Eric Clapton Eric Clapton/NY,USA 10.9.1994 DAT Master

The second release of the first sound source of the “Nothin’ But The Blues Arena Tour”, one of the peaks of Clapton’s entire career! Recently, “IRVING PLAZA 1994 3RD NIGHT: DAT MASTER (2CD)” became a sensational topic as the appearance of the original master that perfectly cleared the defects of the previous board. It has been very well received as the definitive version of the superb stereo audience recording of the third day of the Irving Plaza performance in New York City on November 28, 1994 from the “Nothin’ But The Blues Club Tour” in 1994, when Clapton returned to the origin of his career and toured small clubs for a short period of time. This time, Taper, who provided the master, has brought us another astonishing DAT master! Following the master of the wonderful stereo audience recording of the first day of the performance at Madison Square Garden in New York on October 8th from the “Nothin’ But the Blues Arena Tour” carried out as the prelude to the club tour, this is the DAT master of the second day of the performance at Madison Square Garden on October 9th, recorded by the same person. As with the first day’s sound source, the sound image differs from the club due to the difference in the venue’s capacity and spatial structure, but this master is also a high-quality master recorded in stereo with high sound quality like the first day. The sound image is almost the same as the first day. Since it is an arena tour compared to a club tour, this work is a first-class audience recording that can be assumed to have been recorded in a good position in the arena seats at a venue where you can listen to a normal arena concert. As for the already released board of this day, like the first day, there was a nearly privately made boot that was distributed only in some parts of overseas, but this is probably not coming to Japan. This work will allow Japanese Clapton fans to listen to the sound source of this day for the first time. The appearance of the first and second day, the first appearance of the excellent master in Japan, is good news for Clapton fans and blues fans. The sound quality of this work can be described in one word as “very beautiful recording”. The musical sounds on the stage are captured clearly and in a well-balanced way, including the airy feeling. If the definitive version of the club tour is the three-part “IRVING PLAZA 1994” released by our store, the definitive version of the arena tour is the “Madison Square Garden 1994” series. The official release movie and its soundtrack CD “Nothin’ but the Blues” by director Martin Scorsese, which was produced based on this tour, captured the club tour, and due to Scorsese’s intention, the video was recorded in a different form from the actual song order in the composition of the video, and considering that it was not a complete recording of the concert and that the venue was a club, this work of the arena tour, which stirred up the emotions of a larger audience, is also very worth listening to, just like “IRVING PLAZA 1994”. The “Nothin’ But the Blues Tour” held in 1994-1995 was described as the tour in Clapton’s career where he sang and played like a god in every performance. This tour took two years to complete, and he played and sang at every performance without any slacking. It was a stage where he took on the challenge of blues while being relaxed and relaxed. It was a tour that showed his “determination” to answer the question of what “blues” is. Why did Clapton return to blues? To answer this, we have to trace his sad life. In March 1991, Clapton lost his young son in an accident and fell to the lowest point of his life. However, encouraged by his staff and fellow musicians, Clapton turned his feelings for his late son and his own life reflections into songwriting, which became a cathartic experience. And at the first performance on MTV’s “Unplugged,” Clapton also played the blues, which he had been longing to play since his childhood. Having once again touched the essence of blues, Clapton decided to hold a concert with a set list of only blues songs at the Royal Albert Hall’s annual early concerts in 1993, even though he returned to regular tours. He then went ahead and recorded the long-awaited blues-only album “FROM THE CRADLE,” which he had not been able to do when he was younger. Even before that, Clapton had approached his contracted label Warner about producing a blues album, but was turned down, saying, “There’s no way something like that will sell.” However, the album “UNPLUGGED” was an unprecedented hit, and Warner’s attitude softened, and they approved the production of a blues album as a bonus for Clapton, which also gave him a boost. And “FROM THE CRADLE” became a hit, following “UNPLUGGED,” and reached number one on the US album charts. American listeners also wanted Clapton’s blues. After the album “From the Cradle” was released, Clapton decided to pursue blues on the live stage. With this momentum, Clapton planned the “Nothin’ But the Blues Tour”, where