Budokam Theatre
October 25th,26,27th, 1993
Mid Valley - MVR -SI-001/002 - SB 6 (Scale 1-6)
Lineage:
Mid Valley Silvers > Mitsui GOLD CD-Rs (Secure) > EAC v. 0.99 Prebeta 5 (Secure, Offset Correct) > FLAC
Disc 1:
01. Malted Milk
02. Terraplane Blues
03. How Long
04. 32-20
05. Kidman Blues
06. County Jail
07. .44
08. Blues Leave Me Alone
09. Tell Me Mama
10. White Room
11. Badge
12. Wonderful Tonight
13. Stone Free
Disc 2:
01. Circus Left Town
02. Tears in Heaven
03. Crossroads
04. Tearing Us Apart
05. Groaning the Blues
06. Cocaine
07. Ain't Nobody's Business
08. Layla
Geetarz Comments:
The early 1990s were an amazing run for Clapton, with the growth of the Royal Albert Hall shows, constant touring, and seemingly inexhaustible exposure. Starting in 1990, "blues only" nights were a part of the Albert runs, and hugely popular with diehard fans. But EC's management and label resisted the idea of progressing any further in that direction. After the huge critical and commercial success of "Unplugged", Clapton was freed to pursue other directions, which eventually led to the "blues tours" in 1994 and 1995. The Summer and Fall 1993 shows were a fascinating melange of classic rock, pop, and hard blues. If you're one of those people who listens to "good music" no matter what the genre, the 1993 shows are probably the most accessible EC ever did live. In the fall of 1993, EC went to Japan, where the audiences are deeply respectful and appreciative - the perfect crowd for this fusion of old and new. The sets began quietly, with acoustic blues, veering from the Delta sounds to the sounds of electric Chicago blues, and then coming to the fire and fury of 1960s British Blues, with "White Room" and "Badge". After a breather of "Wonderful Tonight" (a perennial Clapton Speed Bump in most sets) there comes EC's unhinged rendition of Hendrix' "Stone Free". After a more modern pop / AOR break with "Circus" and "Tears in Heaven", the band breaks into a funky reworking of "Crossroads", the 1980s hit pop single "Tearing Us Apart", then digging deep into the blues with "Groaning the Blues". As if this set didn't cover enough musical decades, next we have EC's 1970s version of "Cocaine", with a new feel for the 1990s, Bessie Smith's 1920s "Ain't Nobody's Business", and then closing with those Seven Incredible Notes, "Layla" ... themselves taken from Albert King's "As the Years Go Passing By". Basically, this set is like a Graduate Level course in the history of the blues, taught by one of its best students. Recorded over several nights at Tokyo's Budokan Theater, this is an interesting release, as this is not a pure soundboard recording! Obviously mixed for broadcast / release, from several different nights, and the mix itself is what one could call a "radio" mix, in that crowd mics are used to add ambience as is usually done on broadcasts. One can only speculate that this was destined for release at some point, and plans were shelved. Luckily, Mid Valley to the rescue - an essential part of any Clapton collection, the eclectic mix of traditional blues, classic rock, and pop hits is a winner.
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