Description
A meticulously crafted reproduction of the world’s only extremely rare mono DJ sample LP! As part of Eric Clapton’s “extremely rare reissue project,” we are releasing an extremely rare mono DJ sample LP that was produced in very limited quantities only in the United States in 1970, never for general sale, and distributed only to radio stations. This work is a CD version of the DJ sample mono version of his first solo album, “ERIC CLAPTON,” released in the United States in August 1970. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, records and radio were common for listening to music in ordinary households, but at that time, stereo records were just beginning to appear, and equipment that could only play in mono was still the mainstream. Radio also reflected this, and mono broadcasting was the mainstream at the time, but this album was only released as a stereo LP in the US and UK. However, in the United States, the ATCO label went to the trouble of producing a very small number of mono versions suitable for mono broadcasting by radio stations and distributed them to radio stations throughout the United States. In other words, only stereo records were commercially released, and the only mono version was a US ATCO DJ promo (it didn’t even exist in the UK), making it completely unreleased. However, over the years, radio station staff and related personnel occasionally sold off their inventory, and these records began to appear on the used record market. Naturally, as a limited, unreleased, and extremely rare record, it has continued to be traded at premium prices in the used record market, and this continues to this day. The longer time passes, the more its rarity increases, and the more the price skyrockets. This time, our store borrowed a DJ sample mono record of “ERIC CLAPTON” from a veteran rock enthusiast and used high-end analog and digital equipment to create a CD that is faithful to the original. Because the record was in good condition, we were able to create a high-quality recording. Upon examining the actual record, the jacket is labeled “Stereo” (meaning they couldn’t afford to produce a separate jacket for the mono version and reused the standard jacket), but it has a sticker that reads “dj/copy monaural.” The record label is white and printed with the Atco logo, title, track listing, and “SAMPLE COPY NOT FOR SALE.” This is a mono-only version; not only does it lack the “SD” prefix found on standard stereo catalog numbers, but the matrix numbers are completely different from the stereo versions, with the dj/copy monaural versions being “C-13343 A AT DK W, C-13344 A AT DK W.” In short, the mono version is extremely rare because it was manufactured using a completely different process than the standard version, and it’s a valuable recording that has never been released on CD before. This CD release allows you to easily listen to the mono version that could only be heard on American radio at the time, now in the best possible environment. We invite you to take this opportunity to watch this film and travel back in time to a family listening to the radio in America in the 1970s. The story of how “ERIC CLAPTON” was born: In 1969, Clapton hired Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, a couple who were practicing swamp rock/blue-eyed soul music born in the American South in LA, as the opening act for Blind Faith’s first nationwide tour. There, Clapton met them and hit it off, leading him to join Delaney’s band, “Delaney & Bonnie & Friends.” And with Delaney’s encouragement, he recorded this first solo album. It is a famous anecdote that Delaney persuaded Clapton, who was reluctant to sing, by saying, “You have a voice and talent that is worthy of singing. If you don’t use it, God will take it away from you.” To introduce them to Europe, Clapton organized a European and UK tour from November to December 1969, inviting them to London and letting them stay at his house for a while. Following this, Delaney strongly suggested that Clapton make a solo album, and recording began in London in November 1969, before the tour started. After their tour and the year-end holidays, recording resumed in January 1970 at Village Recorders Studios in Los Angeles, continuing until the end of that month and being completed (the takes recorded in November 1969 were not used, but can be heard on bootlegs). The backing musicians included Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, as well as other renowned American musicians with close ties to them, such as Leon Russell, John Simon, and Stephen Stills (Blues Power is a collaboration between Leon and Clapton, showcasing Leon’s characteristic piano playing, while Easy Now features Stephen Stills’ high-pitched harmony vocals and acoustic guitar playing). Clapton himself was captivated by the powerful, earthy sound, which even incorporated a horn section, and released it