Eric Clapton Rainbow Concert CD

Personnel: Eric Clapton (vocals, guitar); Eric Clapton; Rick Grech (bass instrument); Rebop Kwaku Baah, Rebop (percussion); Pete Townshend, Ron Wood (vocals, guitar); Steve Winwood (vocals, keyboards); Jim Capaldi, Jim Karstein (drums).
Audio Mixer: Bobby Pridden.
Audio Remixers: Jon Astley; Andy MacPherson.
Liner Note Author: Ray Coleman.
Recording information: Rainbow Theatre, London, England (01/13/1973).
Photographers: Robert Ellis ; Barry Wentzell.
By January 1973, Eric Clapton's career was going great guns as the result of compilations like History of Eric Clapton; the only problem was that Clapton himself was nursing a heroin addiction and hadn't been heard from since his August 1971 appearance at the concert for Bangladesh. The Who's Pete Townshend enticed Clapton out for another one-off concert appearance (in fact, there were two shows) at the Rainbow Theatre in London on January 13, 1973, and organized an all-star band to back him. It was an ensemble effort, as much a showcase for Steve Winwood -- who sang lead vocals on "Presence of the Lord" and Traffic's "Pearly Queen" -- as for the nominal star. But it demonstrated that the reclusive Clapton could still play, and that was welcome news. Today, the album is an adequate live document, though one can find better performances of the songs on other records. ~ William Ruhlmann
In the two years following Eric Clapton's appearance at George Harrison's 1971 Concert For Bangladesh, the former guitar god took a sabbatical from playing, due to a number of personal problems. Alarmed at the state that his friend had fallen into, Pete Townshend arranged an all-star concert at London's Rainbow Theatre, where a band that included Ron Wood, ex-Blind Faith (Steve Winwood, Rick Grech) and current Traffic members (Jim Capaldi, Rebop) helped Slowhand play his first live show in two years.
RAINBOW CONCERT, an album of edited segments from the live show, finds a rejuvenated Clapton revisiting his days with Cream ("Badge"), backing Winwood's soulful vocals with some sanctified playing of his own ("Presence of The Lord"), and paying tribute to a fallen comrade ("Little Wing"). On Traffic's "Pearly Queen," the combination of Clapton's guitar with the swirling keyboards and thundering rhythm of the song make for some mesmerizing listening. A year later, Eric Clapton had a comeback album (461 OCEAN BOULEVARD) and a number one song ("I Shot The Sheriff").
In these days of CD expansion, it is 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 CD 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. ~ William Ruhlmann