Blind Faith / CA, USA – August 14, 1969 (Upgrade)

An overseas taper—known in recent years for providing high-quality historical audience recordings—has done it again! This time, he has delivered an upgraded recording of a concert by Blind Faith, the supergroup formed by Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood following the breakup of Cream. The recording captures the performance from August 14, 1969, in Oakland, California—part of the final leg of the US tour during the band’s short-lived six-month existence (note: “Had To Cry Today” and “Can’t Find My Way Home” appear to be missing from the set). While this recording has circulated previously, the source provided here is a first-generation master, digitally copied at 24-bit resolution directly from the original 7-inch reel-to-reel master! The sound quality is dramatically improved—so much so that it is hard to believe it comes from the same source as earlier releases. Clapton’s guitar stands out clearly, while Ginger Baker’s drums, Winwood’s combo organ, and Rick Grech’s bass are all captured with great definition. The sound balance is superb, making for a highly enjoyable listening experience. To think this was the original master! However, since this is the source for previous releases, the tracklist remains unchanged; unavoidable issues persist, such as “Well All Right” and “Presence Of The Lord” fading in, and “Do What You Like” cutting out just before Ginger’s drum solo begins. Being a vintage master, it also contained a few minor flaws: overall pitch instability, dropouts around the 0:10 and 2:00 marks of “Well All Right,” and a tape break at the 3:54 mark. While the dropouts were beyond repair, we have adjusted the pitch, smoothed out the abrupt fade-ins and fade-outs, and mitigated the jarring effect of the tape break to make the recording easier to listen to—transforming it into a version that truly allows you to appreciate the high audio quality. This release represents an “upgrade of the upgrade,” refined by a professional engineer. To understand just how valuable this recording is, let’s look back at Clapton’s activities in 1969: • March 18–19, 1969: Appeared in “Super Show,” a jazz-rock crossover session filmed in Staines, just outside London. • February–May 1969: Recorded the debut Blind Faith album in London. • June 7, 1969: Blind Faith’s debut concert held in London’s Hyde Park. • June 12–19, 1969: Scandinavian tour. • July 11–August 24, 1969: US tour ←★Here★ ≪During this period, on August 1, 1969, the album *Blind Faith* was released.≫ • September 13, 1969: Performed as a member of the Plastic Ono Band—formed by John Lennon—at the Rock and Roll Revival Festival at Varsity Stadium in Toronto. • November 20–29, 1969: German tour as a member of Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. • December 1–15, 1969: UK tour as a member of Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. That year was a tumultuous one for Clapton. He had moved to form a new band, building on sessions with Steve Winwood that began early in the year, but Ginger Baker muscled his way in, insisting on joining. After Rick Grech was recommended as the bassist by the production team, the band took shape and recorded an album. Things were going well up to that point, but despite a lack of sufficient material, a schedule ranging from the debut concert to an extensive US tour was booked without his full consent; while carrying out the tour in a state of bewilderment, Clapton finally snapped. The band—which had recruited Delaney & Bonnie as the opening act—fell apart at the end of the tour, largely because the members became so captivated by the duo that they began aligning themselves with them; Clapton, in particular, grew even closer to Delaney & Bonnie and ended up joining their band. Such a whirlwind of events unfolded over the course of just one year. If you look at the situation from the middle of the year—when a British supergroup featuring Clapton (who had already established worldwide fame with Cream) made a spectacular debut—by the year’s end, he had found a new place as a sideman for an obscure “LA Swamp” band from America. While this dramatic transformation clearly had a profound impact on Clapton’s subsequent career, the performance captured on this recording represents one of those pivotal moments that truly resonated with him during that turbulent time. The setlist was notably short, reflecting a lack of material (it even included “Means to an End,” a song by Winwood’s previous band, Traffic). They had only released one album. Clapton’s motivation was steadily declining as he was forced into a grueling, long-term tour with a bassist with whom he had little musical rapport; his association with Delaney & Bonnie was the only thing keeping him going. Yet, even with his motivation flagging, Clapton’s professionalism and musicianship shine through. Be sure to listen to the regular set, where he plays with incredible intensity throughout. A rare highlight occurs during the second chorus of “Presence of the Lord”: Winwood does not sing, and Clapton plays the vocal melody as a solo on his guitar (in addition to the standard instrumental solo in the middle). This likely happened for one of two reasons: either Clapton accidentally played the chords leading into the bridge at the end of the first chorus—causing Winwood to misinterpret the song’s progression and skip the vocal—or Winwood’s vocal microphone malfunctioned. Regardless of the cause, the result was a rare moment where Clapton played a solo over the vocal section. In a sense, this is a moment where you can truly appreciate the brilliance of Clapton’s phrasing. Also, on “Sea Of Joy,” you can hear Rick Grech’s signature electric violin solo, just as on the studio version. Listening to this release with its superb sound quality will likely change your perception of Blind Faith. Previously, the “Big Four” live recordings reigned supreme: 1) the Hyde Park soundboard source, 2) the Gothenburg, Sweden audience source, 3) the Santa Barbara audience source from the end of the US tour, and 4) the Midwest Rock Festival (Wisconsin) audience source. Now, a new chapter has been added to that history. The Oakland performance—once difficult to listen to due to mediocre sound quality—has been elevated to the ranks of these excellent recordings, effectively creating a “Big Five.” An overseas taper provided an incredible master of a recording that was on the verge of being forgotten, allowing for this release in the best possible form. Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, CA, USA – August 14, 1969 – TRULY AMAZING/PERFECT SOUND UPGRADE!!! (31:57) 1. Well All Right ★The drop-out around the 0:10 / 2:00 mark was unavoidable. ★The tape cut at 3:54 has been treated to minimize the jarring effect. 2. Presence Of The Lord 3. Sea Of Joy 4. Means To An End 5. Do What You Like Eric Clapton – guitar, vocals Steve Winwood – keyboard, guitar, vocals Rick Grech – bass, violin Ginger Baker – drums