Eric Clapton/AL, USA 1974

The nostalgic Zeppelin “LIVE IN JAPAN 1972” project was very popular, but we will also deliver a new project of the nostalgic prestigious Clapton label “E.C. Is Here”. Do you remember the 3-disc title “Three Smiles”, which includes high-quality soundboard recordings of Clapton’s 1974 North American tour, 7/2 Chicago, 7/28 Memphis, and 7/29 Birmingham performances? This edition is a limited edition title that features the original jacket on the disc (DJ Copy 157) of the July 29 performance in Birmingham, Alabama, which corresponds to disc 3 of the set. In particular, there is no “Disc 3” notation on the disc, so this is a collector’s title that allows you to enjoy the beautiful and wonderful soundboard of the Birmingham performance on its own. From the first leg of the 1974 comeback US tour, this is a soundboard recording of the regular set parts other than the encore at the Birmingham, Alabama performance held on July 29th at the end of the tour. This sound board source was recorded as a PA out for the engineer’s check at the concert venue, and this source is a monaural sound board recording. As mentioned above, this is the source that appeared on EC IS HERE’s masterpiece “Three Smiles”. With this work, you can enjoy the historical sound source with the sound as it was when it was originally released. You can understand how the appearance of this sound source was a shock to the maniacs at the time. It is such an excellent sound board sound source. Clapton’s voice on this day was a little rough, probably due to the fatigue of the tour and the influence of alcohol, but it can be said that the quality of his play was quite high. Here, let’s take a look at how this day’s performance was positioned in Clapton’s comeback year.・June 19th and 20th, 1974: Warm-up gig in Scandinavia for US comeback tour ・June 28th, 1974 – August 4th: US tour ←★Here★ ≪August 5th, 1974 : Album “461 OCEAN BOULEVARD” released≫ August-September 1974: Album “THERE’S ONE IN” EVERY CROWD” recorded in Miami ・September 28, 1974 – October 6: 2nd US tour ・October 31, 1974 – November 6: First Japan tour ・November 27, 1974 Sunday – December 5th: Short-term European tour As you can see from this table, this was the last date of the tour. At this time, Clapton was obviously tired as it was his first tour in a while, and you can hear that his voice was a little rough, but it was also the time when he felt the success of his comeback, and this gave him confidence. As you can see, the quality of play between Clapton and the band is high. Clapton’s drunkenness is also slightly suppressed, and his playing is very sharp. In the early acoustic number, you can clearly hear the beautiful sound of the Martin D-45 (Longworth), which was commonly used during this period. I was also surprised that the number immediately after switching to electric (Blackie) was Layla. It’s been almost a month since the tour started, but haven’t you realized the weight and popularity of this song yet? I think, but even in this number that appeared early, he plays a very sharp and unusual phrase (although the ending is cut short due to Clapton’s whims). Before Key To The Highway, Clapton’s voice can be heard telling the band the name of this song, but there was no set list sheet, indicating that Clapton had decided on the songs based on his mood. I will let you The band’s potential to respond to that demand is amazing. From here, Clapton and the band come into their own. In particular, in the post-performance of Badge, which was usually left to second guitar George Terry, on this day Clapton cut in from the middle and became a twin lead system. This guitar battle where sparks fly is amazing. In the one-chord jam part that follows Tell The Truth, the twin guitars let you hear an accidental ensemble. I thought it would pull it, but Clapton’s knockdown appears towards the ending. Before Let It Rain, Clapton announces, “This will be the last song today. I’m sorry.” And once again, he played it again in the postlude. I wish I could listen to the encore with this flow! I thought so, but since the sound could be confirmed using the PA output, and there were no problems, the recording would have been stopped at that point, so it can’t be helped. However, there is an exquisite balance between the many popular songs from Clapton’s career and the numbers from his blockbuster comeback work “461 OCEAN BOULEBARD”, and the sound source for this day is 1 CD “Delicious Place”. It can be said to be a representative good album from the 1974 tour. Legion Field, Birmingham, Al, USA 29th July 1974 1. Smile 2. Let it Grow 3. Layla 4. Willie and the Hand Jive 5. Get Ready 6. Key to the Highway 7. I Shot the Sheriff 8. Badge 9. Tell the Truth 10. Let it Rain Eric Clapton – Guitar / Vocals George Terry – Guitar Dicks Sims – Keyboards Carl Radle – Bass Jamie Oldaker – Drums Yvonne Elliman – Backing Vocals SOUNDBOARD RECORDING