Eric Clapton/Tokyo,Japan 11.1.1975 Unreleased Master

Eric Clapton’s 1975 Japan tour unearthed new unreleased original master! We have unearthed the wonderful sound source of the first day of Eric Clapton’s 1975 Japan tour Osaka performance for the first time in 44 years and released it as “Osaka 1975 1st Night” (4CD). As a result, customers who ordered it were happy to know the full picture of the first day’s performance, which they had only been able to know in fragments until now, and how Clapton was “sharp” from the first day of that year. Prior to that, in 2015, we unearthed a new sound source of the first day of the Tokyo performance of that year for the first time in 40 years and released it as “Budokan 1975 1st Night” (2CD). We have also released the excellent original sound source of the final performance in Tokyo the next day as “Lord Have Mercy” (2CD). As expected, everyone thought, “There will be no new masters, well, this is enough,” but on November 1, 1975, our shop unearthed a new audience recording master for the first day of the Tokyo performance! The provider was the recorder of the Jeff Beck Korakuen performance “WORLD ROCK FESTIVAL EASTLAND: DEFINITIVE MASTER” of the same year, which was released the other day and was described as the definitive version of that day. We received this Beck master, and when the mastering settled down, it was a SONY C120HF cassette tape that was issued by chance saying, “There is also Clapton of this year.” Now, let’s check the dates of this Japan tour again (“←” is the title of the release from our shop). October 22, 1975 – Osaka Festival Hall ← “Osaka 1975 1st Night (4CD)” October 23, 1975 – Osaka Festival Hall ← “Osaka 1975 2nd Night (2CD)” October 24, 1975 – Kyoto Kaikan First Hall October 27, 1975 – Kitakyushu City General Gymnasium October 29, 1975 – Shizuoka Prefecture Sunpu Kaikan November 1, 1975 – Nippon Budokan ← [This work], “Budokan 1975 1st Night (2CD)” November 2, 1975 – Nippon Budokan ← “Lord Have Mercy (2CD)” This day is already the definitive version of “Budokan 1975 1st Night (2CD) exists, and the master of this work did not surpass that sound quality. This was due to the atmosphere, realism, and airiness of the day contained in the master cassette. Of course, it was also assumed that the sound quality was clear and wide, and the sound balance was good, even though it was a mono recording. Compared to the previously released version, the excitement of the audience from the opening captured in this master is “strange” unlike other works. There were about seven young men and women around the recorder, who were probably his friends, and the excitement of the conversation while waiting for the show to start, the elation when Clapton appeared with the band members, the response to the announcement of the opening of the show by the staff of Udo Music Office, the word “Telecaster!” shouted by a man just before the first song, Layla, started. The hysterical cry of “Eric!” by a young woman, as if she was directing it at a Johnny’s idol. A completely different reaction from the current Budokan welcoming Clapton, who has reached a state of numbness, was happening at the Budokan on November 1, 1975. That’s because Clapton was only 30 years old at the time. When Clapton appeared, he had the appearance of a rock musician, with long hair that hung over his shoulders, a handsome face, a slim body and long legs. He was a cool superstar from any angle. Furthermore, he made his first miraculous visit to Japan the previous year, and was ranked number one in the guitarist category in the music magazine Music Life’s popularity poll that year, so this was his second visit to Japan. And in response to the support of such an audience, Clapton played his guitar in a complete change from the previous year and gave a wonderful performance. The mood of the Budokan at that time is packed here in detail. Depending on how you look at it, you might think, “Isn’t that just because there’s a lot of audience noise?” Certainly, this mood is a reflection of the state of the audience around the recorder, but it’s strange that he doesn’t feel uncomfortable about it. Rather, it is a master that is valuable as a record document in a sense, making you feel like you are experiencing the peak of rock guitarist Eric Clapton’s popularity at the Budokan, making you think, “Oh, I wish I was in this too.” Since it was a tour that brought Layla to the opening, the excitement is tremendous. The reason why George Terry, who plays the famous seven-phrase here, is off is because the PA output adjustment on the day was not done well, which can be said for the already released board. The engineer at the console desk must have been flustered by the musical sound that suddenly explodes in this popular song. The band sound is finally established in the second song. That’s how shocking the opening was. Clapton used a blonde-finished Telecaster that he purchased new at the time throughout the entire song. He makes full use of long tones with a slightly fat and glossy tone, and expresses a sense of scale with a relaxed and laid-back play. He seemed to be in a good mood, and when he announced the name of the song before Badge, he made the audience laugh by making them wait. Before I Shot The Sheriff, Clapton announced, “Can I smoke here? How about it?” and lit a cigarette. He probably put it in the head of his guitar, and the next moment the venue was filled with cheers. It was no wonder, as it was a famous scene of Clapton that was also seen in the “Concert for Bangladesh”. The audience was also excited when the two female vocalists Yvonne Elliman and Marcy Levy (who Clapton introduced as “Levy” at that time) were featured. As they were listening, a man who saw Elliman holding an electric guitar blurted out, “Isn’t that Eric’s guitar?” As expected, Elliman borrowed Clapton’s Blackie to play at this time. Marcie mistakenly thought that all Japanese greetings were standard when calling on the phone, so she called out “Hello!” as her first response, putting the venue in a rather awkward mood. This was also interesting, and it was a scene that showed her sincerity as she tried to please the Japanese audience somehow. Unfortunately, the last 7 minutes were not included in this unreleased master, but we have supplemented it from the existing version so that you can enjoy it as a complete recording. 44 years ago, Clapton’s second visit to Japan, at the peak of his popularity, the audience who welcomed him with such a big welcome, and Clapton who showed off his sharp play in response. Live at Budokan, Tokyo, Japan 1st November 1975 TRULY AMAZING SOUND (from Original Masters) Disc 1 (71:34) 1. Intro ★0:48 Pause ★Longer than previously released 2. Layla 3. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door 4. Key To The Highway 5. Badge 6. Can’t Find My Way Home 7. Further On Up The Road ★9:53 – 10:22 Supplement 8. I Shot The Sheriff Disc 2 (56:44) 1. MC 2. Teach Me To Be Your Woman 3. Have You Ever Loved A Woman ★No missing songs up to the next one (about 30 seconds longer than previously released) 4. Tell The Truth 5. Eyesight To The Blind ★9:53 – Supplement until the end 6. Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad ★All previously released Eric Clapton : Guitar & Vocals George Terry : Guitar Carl Radle : Bass Dick Sims : Keyboards Jamie Oldaker : Drums Yvonne Elliman : Backing Vocals Marcy Levy : Backing Vocals