Eric Clapton/CA,USA 2.9.1983 Complete

Completely unreleased superb stereo audience source unearthed over 38 years! From Eric Clapton’s 1983 US tour, the complete recording source of the best stereo audience recording of the Long Beach performance on February 9th, which had been completely unreleased until now, suddenly saw the light of day! I don’t know why something that was dormant for 38 years was released now, but the quality of it was of a level that could be called “excellent” even in modern times, so it was shocking. It was amazing. According to the recorder’s information, they used two microphones from Sennheiser, a legendary microphone manufacturer, and recorded in stereo onto a TDK metal cassette tape using a Sony cassette deck D5M. The recording position was the front section of the Long Beach Arena, right in the middle of the 18th row from the front row, and as a result, even in this era when there were no DATs or IC recorders, recordings with such high sound quality were possible. is. Since it was such a high-quality master, the only things we corrected at our shop were to normalize the slightly slow pitch and to slightly increase the sound pressure. Anyway, the clearness and sound balance are impeccable, and the audience’s cheers are just right. It’s a great quality that puts even Mike Millard to shame. The best sound source that suddenly appeared after 38 years. Rock fans will not be able to overlook this as it is something that will satisfy not only core Clapton enthusiasts but also general listeners. In terms of content, it captures the U.S. tour that started at the same time as the release of the new album “MONEY AND CIGARETTES” at the time, and as a representative work of this tour that featured hot numbers from the same album, the title quickly rose to the top. I did. Now, let’s look back on Clapton’s activity history this year. [Exciting stage where you can listen to the drumming of master Roger Hawkins, who was replaced at the beginning of the tour] <<February 1, 1983: Album “MONEY AND CIGARETTES” released>> February 1 to March 3, 1983: U.S. tour, First Leg　←★Coco★・April 8, 1983 to May 23, 1983: European tour including the UK・June 5, 1983: Appeared in a charity show in London・June 24, 1983: Performed in London・June 25th – July 17th, 1983: US tour second leg ・September 20th and 21st, 1983: “ARMS” concert at Royal Albert Hall, London Open November 28, 1983 – December 9, 1983: “ARMS US Tour” 1983 was a year of very energetic activities for Clapton, who began to overcome his alcoholism. It can be said that the driving force behind this was his satisfaction with his ambitious work “MONEY AND CIGARETTES”. The first leg of this year’s U.S. tour, which showed that Clapton was alive and well, was the first leg of this album’s US tour, but this album has additional value in addition to being the first sound source released in Japan. The band members who supported the tour included all the session men who had collaborated on “MONEY AND CIGARETTES” with the addition of Chris Stinton (keyboards), but for some reason Roger Hawkins on drums was the only one who appeared on the tour at the 11th show. I had an accident where I suddenly left the band. So, I suddenly asked my old friend, Tulsa Tops drummer Jamie Oldacre, for help, and that’s how I got through the rest of the tour. Speaking of Roger Hawkins, he is an important session man of Muscle Shoals and a drummer who is highly regarded as a master. In the early 70’s, Steve Winwood asked him to support Traffic’s album and European tour. The tour started with such high spirits, but I never expected that such a situation would occur at the beginning of the tour. However, the stage included in this edition was the 7th performance of the tour. In other words, it was a performance that Hawkins was still hitting with great enthusiasm. Hawkins here has a strong drumming that does not make you feel the slightest sign of withdrawal, and the original appearance of the tour that was supposed to proceed in this form is clearly captured. They suddenly started with the high-tension After Midnight, and performed three songs from the new album: Crazy Country Hop, Slow Down Linda, and I’ve Got A Rock ‘N Roll Heart. As the tour progressed, new songs were gradually dropped from the set list, so the only time Hawkins performed as many as three songs was at the beginning of the U.S. tour, when Hawkins was participating. Therefore, the new song that was played only at the beginning of this tour can be said to be a very valuable live take. At this time, Clapton was concerned about how the audience would receive the new songs, as it was his first tour with a band formed by talented American and British session musicians after disbanding his all-British band. It can be seen that it was. On the other hand, Clapton’s confidence was rising on this stage. This was also the time when the combination with Albert Lee, the guitarist who had supported Clapton since 1979, was at its most brilliant. Therefore, Clapton himself later recalled that “The most exciting second guitarist was Albert Lee.” That area is also clearly captured with this superb sound quality. What you can hear on this album is not only numbers from “MONEY AND CIGARETTES” but also blues medleys and representative songs such as Let It Rain, Cocaine, and Layla. Just by listening to Clapton’s solo in Worried Life Blues at the beginning, you can feel his good performance and motivation on this day. Since then, Clapton’s play, fueled by Roger Hawkins’ tight drumming, is amazing. A complete recording of the previously unreleased day, which appeared after 38 years, with incredible stereo sound quality. And, in Clapton’s career, Roger Hawkins participated as the only tour drummer, a super valuable first appearance sound source of a really short period. Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA, USA 9th February 1983 ULTIMATE SOUND Disc 1 (38:41) 1. Intro 2. After Midnight 3. I Shot The Sheriff 4. Worried Life Blues 5. Crazy Country Hop 6. Slow Down Linda 7. Sweet Little Lisa 8. Key To The Highway Disc 2 (57:57) 1. Tulsa Time 2. I’ve Got A Rock ‘N’ Roll Heart 3. Wonderful Tonight 4. Blues Power 5. Blues Medley Who’s Loving You Tonight Have You Ever Loved A Woman Rambling On My Mind 6. Let It Rain 7. Cocaine 8. Layla 9. Band introductions 10. Further On Up The Road Eric Clapton – guitar / vocals Albert Lee – guitar / vocals Chris Stainton – keyboards Donald “Duck” Dunn – bass Roger Hawkins – drums