he would only play blues on the live stage. In this work, there is a scene where Clapton himself talks about the purpose of this concert after the opening number. At the lowest point of his mind after losing his young son, Clapton realized that it was the blues that guided him not to lose sight of himself. The “Nothin’ But the Blues Tour” was a return to the blues, in order to remember his childhood when he was fascinated by the blues and to express his gratitude to the blues and the predecessors who played it. It can be said that Clapton’s spirit in this tour was extraordinary. The whole album is full of high-tension and a great stage composition. Here is a recap of the Nothin’ But the Blues Tour dates: 1994 September 13th, “FROM THE CRADLE” released September 28th: ​​Tour rehearsals filmed at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. This was later broadcast in the US, Europe and Japan. October 3rd – November 4th: US Arena Tour ← [here] November 7th – November 28th: ​​US Club Tour 1995 February 15th – March 7th: UK Tour April 5th – May 5th: European Tour August 28th – September 24th: US Arena Tour II October 1st – October 13th: Japan Tour As you can see, October 9th, the date recorded in this album, was the beginning of the Nothin’ But the Blues Arena Tour. The set list was the same as the first day on the 8th, but Clapton is a live artist, and both days were completely improvised, so you can hear completely different solos even in the same songs. As the set transitioned from a sitting acoustic set to a standing electric set, Clapton and the band’s “heat” increased rapidly as the set progressed, and at the end, the performance was intense and passionate, like a fire, and the regular set ended when it reached its peak. At the end of the regular set, he sang solo with only the piano in the background, and the ending was an emotional performance by the entire band, and the audience was moved by the unexpected number Ain’t Nobody’s Business. In the first half, the performance was acoustic or with numbers composed of standard riffs, so it felt like a solid patterned performance, but in the numbers that featured guitar solos from the middle onwards, he piled up a wave of angry phrases that were completely improvised and unwavering, showing the essence of Clapton as a live artist. The elegant solos in the Freddie King Corner, played in three consecutive songs from Someday After A While, are also worth listening to. The playing at the end of Five Long Years is particularly amazing. I am amazed at how well his fingers can move. Moreover, it is not just a fast play, but a phrase unique to Clapton, with a spirit on it. The focus is on Born Under A Bad Sign, which was not performed on the club tour. That is why, along with Crosscut Saw, it can be said that this is a valuable take that allows you to see Clapton approaching Albert King. And Ain’t Nobody’s Business on this day is also great! This song was written in 1922 and has been covered by various singers, but Clapton’s version is based on a version sung by pre-war female blues singer Bessie Smith in 1923. Clapton sings indifferently about his unfortunate life, lamenting, “I don’t care if I’m penniless, I jump into the sea and commit suicide, but leave me alone.” But at the end, the whole band explodes with emotion. Is it a cry of desperation, or is Clapton encouraging the protagonist by saying, “Don’t give up on yourself. Take care of yourself.” His playing here is so amazing that it can be interpreted that way. On this tour, he played many blues songs that he had never recorded in a studio, but this song was particularly memorable. Considering that he brought it to the end of the regular set, Clapton must have had some intention behind it. Furthermore, on this arena tour, he had appointed his friend guitarist Jimmie Vaughan’s band as the opening act, so Sweet Home Chicago was played in the encore, with Vaughan joining in. This is a pleasure that was not available on the club tour, which did not have an opening act. Please enjoy it as one of the highlights of the arena tour. Also, on this tour, it was noteworthy that Clapton used as many as 10 guitars, the most number of guitars he had used on one stage in his career. This was because he respected the original blues artists and recordings and tried to produce the same sound. To summarize my preferences, they are: 1. Martin 12-string – Motherless Child 2. Martin 000-42 – Malted Milk 3. Dobro – How Long Blues 4. Gibson L5 – Kidman Blues, County Jail 5. Gibson Birdland (brown sunburst) – Forty Four 6. Fender Stratocaster (blonde finish) – Blues All Day Long, Going Away, Can’t Judge Nobody, Five Long Years, Born Under A Bad Sign, Groaning The Blues, Crossroads, Ain’t Nobody’s Business, Sweet Home Chicago 7. Fender Stratocaster (black finish) – Standin’ Around Cryin’ 8. Gibson Birdland (blonde finish) – It Hurts Me Too, Blues Before Sunrise 9. Gibson ES-335 (brown sunburst) – Reconsider Baby, Sinner’s Prayer 10. Gibson ES-335 (Cherry Red) – Someday After a While, Tore Down, Have a Go