Eric Clapton - 461 Ocean Boulevard CD

461 Ocean Boulevard CD music Recorded live at the Fillmore East, New York, New York on March 12-13, 1971. Originally released on Capricorn. Ultradiscs are mastered from the original master tapes using Mobile Fidelity's proprietary mastering technique, then plated with 24-karat gold and housed in a stress-resistant lift-lock jewel box. The original Fillmore East album is one of the finest live documents of the rock era, capturing the original line-up of one of the '70s' tightest outfits before they were cruelly robbed of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley. Taken from five 1971 performances at New York's fabled Fillmore East, the extended and effortlessly melodic workouts of "In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed" and "Whipping Post" still have the power to rivet and move. On display here is the Allmans' fabled chemistry at its finest. The band not only rocks, it rolls, swings, and stretches out in exploratory, jazzy passages. The dual guitar interplay of Duane Allman and Dickey Betts glides effortlessly over the propulsive rhythm section of Oakley and twin drummers Jaimoe and Butch Trucks, while Greg Allman's powerful blues voice and melodic keyboard work provides the icing on the cake. Though the later-released THE FILLMORE CONCERTS presents these songs in their original entirety, AT FILLMORE EAST, with its seamless edits of multiple performances, may be the superior recording. It highlights all the glint and sparkle of what still ranks among the best jamming committed to record. The Allman Brothers Band: Gregg Allman (vocals, piano, organ); Duane Allman (guitar, slide guitar); Dickey Betts (guitar); Berry Oakley (bass instrument); Jai Johanny Johanson (drums, congas, timbales); Butch Trucks (drums, timpani). Personnel: Berry Oakley (bass guitar); Jaimoe Johnson (drums, congas, timbales). Recording information: The Fillmore East (03/12/1971/03/13/1971). Photographer: Jim Marshall . Arranger: The Allman Brothers Band. The Allman Brothers Band: Gregg Allman (vocals, piano, organ); Dickey Betts (guitar); Duane Allman (guitar, slide guitar); Berry Oakley (bass); Jai Johanny Johanson (drums, congas, timbales); Butch Trucks (drums, timpani). Additional personnel: Thom Doucette (harmonica).

461 Ocean Boulevard album for sale The opening number was by J.J. Cale, whose "After Midnight" had been one of the real joys of the guitarist's first solo excursion, ERIC CLAPTON. "Cocaine," with its slow grinding beat, menacing melodic vamp and one-step from perdition lyrics, was the toughest, most rocking number on SLOWHAND, and a major radio hit from the outset. A couple of vocal duets with countryish harmonies set the tone for the rest of SLOWHAND. "Lay Down Sally" was a funky, chicken-fried bit of boogie with a taut, melodic aside from Clapton's twangy Stratocaster, while Don Williams' sweet, soulful "We're All The Way" provided a low-key vehicle for Clapton's tender vocal exchanges with Marcy Levy, as his understated arpeggios toll away in the background. SLOWHAND was the album which defined the new cool of Eric Clapton, a sultry, laid-back mix of rock and blues, with a heavy dose of country and southwestern regional sounds to leaven the blend. After LAYLA, SLOWHAND was probably Clapton's most popular, fully realized solo disc. Personnel: Eric Clapton (vocals, guitar); Marcy Levy, Yvonne Elliman (vocals); George Terry (guitar); Mel Collins (saxophone); Dick Sims (keyboards); Carl Radle (bass guitar); Jamie Oldaker (drums, percussion).

461 Ocean Boulevard buy CD music MADMAN ACROSS THE WATER produced only a couple of minor hits, which may have something to do with the fact that its best songs are all five or six minutes long. But they're among the strongest songs in the entire Elton John catalog--especially the lovely opening track, "Tiny Dancer," which builds from a light, delicately melodic verse to a sweeping, dramatic chorus. Another highlight is the inscrutably biographic "Levon," whose title character was born "on a Christmas day when the New York Times said God is dead." John's luxurious piano melodies, Bernie Taupin's poetic lyrics, and Paul Buckmaster's lush string arrangements all stretch out on MADMAN, giving the record a grandiose, sweeping feel when it is not riding dark, surging currents, as on the memorably edgy title track. There is a painstaking, interior quality here that goes missing from John's early pop-song oriented albums and from the later excesses of GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD. For this reason, MADMAN ON THE WATER is a crucial, unique addition to the John catalogue. Personnel: Elton John (vocals, piano); Caleb Quaye (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Davey Johnstone (acoustic guitar, mandolin, sitar); Les Thatcher (acoustic guitar); Chris Spedding (electric guitar, slide guitar); B.J. Cole (steel guitar); Jack Emblow (accordion); Brian Dee (harmonium); Rick Wakeman (organ); Diana Lewis (ARP synthesizer); Chris Laurence (acoustic bass guitar); Dee Murray (bass guitar, background vocals); Dave Glover , Herbie Flowers, Brian Odgers (bass guitar); Nigel Olsson (drums, background vocals); Roger Pope, Terry Cox, Barry Morgan (drums); Ray Cooper (tambourine, percussion); Lesley Duncan, Liza Strike, Roger Cook, Sunny Leslie, Terry Steele, Tony Burrows, Barry St. John, Sue Glover (background vocals). Liner Note Author: John Tobler.

