retroblog.net

I’ve been meaning to post about this ol’ boot, August Outtakes & Different Mixes, for a while now. The amount of enjoyment one would get from this 2-disc set largely depends on how one feels about Eric Clapton’s August album from 1986. I personally have a soft spot for the Phil Collins produced album. But I can definitely see how someone would get bored to tears from these “alternate mixes” when not having a strong connection with the source material. Frankly there aren’t major revelations here in this bootleg. Mainly you’ll find early takes of songs from the album that aren’t all that much different from the final product. “Lady From Verona” is the only song that I wasn’t familiar with but it’s essentially a throwaway with cringeworthy lyrics. “Wanna Make Love to You” is another outtake but most fans are familiar with this one since it ended up on the Crossroads box set. The rest of the boot is made up of alternate takes. I don’t know about other fans but I get a kick out of hearing demos and work-in-progress versions of familiar songs. It sort of gives you a glimpse of the creative process that went into the final versions.

Two highlights for me are the guide vocals done by Nathan East and Greg Phillinganes on “Grand Illusion” and “Miss You”. I’m not exactly sure why their vocals were recorded other than for an early run-through of the songs. Nevertheless, it’s a hoot listening to them singing along (presumably without the lyric sheet) filling in nonsense words to fit the melody. fun stuff. The second disc ends with subpar audio from Clapton’s live appearance on the TV show NightLife. Those two tracks aren’t really necessary since there are superior sounding live boots from Clapton’s 1986/87 tour.

So, is this an essential Clapton boot? not really. But if you’ve got a fondness for mid-80′s Clapton (plus the heavy-handed production style of Phil Collins), this boot is worth seeking out.

retroGrade: B

Eric Clapton
August Outtakes & Different Mixes
Duffy Records
recorded at Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles April/May 1986
sound quality : B+ (cassette tape quality)
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Eric Clapton stopped by The RBC Center in Raleigh this past monday to rush through his 16-song set and to completely ignore his fans. Yes, I know, Clapton is known for his lack of stage banter but come on, throw us a bone every now and then. The arena was pretty much filled to capacity, the least he could have done was acknowledge that we were there and maybe even say the name of the town he was in. He honestly looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but here. Clapton fans would argue that he lets the music speak for itself but the living legend just seemed to be going through the motions, literally on autopilot the whole night. No spark of inspiration nor glimmer of enthusiasm were evident at this particular show. Another tell tale sign was Clapton plowing through song after song without pausing to allow the audience to give him some applause. weird. He was pretty much the same way when I last saw him live back on his Journeyman tour but his disinterest and disengagement seemed more pronounced this time around.

But having said all that, I have to say that the man is a guitar legend and I’m still glad I got to see the show. Clapton has a stellar band with him including Steve Gadd on drums and Willie Weeks on bass. Ya can’t go wrong there. And he also performed one of my all time favorites, “Old Love” that featured a nice extended solo. Other moments during the set that featured some tasty guitar work included “I Shot the Sheriff”, “Little Queen of Spades” and “Before You Accuse Me”.

As for Roger Daltrey, I wasn’t expecting much from him after seeing the poor half-time performance by The Who during this year’s superbowl. But surprisingly, Daltrey did a fantastic job and really got the crowd going. He was the total opposite of Clapton: engaging with the crowd, making a few jokes here and there and he genuinely seemed happy to be on stage. He had a well paced set with highlights like “Who Are You”, “Gimme a Stone”, “Young Man Blues” and of course, “Baba O’Riley”.

retroGrade: C+ (Eric Clapton), A (Roger Daltrey)

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Minnesota Night is a nice little snapshot of Eric Clapton’s tour in support of his 1986 album August which happened to be produced by his ol’ buddy Phil Collins. I’m not sure if Collins felt like he owed Clapton after the album got panned by critics at the time but in any case, Collins played with him for a number of shows during 1986 and 1987.

