Eric Clapton/Canada 1974

This week, we will release the first public live recording of the British veteran Taper! 43 years ago. The veteran provided us with the first generation master of the mono soundboard source of the Montreal, Canada performance on July 9th from the US tour that year, which came back from a three-year retirement. This mono soundboard source was also recorded as a PA out at the concert venue and was previously released in a bootleg of a Japanese-made 6CD box called “SMILE 1974”. The master this time boasts outstanding clarity and sound balance with improved sound quality (the sound jump during the song Steady Rollin’ Man and the incomplete recording of Crossroads and Blues Power are the same as before). However, this master also had problems due to aging. The first half of Disc 1 was about 50% of a semitone higher in pitch, and the second half of Disc 2 was about 30% of a semitone higher in pitch. Furthermore, the pitch became randomly unstable for about 40 seconds from around the 2-minute mark of Layla. The master tape, which was in an almost random state of pitch deviation, was once again perfectly corrected by our professional engineer with a brilliant skill. In addition, the tingling sensation that continues for a while from the beginning of Crossroads has been reduced. In addition, the sound pressure has been increased while maintaining the high sound quality to increase the impact. So please rest assured. This is the main board that allows you to correctly understand and enjoy this Montreal performance, including those who have already released a board with a pitch deviation. Now, let’s take a look at how the performance of this day was positioned in this 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: 2nd US tour ・October 31st to November 6th, 1974: First Japan tour ・November 27th to December 5th, 1974: European tour As you can see, these performances were the early dates of the US comeback tour that began in June of that year. After the warm-up gig, Clapton regained his confidence on the live stage, and in order to ease his tension, he went on this US tour while drunk. Although the influence of this was felt somewhat in the MC on this day, he generally took the vocals properly and showed accurate and smooth guitar playing. His confidence can also be seen in the fact that he suddenly brought Layla to the song order after the acoustic set at the beginning (Clapton was not aware of the popularity and importance of this song at the time). And the solo in the latter half of the song, Have You Ever Loved A Woman, is also amazing! Listening to it like this, the solo in Presence Of The Lord, which starts from the bridge section in an irregular way, is also very sharp, and the emotional solo in Little Wing does not make you feel the three-year gap at all. In addition, it is a stage where you can see that Clapton was quite “motivated” on this day, such as the live performance of Mean Old World, which he jammed with Duane Allman in Miami on “Layla Sessions”. This is the upgrade master of a high-quality performance that we would like to deliver to those enthusiasts who have been waiting for the previous release due to the large volume. This release will be delivered as the definitive version of the 1974 Montreal performance, which has eliminated many of the inherent shortcomings. Live at the Forum, Montreal, QC. Canada 9th July 1974 SBD(from Original Masters) Disc 1 (45:43) 1. Intro. 2. Smile 3. Easy Now 4. Let It Grow 5. Layla 6. Have You Ever Loved A Woman 7. Let It Rain 8. Willie And The Hand Jive 9. Get Ready Disc:2 (47:34) 1. Presence Of The Lord 2. Badge 3. Steady Rollin’ Man 4. Crossroads 5. Mean Old World 6. Little Wing 7. Little Queenie 8. Blues Power Eric Clapton – Guitar, Vocals George Terry – Guitar Dicks Sims – Keyboards Carl Radle – Bass Jamie Oldaker – Drums Yvonne Elliman – Backing Vocals SOUNDBOARD RECORDING