461 Ocean Boulevard songs Sitting atop the charts in 1975, Elton John and Bernie Taupin recalled their rise to power in Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, their first explicitly conceptual effort since Tumbleweed Connection. It showcases each at the peak of his power, as John crafts supple, elastic, versatile pop and Taupin's inscrutable wordplay is evocative, even moving. Although the musical skill on display here is dazzling, as it bounces between country and hard rock within the same song, this album needs time to reveal its treasures, but once it does, it captures John and Taupin at a career pinnacle. They collapsed in hubris and excess not long afterward, but this remains a testament to the strengths of their creative partnership. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Liner Note Author: John Tobler. Personnel: Elton John (vocals, electric piano, harpsichord, Clavinet, Mellotron, ARP synthesizer); John Lennon (guitar); Davey Johnstone (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, piano, background vocals); David Hentschel (ARP synthesizer); Dee Murray (bass guitar, background vocals); Nigel Olsson (drums, background vocals); Ray Cooper (congas, bongos, cymbals, Jew's harp, tambourine, triangle, bells, hand bells, gong). Audio Remasterer: Tony Cousins.

461 Ocean Boulevard album for sale By the time Elton John went to France to cut HONKY CHATEAU in 1972, he had already become the first act since the Beatles to land four albums in the American Top 10 simultaneously. Up to that point, John had performed in a trio rounded out by bassist Dee Murray and drummer Nigel Olsson. The addition of guitarist Davey Johnstone on HONKY CHATEAU added another dimension to the overall sound. The results were successful, as the nonsensical "Honky Cat" and the Bowie-inspired "Rocket Man" became John's first Top 10 hits since the release of "Your Song" two years prior. John and co. reined in the lengthy, moody excesses of MADMAN ACROSS THE WATER, turning in a highly focused collection of beautifully crafted pop. The rollicking "I Think I'm Gonna Kill Myself," the sassy "Susie (Dramas)," and the stirring "Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters" are all standouts. The John/Bernie Taupin partnership also yielded a number of songs with vivid imagery, including the Civil War-era American South of "Slave" and a front-row pew before a gospel choir in the inspirational "Salvation." Pound for pound, HONKY CHATEAU may be one the strongest, most consistent, and most pleasurable records in the mammoth John discography. Personnel: Elton John (vocals, piano, electric piano, organ); Davey Johnstone (guitar, banjo, mandolin, background vocals); Jean-Luc Ponty (electric violin); Gus Dudgeon (whistle, background vocals); Jean Louis Chautemps, Alain Hatot (saxophone); Ivan Julian (trumpet); Jacques Bolognesi (trombone); David Hentschel (ARP synthesizer); Dee Murray (bass guitar, background vocals); Nigel Olsson (drums, congas, tambourine, background vocals); Ray Cooper (congas); Legs Larry Smith (taps); Larry Steele, Liza Strike, Madeline Bell, Tony Hazzard (background vocals). Liner Note Author: John Tobler.

461 Ocean Boulevard CD music Recorded in the charmed period between the initial success of ELTON JOHN and superstar extravaganzas like GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD, TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION, a loose concept album about the American West, was a strange, sideways move for Elton John and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. A album in the traditional sense, it is best heard as a piece, with songs that pick up and expand on each other's moods and settings. Notice, for example, the progression of characters from the young fighter waving "My Father's Gun," to the retired and forgotten "Talking Old Soldiers," to the protagonist of "Where To Now St. Peter?," shot down by "a sweet young foreign gun" and ready to be judged by his maker. The mood holds from the sepia-toned LP cover art to John's songwriting, influenced by folk and country music and by The Band's MUSIC FROM BIG PINK. Among the songs it introduced were "Country Comfort," which Rod Stewart covered on GASOLINE ALLEY, and "Come Down In Time," later done by both Judy Collins and Sting. Though the rollicking piano epic "Burn Down The Mission" and "Amoreena" became FM-radio and concert staples, TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION remains the only John studio album without a hit single, a fact that doesn't affect the impact of this excellent country-rock outing. Personnel: Elton John (vocals, piano, organ, keyboards); Mick Ronson (guitar); Caleb Quaye (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Lesley Duncan (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Mike Egan (acoustic guitar); Les Thatcher (6-string guitar, 12-string guitar); Gordon Huntley (steel guitar); Skaila Kanga (harp); Johnny Van Derek (violin); Ian Duck (harmonica); Karl Jenkins (oboe); Brian Dee (organ); Chris Laurence (acoustic bass guitar); Dee Murray (bass guitar, background vocals); Dave Glover , Herbie Flowers (bass guitar); Roger Pope (drums, percussion); Nigel Olsson (drums, background vocals); Barry Morgan (drums); Robin Jones (congas, tambourine); Dusty Springfield, Madeline Bell, Sunny Leslie, Tony Burrows, Tony Hazzard, Kay Garner, Sue Glover, Tammy Hunt (background vocals). Liner Note Authors: Gus Dudgeon; John Tobler.