Eric Clapton/England,UK 11.28.1978 Complete Soundboard Edition

Amazing multi-track master! Eric Clapton's treasured live sound source is here! It can be said to be a shocking master provided by the trusted heavyweight Taper, who lives in the UK. This work is a complete recording of the official live album, which was mixed down from the regular recording multi-track master of the "Backless European Tour" in the fall of 1978, the Hanley performance in the UK on November 28th, which was the final leg of the tour. It is a complete recording of a crisp stereo soundboard recording that is comparable to an official live album! This time, the heavyweight Taper provided us with a direct copy from the original master tape to DAT. There is a previously released version of this sound source with the same quality, but as you can hear by listening to this work, the texture of the sound is quite different from the previously released version. The previously released version intentionally raises the mid-range, and although it is powerful, it gives the impression that the natural feeling is fading. In contrast, this work has a natural feeling that is still alive and well, as if it was mixed from a multi-track. It should be considered as a different thing. In addition, five songs from the soundboard source of this day are also used in the 4CD box "CROSSROADS 2 (Live In The Seventies)" officially released in 1996 (Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever, Worried Life Blues, Crossroads, Double Trouble, Early In The Morning). Looking at that, it can be said that it proves how excellent the performance on this day was. What's interesting is that the mix phase is reversed between this work and "CROSSROADS 2 (Live In The Seventies)". In both, Clapton's vocals, guitar, bass, and drums are located in the center, but the keyboard is on the right channel in this work and on the left in "CROSSROADS 2 (Live In The Seventies)". The instrument placement on the stage on the day was the keyboard on the right facing the stage, so it can be said that this work faithfully reproduces the live sound of the day. In addition, in this work, the sound of the drum floor tom is clearly mixed into the right channel. This is more than official. In addition, the chorus vocals by Jamie Oldaker and Dick Sims are intentionally mixed to the forefront in "CROSSROADS 2 (Live In The Seventies)", but in this work they are mixed to a natural level that supports Clapton's vocals. Even with this, you can see that this work has a more natural sound image than the official version. A rare set list unique to the end of the tour and Clapton's sharp play! First of all, let's review the topic of this year and see how this European tour was positioned in Clapton's activities.・February 1st to 19th, 1978: US tour ・June 23rd, 1978: Appeared at a festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands with the Bob Dylan Band ・July 1st to 15th, 1978: Short European tour (including a festival appearance with Bob Dylan) <August to September 1978: Recording of the album "BACKLESS"> <November 1st, 1978: Release of the album "BACKLESS"> ・November 5th to December 7th, 1978: European tour ←★Here★ ・December 11th, 1978: Made a surprise appearance at a Muddy Waters concert in Dingwall, London As you can see, this was one performance during a European tour promoting their new album "BACKLESS," which was recorded with the same British producer, Glyn Johns, and released just two months after the album's completion, following the huge success of their album "SLOWHAND." This tour was an important one that ended the year and contributed greatly to the promotion of the album. For this tour, Clapton, who was tired of the usual airplane travel, came up with the idea of ​​a European style, and rented out the famous Orient Express train to visit all the performance locations. For Clapton, the opening act was Muddy Waters, a beloved bluesman, who he asked to perform. It was a happy situation for him. It shows that he was fresh and full of motivation (Muddy also traveled on the same train). The highlight of this tour was that the band fired second guitarist George Terry and female singer Marcy Levy, who were with them at the time of recording the album, and performed with a four-piece band, the same as in Derek and the Dominos. The fact that Clapton was the only guitarist meant that the weight and importance of his performance increased. This tour attracted attention because he himself asked for the heavy responsibility despite his ongoing alcoholism. What I found out later was that the set list was very different at the beginning and end of the tour, which was also one of the attractions of this tour. As mentioned above, only the very early performances featured many numbers from the album "BACKLESS," but from the middle of the tour onwards, the number of numbers from the album was extremely reduced, and the repertoire was centered on old blues and the previous tour, making it look like a "regular tour." Nevertheless, this day was a rare day when the opening song was Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever (written by Stevie Wonder), a famous cover version of The Band (Clapton probably had a longing for The Band). And although the number was reduced, the number from "BACKLESS" was played in three songs: If I Don't Be There By Morning, Tulsa Time, and Early in the Morning. Clapton was in top form that day, regardless of his alcohol level. He performed great solos in each song. In particular, the groove-filled playing at Crossroads, and the emotional playing of slow blues such as Double Trouble and Early in the Morning are outstanding (to put it bluntly, it's better than "JUST ONE NIGHT"). Layla is played as the last number of the regular stage as in a normal concert, but it's a take worth listening to, with fast playing that also includes habitual phrases. Since there is no second guitar, I wonder what happened to the seven-note main phrase? But it was actually the keyboard that played it. I was surprised that it fit perfectly. It's a great take. This is the first appearance of a sound source that has transcended 45 years of time, and all the songs are worth listening to. This was the time when Clapton used the "Tulsa Tops" from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who had supported him both in the studio and live performances since "461 OCEAN BOULEVARD", and this was the only tour where he performed live with a four-piece band. In addition, it is drummer Jamie Oldaker who adds nice choruses over Clapton's vocals on all the songs. Yes, he is playing the drums. Until now, there were chorus members such as Yvonne Elliman, Marcy Levy, and George Terry, so I wondered who would be in charge of this four-piece, but it was Oldaker. I was surprised that he was good at it. It makes you realize that Clapton's entire career was blessed with band members. Multi-track master of historical sound source from 47 years ago! Victoria Hall, Hanley, England 28th November 1978 STEREO SBD UPGRADE!!! Disc:1 (51:47) 1. Introduction 2. Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever 3. Worried Life Blues 4. Badge 5. Wonderful Tonight 6. Crossroads 7. If I Don't Be There By Morning 8. Double Trouble Disc:2 (32:42) 1. I'll Make Love To You Anytime 2. Tulsa Time 3. Early In The Morning 4. Layla 5. Cocaine 6. Further On Up The Road STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING Eric Clapton - Guitar, Vocals Dick Sims - Keyboards Carl Radle - Bass Jamie Oldaker - Drums