with confidence. Released in August 1970, it became a hit, reaching number 18 on the US album charts. The thick sound emanating from the large band, including horns, was completely different from Clapton’s previous band, Blind Faith. Clapton found a new self in this sound. As an aside, Dave Mason, the British guitarist who moved to the US early and joined Delaney & Bonnie & Friends as Clapton’s predecessor, also had a solo album called “ALONE TOGETHER” which featured members of Delaney & Bonnie & Friends as well as Leon Russell, and was released in the same year, 1970. Therefore, some listeners believe that Clapton heard Mason’s “ALONE TOGETHER,” was inspired by its sound, and simply copied (plagiarized) the musicians and sound style for his own first solo album. However, this is completely false. While “ALONE TOGETHER” was released in July 1970, a month earlier than Clapton’s, Clapton actually started recording earlier. (If Clapton had started recording after hearing “ALONE TOGETHER,” he wouldn’t have been able to release it the month after Mason’s. This suggests that both men admired Delaney & Bonnie at the same time.) The Significance of Clapton’s First Solo Album There are four main reasons for the significance of this album. First, ① Clapton, who had been reluctant to sing, having only sung on a few songs with Cream and not singing at all with Blind Faith, took on the challenge of showcasing lead vocals throughout the entire album for the first time. While influenced by Delaney’s singing style, this was the first time he had sung to this extent. ② The guitar used for the recording was not the Gibson guitar that was his main gear during the Cream and Blind Faith eras, but a Fender Stratocaster (the famous “Brownie” model with a two-tone sunburst body and maple neck). Furthermore, he played the entire album using the “half-tone,” a dry tone unique to the Stratocaster, created by setting the pickup selector switch between the center and rear positions (this tone was also used by Jimi Hendrix around the same time, so it can be said that it was either Clapton’s or Hendrix’s invention). ③ Although he had composed songs before, he learned songwriting techniques from Delaney and produced many songs written by himself, mainly in collaboration with him. Also, the quality of these songs was very high and matched the album (including Let It Rain and Blues Power, which are still in his repertoire today, as well as the acoustic masterpiece Easy Now, which imitates the Beatles’ double tracking). ④ Delaney and Leon introduced him to After Midnight by J.J. Cale, a musician from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and he covered it (from this point on, Clapton became infatuated with Cale and came to respect him as an admired musician). One interesting point is this After Midnight on track 4. On the original LP, the running time of this song is 3:15, but on all current CDs it is a short edit to 2:51. The reason is unknown, but on this release it is the same 3:15 as the LP. In other words, this is the only place, besides the box set “ERIC CLAPTON – ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION,” where you can hear the original 3:15 version of “After Midnight” on a single CD (and of course, this is the only place where you can hear it in mono!). The creation of this album led Clapton to consider forming his own band. After recording, in February, he accompanied Delaney & Bonnie & Friends on their American tour before leaving the band. Upon returning to England, he was contacted by Bobby Whitlock, a member of Friends, which led to the formation of Derek and the Dominos. In a sense, it can be said that it was because he was able to make this album that the miraculous masterpiece “LAYLA AND OTHER ASSORTED LOVE SONGS” was born. This first solo album, “ERIC CLAPTON,” was a major turning point in Clapton’s career up to the present day. Listen to Clapton’s playing and singing, which shone brightly, supported by such a luxurious group of musicians in that era. In a way, this mono sound seems to embody the true essence of the band at that time. This is the first CD release of this extremely rare, non-commercial album! US ATCO PROMOTIONAL dj / copy monaural LP(ATCO Records 33-329) Matrix: C-13343 A AT DK W C-13344 A AT DK W(39:03) Side 1 1. Slunky 2. Bad Boy 3. Lonesome And A Long Way From Home 4. After Midnight 5. Easy Now 6. Blues Power Side 2 7. Bottle of Red Wine 8. Lovin’ You Lovin’ Me 9. Told You For The Last Time 10. Don’t Know Why 11. Let It Rain Eric Clapton – Guitar / Vocals Delaney Bramlett – Guitar / Vocals Bonnie Bramlett – Vocals Leon Russell – Piano John Simon – Piano Rita Coolidge – Vocals Bobby Whitlock – Keyboards / Vocals Carl Radle – Bass Jim Gordon – Drums Jim Price – Trumpet Bobby Keys – Saxophone J. I. Allison, Sonny Curtis – Vocals Stephen Stills – Vocals / Guitar
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