I downloaded "Derek & The Dominoes Live at the Fillmore" today from iTunes...

[morglan]

...what a huge waste of $20.

Don't get me wrong--I LOVE EC, and the Layla album is my favorite album of all time. Furthermore, I have a serious infatation with EC's live tone on the Fillmore album (I wish he had used that Showman to record the Layla album instead of that god-awful buzzy Champ!)--so much so that I'm considering a gear sell-off to fund a Showman (but I just want to be sure i can get 'that sound').

I have the Clapton boxed set, and the live versions of Crossroads and Key to the Highway are on it, and IMO, they are the only two songs from the live album worth listening to. (Blues Power comes close, but not quite.)

Seemed like Clapton screwed up the lyrics to every single song, and I was literally praying for each song to end. They just dragged on and on for no good reason.

I'm really disappointed.

Can anyone tell me if the anniversary edition of the Layla album is worth the money?

[MRW55]

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but that is one of the greatest live performances of all time, in my, and many other's, humble opinion, of course.

[tweedster]

On that album

a) I thought the solo to Roll it Over was masterful, some of his best playing ever (The beginning riffing, the wah, the long sustained notes 2/3 hrough with the vibrato and wah, and the killer last solo verse that ends the song).

b) Introduction to Get Better in A Little While = A+

c) Typing term papers to Tell The Truth - I could chug away on infinite repeats all night long.

d) There is a little tedium during some vocal portions of Bottle of Red Wine/Why does love have to be so sad, but when the guitar hits...


As for Strat + Amp Tone on the album, it may not be only from the Showman. It may also be from the Blonde Fender Amp seen in some pictures.


As a frame of reference, my 3 fave Clapton records:

1) Bluesbreakers
2) Live cuts on Wheels of Fire
3) Live @ Fillmore (both the original Polydor vinyl and CD disc of same, release and the later CD with alternate takes. The later CD sounds "harder" and the guitar more strident.

I knew I had to play guitar after hearing the Live version of spoonful on the radio (w/ Jonathan Schwartz the DJ on WNEW-FM in NYC in 1971).

[soli528]

The Layla box set from 89 or 90 is really good- lots of great outtake material on the discs other than the album. You may be able to find it on the bay or something.
I've also really been digging on the Rainbow Concert lately. There's some really good comeback Clapton on that. Exc. version of Blues Power, Badge, Presence of the Lord, etc...

[bluesjuke]

One of my favoites.
I have heard that the remaster wasn't as good.
Maybe that's what you downloaded.

[morglan]

I'll give it another liosten or two, and I have to reiterate just how much I love Clapton--especially from that era--but I just don't know.

His use of the wah seemed very lackluster to me as well. Used it too much and not enough - at the same time (does that make any sense?)

Isn't the blonde Fender the Showman?

I'll have to check out the Rainbow Concert CD.

[tweedster]

On the Layla 20th anniversary box set, the best parts are the jams and outakes. Th Layla album itself adds verb to EC's guitar and moves the bass to center panning. Some EQ in the mix as well.

It's like putting a mustache on the Mona Lisa. You do get a cool booklet and the Layla tracking sheet (16 tracks!).

The jams are "unimproved" and sound a lot more like the original record, tonewise.

[benjammin420]

hmmmm

I think its a good album for what it is. Its very jammy. I like alot of it (Got to Get Better, WHy does love) but I usually listen to it in small doses. I have the cd and vinyl copies, usually ill put on a side or 2 of vinyl and move on.

when you mention missed lyrics or long solos, its worth considering this quote from Bobby Whitlock about their backstage 'scene'

"We didn't have little bits of anything. There were no grams around, let's just put it like that. Tom (Dowd) couldn't believe it, the way we had these big bags laying out everywhere. I'm almost ashamed to tell it, but it's the truth. It was scary, what we were doing, but we were just young and dumb and didn't know. Cocaine and heroin, that's all and Johnny Walker."

[benjammin420]

I'll have to check out the Rainbow Concert CD.

this set is rough too, if youre not digging the Fillmore, you might not be blown away by the Rainbow cd

[morglan]

I guess the thing that bugs me the most is that I've had the EC boxed set since it came out in the late 80's, and from the first time I heard both Key to the Highway and the D&D Crossroads, I was completely blown away by them. I just didn't get that from the rest of the songs (I will go back and give it another try though--you may see a completely different opinion after another few listenings!)

[benjammin420]

i guess thats why those are the only 2 on the set ;) but i think if youre an EC fan, and you give it a few more spins, you'll like it

[GuitarsFromMars]

...what a huge waste of $20.

