1991 are:
Play With Fire (Blues Power / SB6)
Play With Fire Revisited (Mid Valley / SB6)
This is a complete nine-piece band performance from the Royal Albert Hall run from 17 February 1991. This flawless soundboard recording is one of the best Clapton boots ever released — a perfect show from lights down to lights up. Several tracks from the BBC Radio 1 master tape were used on 24 Nights. Lots of great unreleased tracks can still be heard on this set. It gets no better than this!
Blues Night 91 (Star / SB5)
This Royal Albert Hall blues show from 25 February 1991 was broadcast live on BBC Radio 1. The recording is an excellent soundboard and a very good show, but the playing doesn’t live up to the 1990 blues shows. Musical collaborators were Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, and Jerry Portnoy. Eric lets it rip on gems from his Bluesbreakers days, such as “Hideaway” and “All Your Love”.
Note: 24 Carat (Heartbreakers) issued in 1999 is a 5 show / 10 CD set from the 1991 Royal Albert Hall run. The shows were available singly but in extremely limited numbers. 24 Carat was also available as a box set that included a bonus show, the 4 Piece Band from 7 February. It is not essential to own the entire set as quality varies from SB6 to 4 (a so-so audience recording). For 17 February, Play With Fire or Play With Fire Revisited are the superior recordings. However, for 25 February, the two discs in the 24 Carat release (24 Carat - Blues Band) are superior (SB6) to Blues Night 91. Due to its scarcity, it will not replace Blues Night 91 as the one to own.
Rock Legends: Osaka 1991 (Shamrock / 6)
This 6-CD box includes the 10, 11 and 12 December concerts at Osaka-Jo Hall by George Harrison, with Eric Clapton and his band. For more than a decade, fans were hoping that recordings of this quality would surface. Lots of Harrison tunes, sing-a-long Beatles songs and a four song set of Eric’s solo material. A shame George didn’t join in on “Badge.” These three shows are from the mid-point of the tour. The band is a cohesive unit and George is in fine voice all three nights.
Honorable Mention:
Fourth Night Live / Rock Legends Tour (Platypus / 6)
In previous incarnations of this list, Fourth Night Live was listed as the best recording from the Rock Legends tour. The majority of the show was recorded in Nagoya on 5 December 1991. Several tracks were recorded in Tokyo on 17 December. It features Clapton’s four solo songs and a brilliant live “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. It is still a good choice, but has been “downgraded” a bit to complete shows surfacing in equal or slightly better quality.
Where’s ERIC! does not encourage or condone the manufacture of bootleg recordings. They are illegal and artists do not receive royalties from their sale. However, Where’s ERIC! realizes that there are fans who collect these recordings. In that spirit, information about them is provided for fans’ research and guidance purposes. Where’s ERIC! does not sell, trade or provide free copies of bootleg recordings nor can we tell you how to obtain them.
