Eric Clapton/CA,USA 07.20.1974 Complete Soundboard Edition

The second installment of the legendary multi-track soundboard master collection is now available! From a veteran taper based in the UK, familiar to us for Eric Clapton's treasured recordings, we've acquired a flat transfer master of the multi-track soundboard tapes from the first night and the second night of the 1974 Long Beach concert! This is an official stereo soundboard recording with the same level of clarity and crispness as the first night, "Long Beach 1974 1st Night: Flat Transfer From Multi Track Tapes (2CD)." This multi-track soundboard master from the second night of Clapton's July 20, 1974, Long Beach, California performance was featured on the official albums "E.C. WAS HERE," "CROSSROADS 2," and "TIME PIECES VOL.2." This recording is famous for being included on the official live album: seven tracks from that day: Smile, a medley of Willie and the Hand Jive and Get Ready, Can't Find My Way Home, a medley of Driftin' Blues and Ramblin' On My Mind, and Presence of the Lord. While existing releases were based on cassette copies of the master or aged master reel tapes, this release boasts the highest sound quality ever, and we can confidently say that it is a master of unparalleled quality. Any enthusiast will be enthralled by the sound quality and sound balance. Interestingly, upon careful examination of the master, we found that the sound pressure and minute pitch at the end of Disc 1 and the end of Disc 2 were not perfectly aligned, suggesting that the recording was performed on two console decks to ensure perfection for the official live album. Furthermore, given that the discs were delivered in this format, and that "Can't Find My Way Home," which was supposed to have been played acoustically after "Let It Grow" early in the concert, is included at the beginning of Disc 2, it's possible that editing from both decks had already been completed at this point. What's fascinating is that the setlist was significantly different from the first day, yet the performance quality remained just as high. While there were no surprise guest musicians like on the first day, the encore was entertaining, and the concert itself was captivating. Be sure to check it out along with "Long Beach 1974 1st Night: Flat Transfer From Multi Track Tapes (2CD)." Despite the different setlist, the second day's performance maintained high performance quality. Now, let's take a look at how this performance positioned itself in the 1974 comeback year.・June 19th and 20th, 1974: Warm-up gigs in Scandinavia for the US comeback tour ・June 28th to August 4th, 1974: US tour ←★Here★≪August 5th, 1974: Album "461 OCEAN BOULEVARD" released≫ ・August to September 1974: Album "THERE'S ONE IN EVERY CROWD" recorded in Miami ・September 28th to October 6th, 1974: Second US tour ・October 31st to November 6th, 1974: First Japan tour ・November 27th to December 5th, 1974: European tour You can see that these shows were midway through the US comeback tour that began in June of that year. After warming up for this US tour, Clapton regained his confidence on the live stage, and he embarked on the tour drunk to ease his nerves. While the effects of this were somewhat apparent in the MC performances, he generally delivered solid vocals and precise, smooth guitar playing. The fact that "Presence of the Lord," "Driftin' Blues - Ramblin' On My Mind," and "Can't Find My Way Home" from this performance were featured on the official live album "E.C.WAS HERE," "Willie And The Hand Jive - Get Ready" on "CROSSROADS 2," and "Smile" on "TIME PIECES VOL.2" is proof enough of this (although one chorus of "Presence of the Lord" was cut and edited on the official release). As a comeback tour, the setlist offered a comprehensive overview of Clapton's career to date. It included five tracks from his then-unreleased comeback album, "461 Ocean Boulevard," as well as songs from his Cream days like Badge and Crossroads. It also featured Blind Faith tracks like "Presence of the Lord" and "Can't Find My Way Home," as well as "Let It Rain" and "Blues Power" from his first solo album, and Domino tracks like "Little Wing" and "Layla." The set also included blues, ensuring fans had the songs they wanted to hear. On top of that, the concert even included a surprise opening with "Smile," the theme song from Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times," a film Clapton has always hailed as one of his favorites. He also played "Easy Now" from his first solo album. This tour is the only chance to hear this song live, making it a rare treat. Unlike on the first day, Clapton improvised his vocal lines on Let It Grow. Even though he was drunk, he didn't lose his tune, and his vocals were captivating. It's definitely worth a listen. Overall, the performance was less intoxicated, and the band's playing was sharp. This, along with the previous day's performance at the same venue, is a prime example of the '74 tour. The appeal of the second day is undoubtedly the opportunity to hear "Easy Now," "Driftin' Blues," "Ramblin' On My Mind," "Little Wing," "Let It Rain," "Presence of the Lord," and "Blues Power," all of which weren't performed on the first day. "Little Wing" is a truly outstanding performance. Definitely worth a listen. During the band introductions before the encore, he introduced himself as "Robert Johnson, vocals!" (He was probably quite drunk, after all). During the encore, "Blues Power," he playfully interjects Badge's bridge arpeggio and phrases from The Beatles' "Ticket To Ride" and "Day Tripper" during several breaks in the intro. While this may have been a drunken stunt, there's a fascinating background to Clapton playing The Beatles' numbers. In 1965, Clapton temporarily left John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and formed a band with friends, performing at a club in Greece. The club owner recognized Clapton's talent and invited him to join The Juniors, a popular local band that was headlining the show, as support. Since The Juniors were a Beatles cover band, it's likely Clapton was playing Ticket To Ride, which was a hit at the time. "Day Tripper" was a fun phrase he'd inserted into "What'd I Say" on the classic album "John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton," which he recorded after rejoining the band after returning from Greece. This means he remembered playing both songs in his younger days and, drunkenly, played them onstage. Even more interesting is the announcement at the beginning of "Layla" by Clapton, "This is for Nelly." This was actually a reference to Patti Harrison (Boyd), also known as Layla. As Clapton wrote in his autobiography, he and Patti called each other "Elle" and "Nell (Nelly)." So, when performing this song, he addressed her by her nickname. (Patti is said to have ended her relationship with George Harrison that year and joined Clapton on his US tour, but it's unclear whether she was present at the venue on this day.) Clapton said he dedicated the song to the woman who motivated Layla. Perhaps he was in a good mood, having been drinking heavily. Still, the performance quality is excellent, and with the sound quality of this official recording, and the setlist being so different from the first night, I highly recommend listening to both "Long Beach 1974 1st Night: Flat Transfer From Multi Track Tapes (2CD)" and this album. This was the second day of the Long Beach performance, with plenty to listen to. Enjoy this release, produced from a flat transfer of the multi-track master, in the highest quality ever. Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA, USA 20th July 1974 STEREO SBD (from Original Masters) UPGRADE!!! Disc:1 (58:00) 1. Intro. 2. Smile 3. Easy Now 4. Let It Grow 5. I Shot The Sheriff 6. Layla 7. Little Wing 8. Willie And The Hand Jive 9. Get Ready 10. Badge Disc:2 (68:49) 1. Can't Find My Way Home 2. Driftin' Blues 3. Ramblin' On My Mind 4. Let It Rain 5. Presence of The Lord 6. Crossroads 7. Steady Rollin' Man 8. Band Introductions 9. Little Queenie 10. Blues Power STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING Eric Clapton - Guitar / Vocals George Terry - Guitar Dicks Sims - Keyboards Carl Radle - Bass Jamie Oldaker - Drums Yvonne Elliman - Backing Vocals