Eric Clapton / Budokan 1977 1st Night / 2CDR

Eric Clapton / Budokan 1977 1st Night / 2CDR / Uxbridge

Live at Budokan, Tokyo, Japan 6th October 1977

Play sample :

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Upgrade Audience Master for the first time in Japan! ] This week, from Eric Clapton’s 1977 Japan Tour, we will release the New Audience Master on October 6th, the first day of the final round of the Nippon Budokan 2DAYS performance! Speaking of the sound source of the day, there was only an existing board of monaural audience recording of average level, and it was not satisfactory that the pitch was about 70% higher than the semitone. However, this time, we were finally able to provide Taper’s own first generation cassette tape that recorded the performance of the day, which is completely different from the master of the already released board, and when we confirmed the sound quality, the already released board It turned out that the sound was better than that, and the sense of distance of the performance was close. It was finally possible to update the sound quality of the sound source of the day. The provider himself also brought the ticket at that time, and according to it, the seat was in a good position of 33rd row in the arena G row. There was hysteria noise only in the times, but our engineers have equalized it from the original sound and upgraded it with the hysteria suppressed as much as possible. There was a tape change / pause point, but there was an advantage that it was recorded longer than the existing board. The characteristic of this new master’s sound is that it captures the atmosphere of the Budokan arena seats very well while maintaining an exquisite sense of distance from the musical tones. It was recorded with a wide-ranging monaural audience recording, and compared to the sound of the existing board that was somewhat uncomfortable, this board is a smart and easy-to-listen sound. Extremely low audience noise around the recorder is also a factor in ease of listening. It’s not as crunchy as Mike Millard’s recording, but it’s definitely the best recording of the day. We hope you enjoy the new master, which will be released for the first time in Japan.

[Rare set list only for Budokan performances] Actually, this Japan Tour set list had a rare and valuable meaning in Clapton’s career. Here, I would like to review Clapton’s activity history this year again.

・ February 14: Performed at a charity concert in his hometown of Cranley, Surrey, England (band name is “Eddie Earth Quake & His Tremors”)
・ April 20-29: Short-term UK tour
・ June 4-20: Short-term European tour
・ August 5: Performed at Ivisa, Spain at the spot
・ August 11: Next performance in Barcelona
・ September 26th-October 7th: Japan Tour
September 26: Osaka Festival Hall performance
September 27: Okayama Prefectural Gymnasium performance
September 28: Performance at Kyoto Kaikan Hall 1
September 30: Nagoya City Assembly Hall performance
October 1: Osaka Festival Hall performance
October 4: Sapporo Makomanai Ice Arena Performance
October 6: Nippon Budokan performance ← ★ This work ★
October 7: Nippon Budokan performance
・ October 9th and 10th: Hawaii, Honolulu performances

In May, which was in the middle of this schedule, Clapton recorded the masterpiece “SLOWHAND” at the Olympic Studios in London, and on this Japan tour that was organized after that, from the new work “SLOWHAND” which has not been released yet. I showed the number live for the first time. This was unusual for Clapton’s career. The set list for this Budokan performance was different from that for other local performances. In terms of new songs, The Core and We’re All The Way, which are the same as other performances, were performed, but at this final Budokan 2DAYS performance, Cocaine was performed live for the first time. From 1978 to today, the song has played a role in enlivening the stage as a standard song at the end of the live, but this day was the first live performance in my career. Therefore, of course, the ending does not end with the chorus singing to the audience as it is now, but the ending ends with the band pulling the theme riff. While enjoying such an innocent ending, Clapton’s solo in the middle is very sharp. You can see Clapton’s spirit in this new song. This is the first performance to be remembered in Clapton’s live history. Furthermore, the highlight is not limited to that. In Clapton’s career, he played the blues number It’s Too Bad Things Are Going So Tough, which is probably the only day he featured on the nearly 40-year live stage of the 70’s and early 2000’s (). This song is also known as Tuff Luck Blues, and after many years of blanking, I suddenly set it in on the 2010 tour). The tension of vocals and play with this number is tremendous! With angry momentum, this song will be medleyed by Ramblin’on My Mind. Definitely this is a great performance! After captivating your audience with slow blues, rush into Layla with a stunning sharpness. Clapton was in good shape on that day! In the solo after Layla, Clapton, who sometimes entrusted more than half to George Terry depending on the day, decides the solo by himself without worrying about George Terry. This solo is hot and cool! (George Terry plays a little late in the game). Encore’s Further On Up The Road is no longer a dignified play. The first day performance of the Budokan came to an end with the unwavering play of Clapton. Clapton wasn’t the only one that was great. If you listen to this edition, you will be reminded of the wonderfulness of Clapton’s backing band “Tulsa Tops”. The rhythm section of Carl Radle and Jamie Oldaker who support the backbone with a tight rhythm. Dick Sims who firmly supports music with organ play that runs around infinitely like never before. Their skills are also great. Their ability to support them even when they became a 4-piece band the following year has already been proved here. Mercy Levi, who is one of the red ones, is also very active in blues harp and guitar besides vocals. The acoustic guitar skill with the lead number featured in the two songs is also quite good, and the blues number and the harmonica with Knockin’on Heaven’s Door are contributions that would not be possible without her (George Terry on the second guitar). I’m doing my best, but I wonder if there is a difference in ability with Clapton).
This board contains a new master that finally surpasses the existing board. In order to make the main board more perfect, the parts where the tape change or the interval between songs was cut are corrected after the pitch of the existing board is corrected normally. This is the perfect Budokan first day performance that we will release with confidence! Please enjoy yourself.

★ Recording in the arena G row. Definitely the best and most decisive board of the day. Perhaps no more titles will be released anymore.

Uxbridge 1541