ERIC CLAPTON / 1975 LAID BACK IN DOWN UNDER (4CD)

FESTIVAL HALL, BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA April 14, 1975
DISC ONE
01. Introduction
02.Badge
03. Milk Cow Blues - Have You Ever Loved A Woman
04. Steady Rollin' Man
05. Can't Find My Way Home
06. Teach Me To Be Your Woman
07. Let It Rain

DISC TWO
01. Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out
02. I Shot The Sheriff
03. Layla - All I Have To Do Is Dream
04. Little Wing
05. Little Queenie

HORDERN PAVILION, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA April 20, 1975
DISC THREE
01. Let It Grow
02. Tell The Truth
03. Better Make It Through Today
04.Badge
05. I Shot The Sheriff
06. Teach Me To Be Your Woman
07. Steady Rollin' Man
08. Key To The Highway

DISC FOUR
01. Can't Find My Way Home
02. Blues Power
03. Driftin' - Crossroads - Have Your Ever Loved A Woman
04. Layla - Opposites
05. Let It Rain
06. Little Wing

Prioritizing quality over quantity, the PADDINGTON label releases carefully selected historical recordings with content and sound quality that will not diminish in value even if released later by other labels. This latest release is a four-disc set featuring two soundboard recordings from the 1975 Australian tour: the Brisbane show on April 14th and the Sydney show on April 20th. The 1975 tour kicked off in Australia, with only 15 shows. This disc features two soundboard recordings from that rare Australian tour.

Discs 1 and 2 feature the Brisbane show on April 14th. As the band played a warm-up gig in Hawaii before the tour, the entire album was permeated with a calm, warm atmosphere reminiscent of a sunny beach. From the first track, "Badge," the performance seemed to reflect the atmosphere of the "461 Ocean Boulevard" album cover. The second track was a blues medley of "Milk Cow Blues" and "Have You Ever Loved A Woman." Other relatively relaxed tracks followed, including the Dominoes' "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out." Highlights, however, were "Layla" and "All I Have To Do Is Dream." The coda of "Layla" reached a crescendo, and "All I Have To Do Is Dream" began gently, as if reluctantly lingering in its wake, resulting in a truly gentle and beautiful performance. Following "Little Wing," the album closed with an impressive intro, followed by explosive guitars and a cool talking-style vocal performance in "Little Queniee." Discs 3 and 4 feature the Sydney performance on April 20th. In stark contrast to the Brisbane performance, this performance began quietly with the extremely laid-back "Let It Grow." This performance was the height of indescribable sophistication. The guitar solo was outstanding, as if swaying gently in a warm tropical breeze. Then, just as the melody of "All I Have To Do Is Dream" began, a count-up was added and the performance suddenly launched into "Blues Power," a truly unexpected arrangement. The highlight of the night was undoubtedly the medley that began with "Driftin'." The following song, "Crossroads," was played in a deep blues arrangement unlike anything I'd heard before, and this then led into "Have You Ever Loved A Woman," a rare arrangement. While both are blues numbers, considering that in Brisbane they were performed as a medley with "Milk Cow Blues," this wasn't a planned medley; rather, a phrase from a different song just happened to pop up in the flow of the song. It flowed so naturally, as if the fingers were moving on their own, making for a very pleasant medley to listen to. While the lyrics of "Crossroads" are the same as "Crossroads," the melody is exactly the same as "Driftin'," almost like a parody. And "Layla" lingers on the coda before segueing into "Opposites," unfolding one intense performance after another so intensely it leaves no time to breathe.

A limited number of recordings from both shows had previously been available, but the encores "Little Queniee," "Let It Rain," and "Little Wing" were missing, and the CD-ROMs often skipped audio, leaving little to be desired. This release uses a low-generation soundboard master that sets it apart from the previous releases. There is little noise and no problems such as skipping that occurred on previously released versions. Two valuable soundboard recordings from the 1975 short Australian tour are recorded on a high-quality soundboard.