Eric Clapton / MA, USA – April 5, 1978 – Soundboard Edition (Remastered)

A classic title, now remastered for even higher quality! The source material for this release comes from Wolfgang’s Vault—which holds the archives of the legendary promoter, the late Bill Graham—and features an official-grade stereo soundboard master with excellent channel separation. It captures the April 5, 1978, concert in Springfield, Massachusetts—held during the final leg of the two-month “Slowhand” US tour—in a well-balanced stereo soundboard recording. However, the uploaded source had flaws: cuts between several songs, a significant edit during “Double Trouble,” and the omission of the final encore, “Bottle of Red Wine” (the tape was essentially stopped immediately after each song). We previously patched these gaps using a high-quality audience recording master from the same show to create a realistic “pseudo-complete” version titled *Springfield 1978*, released in August 2018; it was highly acclaimed for its quality and eventually sold out. Due to constant requests for a reissue, we enlisted the renowned GRAF ZEPPELIN to handle the remastering, resulting in even better sound quality, and are now releasing this upgraded version of the classic title. By restoring the waveform—which originally appeared flat and compressed—to one with a wide dynamic range, the soundstage has gained greater depth and dimension. Furthermore, GRAF ZEPPELIN expertly removed the hum noise from the audience-sourced encore, “Bottle of Red Wine,” making it much more pleasant to listen to. The content is now even more perfect; we invite not only those who missed out on the original *Springfield 1978* but also those who already own it to look forward to this release, which offers a distinctively superior listening experience. Let us now review the key events of that year and the significance of this US tour within Clapton’s career. ≪November 1, 1977: Album *Slowhand* released≫ • February 1 – April 19, 1978: US Tour ←★Here★ • June 23, 1978: Performed at a festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands, alongside Bob Dylan’s band • July 1 – July 15, 1978: Short European tour (including the festival appearance with Bob Dylan) ≪August–September 1978: Recording of the album *Backless*≫ A highlight of this tour was the setlist, which evolved from the earlier leg! The album *Slowhand*, released the previous November, had gained massive momentum thanks to its first single—”Lay Down Sally” (backed with “Cocaine”)—climbing to number two on the US singles chart; the album itself also became a major hit, peaking at number two on the US albums chart. This US tour served as the promotional campaign capitalizing on that success. By this stage, Yvonne Elliman—who had contributed to the album—had left the band to pursue a solo career, leaving Marcy Levy as the sole female member. Given that this was an extensive tour lasting over two months with this lineup, it was clearly a pivotal moment for Clapton. Marcy played a vital role, adding subtle acoustic guitar textures to “Peaches and Diesel” and the outro of “Layla,” and showcasing her signature blues harp skills on “Key to the Highway.” Although touring continued intermittently afterward, it concluded in July, and Clapton immediately began recording his next album, *Backless*. In this context, American fans had already purchased the album and made *Slowhand* a smash hit by the time the tour began; they were eagerly anticipating live performances of its songs. Consequently, for Clapton, the tour took on the character of a “thank-you tour” for a massive hit rather than merely a standard album promotion run. This Springfield concert took place during the final leg of the tour—a tour that was met with great acclaim. While the stereo soundboard recordings from the Santa Monica shows on February 11 and 12 (broadcast on the US FM program *King Biscuit Flower Hour*) are famous and have been widely bootlegged, this release features a different setlist and song order. You can hear how Clapton’s style evolved as the tour progressed. He is in top form right from the opening number, “The Core.” Although Clapton was sometimes criticized at the time for going “soft” due to a shift toward a country sound, listening to this performance proves that “Clapton is still Clapton” through and through. A string of mellower tracks follows, but then the energy explodes again with “Cocaine.” What’s surprising is the contrast with the Santa Monica show: on February 11, the audience didn’t sing along to the chorus, and the song ended somewhat anticlimactically; here, however, the crowd joins in for a massive sing-along during the chorus—so much so that Clapton thanks them after the song ends. The wah-wah solo in the middle is superb, too. Clapton is truly tearing it up on the heavier tracks and blues numbers tonight. During the latter part of “Double Trouble,” he hums along to the riff he’s playing—a clear sign that he’s really in the groove. And while he left the outro solo of “Layla” to George Terry in Santa Monica, tonight he handles the second half of the solo himself, unleashing a barrage of aggressive phrases. This is the Clapton we love! In that sense, this show might actually be far superior to the famous Santa Monica performance. It is also quite rare to hear him use a wah-wah pedal for the solo on the encore, “Bottle of Red Wine.” This release is a high-quality, complete edition capturing a fantastic show from the final stretch of the “Slowhand” tour. A remastered version of *SPRINGFIELD 1978* (2CD)! Restored the audio from a compressed waveform to one with a full dynamic range; removed the hum noise from “Bottle Of Red Wine.” Civic Center, Springfield, MA, USA – April 5, 1978 – STEREO SBD UPGRADE!!! Disc 1 (44:47) 1. The Core 2. Worried Life Blues 3. Peaches and Diesel 4. Wonderful Tonight 5. Lay Down Sally 6. Rodeo Man 7. Fool’s Paradise 8. Cocaine Disc 2 (54:32) 1. Double Trouble 2. Badge 3. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out 4. Let It Rain 5. Key To The Highway 6. Layla 7. Bottle Of Red Wine STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING Eric Clapton – guitar, vocals George Terry – guitar Carl Radle – bass Dick Sims – keyboards Jamie Oldaker – drums Marcy Levy – vocals, guitar, harp