Eric Clapton - Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert (1973) [1995]

"Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert" is an album recorded live at London's Rainbow Theatre on January 13, 1973, and released within the year. The concert was organised by Pete Townshend and marked Eric Clapton's comeback after the 1971 "Concert for Bangladesh". In the year after the Rainbow Concert, Clapton recovered from his heroin addiction and recorded "461 Ocean Boulevard".

This concert is the first live performance where Clapton used his famous Stratocaster guitar "Blackie".

In the days of album expansion, it's not unusual for a record company to reissue an old album with a bonus track or two. This reconstruction of the January 13, 1973, comeback concert by Eric Clapton is something else again, however. The original six-track LP ran less than 27 minutes; the new 14-track expansion runs almost 74 minutes. The eight additions – "Layla," "Blues Power," "Bottle of Red Wine," "Bell Bottom Blues," "Tell the Truth," "Key to the Highway," "Let It Rain," and "Crossroads" – make the disc an effective recapitulation of Clapton's career over the previous seven years, including his solo work and his appearances with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, and Derek and the Dominos. Despite the addiction that had kept him largely homebound for almost two years, Clapton played well, though the all-star backup band was as ragged as it was spirited. The loose feel of the evening was brought out in the stage announcements, many by Pete Townshend, who even mentioned a social disease just before introducing "Presence of the Lord." This still isn't a great Clapton show, but it has been transformed from a historical curiosity to a historical document.


Tracks:

01. Layla [0:06:25.50]
02. Badge [0:03:18.17]
03. Blues Power [0:06:03.20]
04. Roll It Over [0:04:38.48]
05. Little Wing [0:04:36.22]
06. Bottle Of Red Wine [0:03:51.50]
07. After Midnight [0:04:25.40]
08. Bell Bottom Blues [0:06:25.53]
09. Presence Of The Lord [0:05:18.07]
10. Tell The Truth [0:06:04.55]
11. Pearly Queen [0:04:55.73]
12. Key To The Highway [0:05:46.52]
13. Let It Rain [0:07:46.35]
14. Crossroads [0:04:19.70]