Eric Clapton / Hammersmith Odeon 1978 1st Night 2nd Generation Cassette / 2CDR / Uxbridge
Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK 5th December 1978

Disc:1 (50:53)

1. Intro.
2. Lovin You Is Sweeter Than Ever
3. Worried Life Blues
4. Badge
5. Wonderful Tonight
6. Crossroads
7. If I Don’t Be There By Morning
8. Double Trouble

Disc:2 (54:24)

1. I'll Make Love to You Anytime
2. Tulsa Time
3. Early in the Morning
4. Cocaine
5. Key to the Highway
6. Band Introductions
7. Layla
8. Standing Around Crying (with Muddy Waters) ★
9. Further on Up the Road

Eric Clapton - Guitar / Vocals
Dick Sims - Keyboards
Carl Radle - Bass
Jamie Oldaker - Drums

Uxbridge 1991

This work is also the world’s first release and the first bootleg sound source. This master can also be said to be a shocking master provided by a heavy-duty taper based in the UK that we trust, but the recording was made by a different taper from the “Hammersmith Odeon 1978 2nd Night Master Cassette (2CD)” released this time. Although the sound quality is a little inferior to that, it is good and there is no problem with the generator. After all, the sound on the second day was so good that it sounds a notch lower than that, but it’s not bad at all. In the original master, the pitch that was randomly slow throughout the entire episode was almost corrected, and regarding the sound quality, the treble range was raised too much and the entire episode had a distorted texture, so I made adjustments to lower the frequency range in that area. Originally, it was a band that contained only a few musical tones, so as a result it gave a somewhat plain impression, but I think it suits this 4-piece band and there is no problem. This work is also the first sound source from the “Backless European Tour” in the fall of 1978, and the final stage, the first performance at Hammersmith Odeon in London on December 5th, was performed by a wide monaural audience with a good sound balance. It is recorded as a recording. Last week, we released the high-quality album “Brussels 1978 Master Cassette (2CD)” from the same tour, and this week we will simultaneously release “Hammersmith Odeon 1978 2nd Night Master Cassette (2CD)”, but all three have different setlists. There is a charm to being there. In this work, despite the end of the tour, I’ll Make Love To You Anytime from the album “BACKLESS”, which was a repertoire only at the beginning of the tour, was played, similar to “Brussels 1978 Master Cassette (2CD)”. Very valuable. The reason why the heavyweight taper has not released this master until now is probably because of the cut-in of Early in the Morning and Standing Around Crying and the sound distortion and pitch error throughout the whole song, but with our mastering, It became much easier to listen to, which made it worth releasing. Furthermore, this work has a higher value not only as a “first appearance”, but also because Clapton’s teacher Muddy Waters, who toured with him and served as the opening act, jumps into the encore. . I hope you enjoy this historical sound source.

This performance was part of a European tour in support of the new album “BACKLESS,” which was recorded by fellow British producer Glyn Johns and released just two months after the album “SLOWHAND” became a big hit. I think you can understand that. It was an important tour that ended the year and greatly contributed to the promotion of the album. This tour was conceived by Clapton, who was bored with the usual airplane travel and wanted to have a unique European experience, and rented the famous Orient Express train to visit all the performance locations. There was also a happy situation for Clapton, as he asked his beloved bluesman, Muddy Waters, to serve as the opening act. He was clearly fresh and motivated (Maddie also traveled on the same train). The highlight of this tour was that George Terry, the second guitarist who was present at the time of recording the album, was fired and it was performed with a four-piece band of the same composition as Derek & the Dominos. The fact that Clapton is the only guitar player means that the weight and importance of his performance has increased accordingly. This tour attracted attention because he asked himself to take on the burden of alcoholism, even though he was in the process of becoming an alcoholic. What I found out later was that the set list was very different from the beginning of the tour to the one after that, which was also the charm of this tour. As mentioned above, only in the very early performances, many numbers from the album “BACKLESS” were featured. After the middle of the tour, the number of numbers from the album in question decreases drastically, and it becomes like a “usual tour” centered on old blues and the repertoire of the previous tour. Still, on this day, in addition to If I Don’t Be There By Morning, Tulsa Time, and Early in the Morning, I’ll Make Love to You Anytime, which was only played at the beginning of the tour, and numbers from “BACKLESS” I’m playing 4 songs. Furthermore, a fresh attempt was to bring Stevie Wonder’s cover of Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever, which The Band had in its repertoire, to the opening. This song was only played at the end of this tour (The Band was always in Clapton’s heart). In that sense, the set list of this work can be declared as rare among Clapton’s live performances! Clapton on this day was also in great shape as on the second day, regardless of the alcohol content. He has great solos on each song. When it came to the stage in his hometown of London, Clapton’s spirit probably became even more intense. In particular, just like his second day, his groove-filled play on Crossroads and his emotional play on slow blues songs such as Double Trouble and Early in the Morning are worth listening to (to be honest, it’s better than “JUST ONE NIGHT”) ). Also, the bitterness and bitterness of J.J. Cale’s cover I’ll Make Love to You Anytime. This is the only day that we introduce the band members before Layla. Layla is played as the last number of the regular stage like in a normal concert, but her solo after the performance, which makes full use of her wah-wah, is very flavorful on this day as well. The solo on this day is overwhelmingly clearer than the second day, and every phrase that is delivered is worth listening to. During the stage, before playing Tulsa Time, Clapton commented, “I dedicate this song to the band.” It was a time when all members of the Tulsa Tops were from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the band was a four-piece band. This tour was the only time we performed live. Additionally, it is drummer Jamie Oldaker who adds a nice chorus over Clapton’s vocals in all songs. Up until now, there had been chorus members such as Yvonne Elliman, Marcy Levy, and George Terry, so I wondered who would be in charge of this four-piece, but it turned out to be an all-day car. I’m surprised at how well this works. I realize that Clapton’s career has been blessed with band members.
Another selling point of this work is that Muddy Waters jumps in and shows off his vocals in his encore Standing Around Crying. This was added to the encore by Clapton, who learned of Maddy’s intention to jump in. Jerry Portnoy, who was in Maddie’s band at the time, also participates here on harmonica. You can also enjoy this “master and student collaboration”.
This work is also the first sound source that appeared