So what we have here is a fantastic sounding recording of the April 18th Minnesota show which featured a stripped down four piece unit that included Nathan East on bass and Greg Phillinganes on keyboards. It’s a stellar band and it’s also nice to hear Clapton as the sole guitarist in the group since he normally includes one or two extra guitarists in his touring band.

Even though I’m a huge fan of Phil Collins’ drumming, I have to say that his style is a bit too heavy-handed for some of the material featured here. Frankly, at various points in the show, his pounding backbeat overpowers the rest of the band and even ruins “Layla” by setting the tempo way too fast. But I’m a musician and I’m probably being overly critically about the playing captured here. In any case, this is a unique band lineup and I’m glad to have a nice sounding document from this tour.

retroGrade: B+

It’s definitely worth seeking out. In the meantime, here are a couple tracks from the boot.

Holy Mother

Cocaine

Layla

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To celebrate Mother’s Day, I thought I’d share some mom-related favorites of mine in this edition of the retroblog mix tape. I hope you all have a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend!

that’s all right mama (elvis cover) by Paul McCartney
Well mama she done told me, papa done told me too
son that gal you foolin’ with she ain’t no good for you
but that’s all right, that’s all right
that’s all right now mama, anyway you do..

look mama (megamamamix) by Howard Jones
Don’t try to stick your rules on me
I wasn’t born as a carbon copy, I came out of you
But don’t think that you own me
I have my respect for you

mother, father by Journey
She sits alone, an empty stare
A mother’s face she wears
Where did she go wrong,
the fight is gone, Lord help this broken home

holy mother by Eric Clapton
Oh I need your help this time
Get me through this lonely night
Tell me please which way to turn to find myself again

mama (live) by Genesis
Now I can’t keep you mama
But I know you’re always there
You listen, you teach me mama and I know inside you care

make me mommy by Ben Folds
You go to your room!
You make me Mommy!
You go to your room!
You make me Mommy!
You go to your room!
You make me Mommy!
You go to your room!
You make me Mommy!

and as always, the files are hosted on mediafire.
please feel free to leave me some feedback.

enjoy!

it has been awhile since I shared a mix tape here so I thought I’d round up some tracks from a few of my favorite guitarists…

please note: the following songs aren’t necessarily THE best examples of their respective guitar work. the songs I have here are simply what I had available on my mp3 player at the time of posting this list.

Trevor Rabin – Not only can the guy shred but he’s got a great melodic sense to his solos. Yes, he’s hated by YES “purists”, but I personally love his contribution to the YES-saga.
Walls by Yes

Steve Howe – Steve’s got this classical/quirky style that you don’t hear that often in rock music.
Sketches in the Sun by GTR

Lindsey Buckingham – Lindsey’s like a mad scientist in the studio. spending long nights trying to get a sound just right. but on stage, he’s a monster on guitar. he does some absolutely jaw dropping stuff on his custom Rick Turner guitar.
Go Insane (live) by Lindsey Buckingham

Lincoln Brewster – a very humble artist that never boasts about his huge talent. Let me boast for him and say that he’s simply amazing on a Fender Strat.
He’s All I Need by Lincoln Brewster

Neal Schon – Journey’s sappy power ballads may sometimes overshadow Schon’s guitar playing but this old man can ROCK! check out his song In Self Defense off of the album Generations. he’s also singing lead on this one. he doesn’t have much of a voice but listen to the incredible guitar work.
In Self Defense by Journey

Eric Clapton – a list of guitarists isn’t really complete without this man.
Forever Man by Eric Clapton

Lyle Workman – Lyle did some great work with Bourgeois Tagg and Todd Rundgren back in the late eighties and early nineties. I just love his unique style.
Out of the Depths by Lyle Workman

Eric Johnson – this guy is probably on everyone’s list of favorite guitarists. come on, this song is THE STANDARD of melodic guitar playing.
Cliffs of Dover by Eric Johnson

Todd Rundgren – of course, I gotta have Todd Rundgren on my list. the man’s my hero! heh.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps by Todd Rundgren

who’s on your list of favorites?