Don't get me wrong--I LOVE EC, and the Layla album is my favorite album of all time. Furthermore, I have a serious infatation with EC's live tone on the Fillmore album (I wish he had used that Showman to record the Layla album instead of that god-awful buzzy Champ!)--so much so that I'm considering a gear sell-off to fund a Showman (but I just want to be sure i can get 'that sound').

I have the Clapton boxed set, and the live versions of Crossroads and Key to the Highway are on it, and IMO, they are the only two songs from the live album worth listening to. (Blues Power comes close, but not quite.)

Seemed like Clapton screwed up the lyrics to every single song, and I was literally praying for each song to end. They just dragged on and on for no good reason.

I'm really disappointed.

Can anyone tell me if the anniversary edition of the Layla album is worth the money?

The Layla 20th boxed set is one of my favorites. The live set you're talking about being a waste of money is drug-driven, but still meets the criteria for stellar playing. If you fail to see it as being good, try learning one of the solos start to finish.

[westchesterdave]

I'm a huge Clapton fan as well. Disraeli Gears is the reason I picked up guitar in the first place. Still dig Cream, Blind Faith and much of his solo work but Derek and the Dominos is my favorite part of his career.

It took me a while to really appreciate "Live at the Fillmore". I just listened to it this week because of another thread concerning the Strat tone . I don't think all the performances are great but there is a lot of great playing and tone on that album.

If you'd like to hear more Derek and the Dominos live including some shows that make the Fillmore sets sound like they were phoned in check out www.sugarmegs.org. There are some pretty cool dates including some early shows from the UK and a set from Philadelphia, dated 10/16/70, that has Clapton playing slide on two or three tracks that don't appear on any of the other recordings, and a smokin' hot version of Why Does Love Got To Be so Sad.

[Tallhorses]

It's one of my all time favorite live albums maybe it will grow on you. Love "Got to get better in a little While" Too bad Duane couldn't have been a part of the Filmore show... Then again he has his own legendary perfomance at the same venue ;-)

[whoofnagle]

Funny - I think it is one of my all time fav. live albums

[Mattbedrock]

I can understand the criticism of the D&D Live album - I think the drugs were out of control and the vocals especially suffered from it. But Clapton was playing great guitar in those days, And while I'm not a strat fan, the tone of brownie and the showman was pretty rich. But the magic from Layla was Eric and Duane pushing each other higher. I do have to bootleg of the Tampa show with Duane, and while the sound quality is wretched and Duane is hard to hear and not always in tune, you can hear some of the magic live coming through. If you can find it, give it a listen.

[Alligator > jam]

Give it another chance ... I think it's one of his best, very dynamic and a great recording. The band is rockin' ~ a vintage capture. Definitely get the 20th Anniversary box set, too. D&D = fantastic stuff.

[geetarboy]

One of my favorite albums. Different strokes.

[JPF]

Try the 3-CD set "The Layla Sessions" - lots of great extra material as some have already mentioned above. Duane and EC didn't spend as much time recording together as I'd have liked, so it's well worth investing in full resolution copies of what they did accomplish together (I've got the CD and vinyl - no compressed dilutions...;)).

[fierce_carrot]

I have CD's of two of the four night run at the Fillmore and both of these are on my "stranded on a desert island" selections.

Clapton is absolutely on FIRE, his best playing of his life IMO. You can see why he had the name "slowhand". The band was in the pocket tight the entire time. It's easy to see why EC says D&D was the best band he was ever in.

If you want to learn how to improvise long solos that have continuity to them and don't get boring, these are the solos to listen to.

[chenette]

Any idea which pickup neck/middle/bridge for most of this concert? I'm thinking it was a strat, Brownie, please tell me if that's not right.

[cnardone]

I always that his amp was a Dual Showman. Or is that the same thing as a showman? I remember reading that he was going for the Champ sound but much louder. he said something like, "Looking back now, it really did not turn out that way."

While I do like the album, and some of it is Magic, I don't think his playing is as focused as his early studio stuff. Maybe that is just a result of the longer Jams. I listen to Layla much more often than I do this album.

[jimmyj]

My standard comments on D&D live.

It's my favorite version of "Have you Ever Loved a Woman".
"Bottle of Red Wine" is also very good on this, IMO.

But, when they released this album as D&D In Concert it had a much superior take of "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad" from a different night from the same run at the Fillmore. It's by far my favorite live EC from that era of his playing. The version they used on Live at the Fillmore is kind of meandering, like he can't really quite sync up with the song but he keeps trying.