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So do the versions of Professional Widow. I know many remix versions of tracks that sound radically different to the original, yet they are still classed as the same songs.
It's the tone of your posts, not necessarily the criticism in them.
What do you mean "they are still classed as the same songs"? By who? If two songs are radically different from each other they shouldn't be classed as the same song, especially if the goal is to measure their success.
By record companies, publishers, artists, fans etc etc etc I didn't make the rules but it's clear what they are.
Look, Eric Clapton obviously sees it as a reworking of Layla, why else would he still call it Layla. Tori Amos, sees it as an almost different piece of work but still relates to it as Professional Widow.
I get your logical approach to this but ifs clear that the industry, artists, publishers etc still see these tracks as being the same song.
So defensive? Stop acting as a victim, please. You've been acting in an incredibly childish way for months, I don't even get why / how it started. Not sure what turned you on, but it's all over your comments, so no need to pretend all you are doing is objective criticism, especially when the "points" you bring involve as much nonsense as what you've been posting.
No, both versions are not completely different, at all. Just because a rock song is recorded in an acoustic way makes it another tune. There have been plenty of similar cases and you haven't bother at all. Aren't Sting acoustic / orchestra reworkings counted with originals? Yes, they are. But it hasn't bring a result you weren't expected so you haven't said a thing.
In case you haven't noticed, we changed rules countless of times. Unlike what you wish though, we do not change them cherry-picking results we don't like, applying them to one case only just because we feel it looks better.
I didn't knew that one single sentence, who's there barely to avoid users interested in knowing the total to go check 4 distinct articles by themselves and has no impact whatsoever in rankings from the site, would piss you off completely. Next time, for each sentence I write, I'll carefully check the 500+ articles backlog to make sure I phrased everything in the exact same way so that it pleases you. "Jesus", as someone would say.
And who says that both versions of Layla are "completely different" but that both versions of Tears in Heaven are "identical"? You? So basically, you are claiming to be the authority?
An acoustic is just that, an acoustic. Just because the original song was slow tempo already doesn't mean the acoustic version is "identical", just like the fact that the original was more uptempo doesn't mean the acoustic version is "completely different".
Hi Clockingbell!
The thing with Unplugged is that it's a live album, it's instantly moved into the compilation / live section. It sold so well the same way as AC/DC's or Phil Collins' live albums from the same period, because they came out during the mass CD replacement era with no existing full-career spanning compilations available. That's why it kept selling extremely well until mid-90s and its sales were reduced a lot from the release of The Cream of Clapton in 94/95 (depending on the country).
That's also why so many 'new' artists released unplugged discs in following years. Not because they brought that much by themselves (in fact nobody does them anymore), but simply because they were the perfect way to milk a catalog with a greatest hits-like record despite the artist having less than the 3/4 studio albums needed to put a best of out. Alanis Morissette, Nirvana, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, etc, they all benefited from this.
Nice comparisons! It's just that I think the succes of Clapton 's Unplugged wasn't just about it being career spanning. People not just wanted Layla, they wanted this version, as well as a great live performer at his most accessible. This album brought him new success, not just milking old successes, like Collins did, whose live album contained more of his biggest hits than Unplugged does. Great article btw.
In terms of sales, Nirvana 'Unplugged' is roughly 16 million, Clapton 'Unplugged' is somewhere around 24 million I believe...
AMAZING results! thank you for your hard work! there is something fascinating about huge catalog artists. I would like to ask when will you be doing Frank Sinatra, i think that is one of the big artist left to review in your page
I think that Knockin on Heavens Door is in Clapton's top ten songs. Heavens door is incl. many Clapton collections. E.g Time Pieces +live. Cream of Claptons 1987 and 1995, Complete, Crossroads, Story of Clapton 2004 (together in about 30 million albums). Spotify streams are 17 m.
Let It Rain is 7th in Clapton best selling list. It has 39 m streams.
Both sold roughly same number digital and physical copies. But Let It Rain isn't so popular in collections.
Guys, you did a hell of a job covering such a massive career. Really congrats for your massive effort. I know it's against the rules, but if we combine Eric Clapton's solo sales with that of his groups than Clapton would become the third biggest male act, just behind Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson. Though I agree that they should not be combined it's an incredible achievement for an artist who tends to avoid the media spotlight
He wouldn't be though, if you were to apply the same methodology for members of The Beatles, Jackson, Queen, The Stones, Floyd and maybe even Plant & Zeppelin
Incredible work. I've been waiting for this for a loooonnnng time. BRAVO!!!
Chartmasters men hei,
As old Clapton fan, your statistics must have gotten messed up somehow. You know Hoochie Coochie Man is your lists 11. and Riding with the King 12. Wrong. Last Radio is more reliable here. Hoochie man is 88. and Riding King is 23. or something.
I know how you calculate the numbers, sales from everywhere. Clapton must have been unknown to the list maker, right?
I repeat the previous comment ( under another name- Mikko). This mistake is so obvious, it needs to commented on.
Riding with BB.King and Hoochie Coochie man are not included in any major compilation. The former is included in the album in same name and latter in the album From the Cradle. Nobody recognized that these are Clapton's most favourite hits.
Instead, After Midnight and Knockin' on Heaven's Door have been Clapton's favourites for decades. In addition, together with Randy Crawford, they made a version of Knockin on Heavens Door for the soundtrack Lethal Weapon 2 and song was minor worldwide hit year 1989 and they are included in almost all major compilations.
Younger enthusiasts are not interested in this, but some older are.
Hi Einar/Mikko!
I hope you understand these lists aren't manually typed but instead retrieved from macros, it isn't about knowing the artist or whatsoever.
In that case, the result is indeed awkward to say the least but it's truly a very weird situation, where an album (From The Cradle) happens to be both a strong selling record and home to mostly unpopular material. Audio streams from its track are so bad that the presence of Hoochie Coochie Man on some YouTube live videos is enough to make it the main catalyst of the album's sales. Just goes on to show that Cradle sold mostly on the back of Unplugged and good press than thanks to its own tracks.
