Recorded at the end of his Slowhand '77/'78 tour, this blistering Eric Clapton show, originally recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show, is an excellent example of how amazing a live artist the man had become by the late 1970s. Freed of his drug and alcohol demons, Clapton had finally assembled a backup band that gave him both the freedom both to step forward and control the starlight or sink into the cohesion of being just another member of the band.
From his legendary Derek and the Dominoes band,…entire summary
Eric Clapton - guitar, vocals
Dick Sims - keyboards
George Terry - guitar
Carl Radle - bass, vocals
Marcy Levy - vocals
Jaime Oldacker - drums
Recorded at the end of his Slowhand '77/'78 tour, this blistering Eric Clapton show, originally recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show, is an excellent example of how amazing a live artist the man had become by the late 1970s. Freed of his drug and alcohol demons, Clapton had finally assembled a backup band that gave him both the freedom both to step forward and control the starlight or sink into the cohesion of being just another member of the band.
From his legendary Derek and the Dominoes band, Clapton recruited bassist Carl Radle, who, along with drummer Jaime Oldacker, held down the rhythm over Clapton's soaring guitar licks. Also on board was vocalist Marcy Levy, who allowed Clapton to focus more on his guitar work by covering the more involved vocal harmonies.
The mix of little-known songs with massive Clapton hits resulted in a strong show with great pacing. The Cream hit "Badge" and his own sultry ballad " Wonderful Tonight" provide the pop element, while classic R&B/ Blues covers such as "Bottle Of Red Wine" and "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out" allow Clapton the freedom to solo as only he can. The rockers are there too, including "Cocaine," "Layla" and his first solo hit, "Let It Rain," which clocks in at over seven minutes. Another highlight is his reggae remake of Bob Dylan's "Knocking On Heaven's Door."
There are even a few surprises, including the encore, which is a soulful reading of the Broadway show tune standard "You'll Never Walk Alone."
Certainly not to be missed.
Read more about Eric Clapton in Crawdaddy!:
"Cream: Background to a Break-Up"
"Live Interview: Eric Clapton: The Word of God"
"Supergroups: The Dirty Mac vs. The Good, the Bad, and the Queen"
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