Eric Clapton/France 1987

A complete recording of the Paris, France performance on January 18th, which was the 11th performance from the “August Europe Tour” that started after the series of performances at the Royal Albert Hall in early 1987, with a good stereo audience recording. is. In the previous year, he had released his ambitious work “AUGUST”, and during the tour, he changed his backing band to Blackmen, so he retired the “Blackie” Strat that he had been using for the past 11 years and replaced it with a new Fender Strat. This was also the tour where I started using the Sing Nature model prototype that I received (I used a custom Strat with a Ferrari red finish on this tour). It was a tour where Clapton showed a new frontier, playing with an edgy tone rather than a withered vintage sound like Blackie, but here he was in the world’s rock world with the then big hit album “BROTHERS IN ARMS”. Mark Knopfler, the leader and guitarist of the band Dire Straits, who was at the peak of his career, joined the band as a friendship, which attracted a lot of attention. Knopfler participates throughout the entire stage, adding delicate obbligato to each song, and is also featured in solos, coloring Clapton’s songs in a disgusting way. The relationship between the two continued for a long time after this, and it can be said that this tour was one in which they were convinced that their playing tastes matched. The set list has also changed drastically since 1985, and the stage that starts with the classic song Crossroads with a roaring force is fresh. Four numbers from the then-new work “August” are set in, and traditional representative songs will also be played while retaining its black contemporary color. The impression of this stage can be summed up in one word: sharpness. I had never heard Clapton play so sharply before. In particular, the playability on “Tearing Us Apart” is amazing. The excitement of the audience who witnessed this has reached its peak. Also, in “Badge”, he plays a fairly long solo in the intro before singing, and this pattern is extremely rare in live performances of the same song. And in response to Knopfler’s friendship, he also shows Clapton’s character by featuring him in his big hit song Money For Nothing. The encore, in which all members perform solos, is also worth listening to. After all, I get the impression that Clapton shines even more when he is stimulated by the second guitarist. The audience in Paris was also very excited. Why not experience Clapton’s greatness with this disc that clearly captures such a stage? Live at Le Zenith, Paris, France 18th January 1987 PERFECT SOUND Disc 1(59:40) 1. Crossroads 2. White Room 3. I Shot The Sheriff 4. Hung Up On Your Love 5. Wonderful Tonight 6. Miss You 7. Same Old Blues 8. Tearing Us Apart 9. Holy Mother Disc 2(48:07) 1. Badge 2. Let It Rain 3. Cocaine 4. Layla 5. Money For Nothing 6. Sunshine Of Your Love 7. Further On Up The Road Eric Clapton – guitar / vocals Mark Knopfler – guitar Greg Phillinganes – keyboards Nathan East – bass Steve Ferrone – drums