Eric Clapton/SC,USA 1978

Two more treasured live recordings of Eric Clapton will be released. The two works will be released at once, but the master provider for both works is Taper, a heavyweight living in the UK whom we trust, and both works are completely released for the first time, and can be said to be shocking masters. One of them, this board, is a mono soundboard recording with good sound balance from the two-month “Slowhand US Tour” in the spring of 1978, recorded in Charlotte, North Carolina on March 24th, in the middle of the tour. This sound source was originally recorded for checking at the mixing desk of the concert venue, called PA out, and there was a previously released version released under the title “WORLD TOUR 1978” by the EC Rarities label. However, it was rated “SB4” (originally SB should be 5 or 6) on the Clapton bootleg evaluation site Geetarz, which had a lot of hiss noise and rough sound quality for a soundboard, and was rated moderately. It was probably copied through generations. However, the master of the heavyweight captured in this board has much better sound quality than the already released board, and the already released board had a fade-out at the end, and Cocaine, which was not completely recorded, was a surprising first appearance master that was completely recorded until the end (The fade-in of The Core remains unchanged). However, the heavyweight tape was also damaged by aging. At the beginning of both sides of the tape, the pitch was about 40% lower than the semitone, then it settled at about 20% lower in about 3 minutes, and after that it was stable at about 20% lower. Our professional engineer used his usual skills and perfectly corrected the pitch. Furthermore, the high sound quality was maintained, and the overall sound pressure was increased to increase the power. This means that we can provide the heavyweight master in the best condition. Now, let’s review the topics of this year to see how this US tour was positioned in Clapton’s activities. <<November 1, 1977: Release of the album “SLOWHAND”>>・February 1 – April 19, 1978: US tour ←★Here★・June 23, 1978: Appeared at a festival in Rotterdam, Holland with the Bob Dylan Band・July 1 – 15, 1978: Short European tour (including a festival appearance with Bob Dylan) <<August – September 1978: Recording of the album “BACKLESS”>>The album “SLOWHAND” was released on November 1 of the previous year, and the first single, “Lay Down Sally c/w Cocaine,” was a huge hit that reached No. 2 on the US singles chart, and the album itself was a huge hit, reaching No. 2 on the US album chart. The promotional tour was driven by that momentum. At this point, Yvonne Elliman, who participated in the album, left the band to pursue a solo career, and Marcy Levy was the only female member. Considering that it was a long tour of more than two months with this lineup, it can be said that this was Clapton’s turning point. After that, the tour continued intermittently, but it ended in July, and Clapton immediately began recording his next album, “BACKLESS”. In that sense, by the time this tour started, American fans had already purchased the album, “SLOWHAND” was a big hit, and they were looking forward to performing the song live. Therefore, for Clapton, it was more of a “thank you for the big hit” tour than an “album promotion”. And the Charlotte performance was the middle of this very welcome tour. From this tour, the stereo soundboard recordings of the Santa Monica performances on February 11th and 12th, broadcast on the American FM live program “King’s Biscuit Flower Hour,” are famous and have also been bootlegged, but the set list and song order are slightly different from those. In Cocaine, which was the first complete recording, he played the longest solo in history (he switched to wah-wah play halfway through), and the ending is a fresh ending unique to the early days, far from the now-standard ending of the audience singing along (even after singing the last chorus, Clapton still sings the title call by himself). Clapton plays the whole song, but for some reason he leaves the postlude of Layla to George Terry (as he did at the Santa Monica performance). After this, Clapton fired Terry (and Marcy) and became a four-piece band, so perhaps he had already decided on that policy at this point, and his solo feature on Layla was his farewell to Terry. Here is Clapton, with his guitar and vocals in top form. Bottle Of Red Wine is not as mischievous as Santa Monica. It was a fulfilling day with a low alcohol content and a proper performance. This is the main album of the “Slow Hand Tour” listened to by the upgraded master. Live at Memorial Coliseum, Charlotte, NC. USA 24th March 1978 SBD(from Original Masters) Disc 1 (43:44) 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 (44:47) 1. Double Trouble 2. Badge 3 Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out 4. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door 5. Key To The Highway 6. Layla 7. Bottle Of Red Wine Eric Clapton – Guitar, Vocals George Terry – Guitar Dick Sims – Keyboards Carl Radle – Bass Jamie Oldaker – Drums Marcy Levy – Backing Vocals SOUNDBOARD RECORDING