Eric Clapton is reissuing an expanded and remastered version of his smash acoustic album Unplugged this fall. The set includes two discs and a DVD of his entire MTV Unplugged set, as well as never-before-seen rehearsal footage.
Unplugged has sold over 19 million copies worldwide and won
Clapton six Grammy Awards, including "Record of the Year" and
"Album of the Year."
On this expanded version, the second disc will
include several songs not featured on the original such as a cover of Big Maceo
Merriweather’s “Worried Life Blues,” an alternate take of "Walkin’ Blues" and early versions
of "Circus" and "My Father’s Eyes" that later appeared on
Clapton's Pilgrim.
Clapton has been on tour most of the 2013, celebrating his
"50th year as a professional musician."
On November 14, he'll
headline the final night of the Baloise Sessions in Switzerland, an indoor
music festival in Basel, Switzerland.
See him while you can: in a new interview with Rolling
Stone, Clapton reveals his touring days are winding down.
"The bit onstage, that's easy," Clapton, 67, tells
the magazine, “but for me, the struggle
is the travel. So the idea is I'm taking a leaf out of JJ [Cale]'s book: When
I'm 70, I'll stop. I won't stop playing or doing one-offs, but I'll stop
touring, I think."
Unplugged: Expanded and Remastered is due out on October 15
on Rhino.
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Still touring at seventy would be rough. I don't blame him.
ReplyDeleteI hear ya-I look at all the touring Todd Rundgren is doing this year (at age 65) and it makes me tired!
DeleteHe could still do some limited touring. I think that's one of the best parts. These stars are always complaining about touring. They should try driving themselves to small venues and staying in not so luxury places. I never have any sympathy for these big time artists who have a cushy road life.
ReplyDeleteLee
Tossing It Out
I hear you, Lee, but do you think you could live your road life today as easily as you remember it?
DeleteI know in your post you likened your vacation to the touring life, but your vacation was a couple of weeks and for some of these musicians, it's never-ending.
Todd Rundgren started in March touring his new album, did a tour with Ringo, did a retrospective tour, a symphony show, and is back out with Ringo through Thanksgiving. Maybe he gets it cushy with Ringo, but by himself he's on the bus, and he stayed in the same Holiday Inn I did in Akron.
Granted, Clapton has it better, but I bet it's still a grind and he's in his late sixties.
In the last years I toured we were averaging about 120 miles a day driving, making decent money, and had all transportation and lodging paid for. We tried to stay in Marriotts whenever possible and when not I'd shoot for the best accommodations I could find. I wouldn't want to tour all year, but a couple months at a time would be fine. And even if I was doing the 9 month tour we used to do I could handle that. It would be much easier now with cell phones and wifi. Didn't have any of those things back then.
DeleteThe big name musicians can probably set their own schedules and the longer tours are probably mostly a choice to make more money. But they've got roadies to do the heavy lifting and the promoters have to provide them with all sorts of food and drink and special needs. What a life!
Now an artist or band on a bar or small venue circuit is a whole different deal. Don't know how great that would be if they were still struggling for a few bucks.
I guess the extent of the grind is dependent on the prestige of the artist and the amount of financial desperation they are experiencing in their lives.
The theater dates like I used to have I could still deal with, but I don't think I'd want to deal with traveling with a circus or having a helter skelter crazy tour schedule or I was paying all my own expenses. Then it can start getting grueling.
Lee
A Faraway View
Lee-
DeleteI guess everyone is different. I used to travel six months out of each year for business, and now it's roughly a month a year but that's enough.
The whole act of traveling is a chore to me-once I get to my destination I am ok.
You obviously do road trips better than I-I can do one long day, but have trouble if it's two in a row.
So I guess that's why I am more sympathetic to Mr. Clapton!
Hey, stranger. I was thinking of you the other day. I was listening to Rundgren's greatest hits cd on my iPod while vacuuming the house. I have never had the opportunity to catch Clapton in concert. I don't think he's been near my neck of the woods.
ReplyDeleteIf you get a chance, I posted this week about classic albums that have to be played all the way through. Stop by and let me know how I did...and what I forgot.
-Jimmy
http://jamesgarciajr.blogspot.com/2013/09/albums-that-we-play-all-way-through.html
I just noticed you'd dropped off of my dashboard....and corrected it. I'll check out that post now.
DeleteI've not seen Clapton either-the last time he was in AZ the ticket price was more than I was willing to pay. I tend to get annoyed when the cost goes above $100, esoecially when it's a band that does not need the money.
Larry
(Apologies if this posts twice. Blogger gave me some kind of stupid error and didn't say whether it actually posted the comment or not)
ReplyDelete50 years? That's unimaginable. I can understand him wanting to retire from touring at 70. My dad's 60, and in great health, and I can't imagine him having the energy to perform for an entire crowd every single night, each night in a different state. Or even a different country. That sounds exhausting to me at half the age.
I was not even thinking about the performing-I was just focusing on the grind of travel.
DeleteYou're right...starting your work day at 9pm, in different time zones every other day, living on road food, sleeping on a bus...
And let's face it, in his sixties, the groupies are all sporting walkers and canes!