Eric Clapton/UK 1979 Upgrade

This week we are releasing a treasured live recording from Eric Clapton’s first public master! The master is a very valuable and good mono audience source obtained directly from a familiar British heavyweight collector from a concert held on September 30, 1979 at Victoria Hall, Hanley, Staffordshire, England. However, by mastering by our well-known professional engineer, the pitch, which was about 35-40% lower, was perfectly adjusted, and the low range, which was a mass in terms of sound balance, and the high range, which was too strong, were adjusted to make it easier to listen to. This sound source itself was a different master and was previously distributed among tape traders, but it was only available in Europe and the United States, and Japanese fans were not able to hear it. However, with this release, we can finally hear the sound source from this precious period. Moreover, this is not the master as it is, but a further upgrade. Let’s look back chronologically at what significance this performance had this year.・March 4th-17th, 1979: Ireland tour ・March 28th-June 24th, 1979: Long-term US tour ・September 7th, 1979: First warm-up gig with an all-British band in Cranley, Surrey, England ・September 30th, 1979: Second warm-up gig in Hanley, Studfordshire, England ←★Here★ ・October 6th-29th, 1979: Eastern Europe and Middle East tour ・November 16th-December 6th, 1979: Far East and Japan tour No album was released this year. The reason was that “BACKLESS” had been released the previous year, and they needed to do a promotional tour with the band that recorded that album (the Tulsa Tops). However, After the tour with the Tulsa Tops from March to June, Clapton left only Albert Lee and fired all the other members who had been with him for six years. Then, in July and August, with the help of “BACKLESS” producer Glyn Johns, Clapton met with a British session man and liked the feeling, so he hired the musician in the band. Here, all the members were British, the first lineup since Blind Faith in 1969 was born. However, the session men’s ability on the live stage was unknown. Therefore, Clapton set up two warm-up gigs in September. On September 7th, the first live performance was held at a small hall in Clapton’s hometown, and on the 30th, the second gig was held at a theater-class venue to measure the band’s ability. That was the day recorded on this album. Clapton, who confirmed the band’s potential here, resumed the tour energetically. Even non-fans will know that the famous live album “JUST ONE NIGHT” was born from the Japan tour that took place during that tour. In other words, it was this concert that led to the birth of that famous live album. If you look at the set list, unlike “JUST ONE NIGHT,” four songs from the most recent album “BACKLESS” are included. And they play the rare song La La La, whose studio version has not yet been released. It is extremely rare, as there are almost no performances where you can hear this song. Furthermore, they do not play the popular song Layla, which can be said to be Clapton’s identity (although he revived it on the tour after this). The pattern of omitting this song from the concert was seen on the tour the following year, but it can be assumed that this was because Clapton himself was tired of doing it. This one song completely changes the appearance of the concert. In a good sense, it is an explosive song, but in a bad sense, Clapton himself noticed the phenomenon that the response of fans who come to the concert to hear this song was weak for other songs. However, it seems that they didn’t play Layla on this day for a different reason. The original version of the song Layla has a godlike power, so the musicians and bands who cover it need to have the appropriate power, feeling, and sense. It seems that Layla was omitted because the new band at this point had not yet reached a level that satisfied Clapton. Instead, you can hear a solid performance backed by the British temperament throughout the entire album. Their groove, which even plays blues with a snap, is full of charm that can only be heard at this time. This document of the early days of the all-British band, which captured the time when the new band was still feeling its way, including four songs that cannot be heard on “JUST ONE NIGHT,” reveals an important milestone in Clapton’s career. There were many heckling audiences, which was unusual for a performance in his hometown of England, and Clapton was somewhat influenced by this, such as missing the intro to Wonderful Tonight, which was fun. According to reviews from fans who saw the show that day, Clapton had shaved his beard cleanly and was looking stylish in a dark blue suit. It seems that he was full of enthusiasm for starting out with his new band. This is the first public release of this precious period, which is presumably kept secret only by a few overseas collectors, and is an upgraded version exclusive to our store. Live at Victoria Hall, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UK 30th September 1979 TRULY AMAZING SOUND(From Original Masters) Disc 1 (49:25) 1. Intro 2. Badge 3. Worried Life Blues 4. If I Don’t Be There By Morning 5. Tulsa Time 6. Early In The Morninig 7. Watch Out For Lucy 8. Wonderful Tonight 9. Setting Me Up ( feat. Albert Lee) 10. La La La 11. Lay Down Sally Disc 2 (52:15) 1. All Our Past Times 2. Double Trouble 3. After Midnight 4. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door 5. Country Boy (feat. Albert Lee) 6. Key To The Highway 7. Cocaine 8. Further On Up The Road 9. Blues Power Eric Clapton – guitar / vocals Albert Lee – guitar / vocals Gary Brooker – keyboards / vocals Chris Stainton – keyboards Dave Markee – bass Henry Spinetti – drums