Customer Reviews

Ec Was Here

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

it seemed the more raggedy and doped out clapton was the more inspirational his playing was. i saw this tour from 1974 and some of his playing was from another world, some of his licks and runs on this album are just sick, play it and see why for a period of 5 years from 1969 to 1974 he was the best in the world

The backup band is so lousy. On 'Rambling' you can hear EC speaking out the chord (C sharp, E, funny). But wait, the guitar is simply the best blues rock I've ever heard.

In HYELAW, each singing line is completed by a poignant guitar phrase that complete and dig deepeer in the emotion.
The Presence of the Lord chorus shows what heavy guitar can be when it goes beyond the cliches. It's at par with the best Led Zeppelin.
All acoustic work is better than anything in Unplugged.
Rambling is a meditation, the same kind he would do years after in Old Love. Close your eyes and take the trip with him.
Further On Up The Road is a classy boogie, showing EC amazing sens of timing and crescendo.

I truely respect all EC work. But I wish he build on this kind of inspiration rather than go puppy like he did next in his career.

This (album) is a testimony to why EC has become the most widely acclaimed guitar master of the last 30 years. I've heard the complaints of many through the years, about how "...(he) just doesn't do it as good as in the old days", meaning the shredding style developed when he was in Cream. I beg to differ. The man returned to the soul of the music that motivated him to play in the first place. This is a display, not only of his immeasurable ability to play a guitar, but to use it to communicate in a way that his voice alone could never do. The acoustic solo on "Can't find my way home" is short, sweet, and among the best I have ever heard. It isn't surprising to hear Clapton say that this was the one band he was in that he "would have paid to see". If you like blues, and you like EC, you owe it to yourself to get a copy of "EC was here". It is one of my favorites.

Eric Clapton made his name with his indelible guitar work. On E.C. Was Here, he shows why he is a guitar god. He blazes his way through this short six song live album. He starts off with "Have You Ever Loved A Woman" from the Layla album and it is a smoldering take. Two Blind Faith songs, "Presence Of The Lord" and "Can't Find My Way Home" are ripping, but the best song is "Drifting Blues". Mr. Clapton lets loose with one of the best guitar solos of his career.

There are three Clapton recordings that are most often referred to in the man's staggering legacy of work. John Mayall's Bluebreakers, Derek and the Dominoes, and 461 Ocean Blvd. Let me throw this little treasure in there as well. Only six songs, although extended jams, this document serves as a testament to his blues playing prowess, herein flavored with the spiritual influences of Blind Faith. Not the stunning sting of his work with the bluesbreakers, nor the plaintive desperation of Derek and the Dominoes, and certainly not the freshness and comfort of Ocean Blvd., this record is Clapton tired and sad, as if lying on his death bed, oozing smooth, effortless blues. His laconic yet superb take on "Rambling On My Mind" is my favorite version, and the rest of it is very nice work indeed.

If you want to hear what a real "shuffle" is supposed to sound like just take a listen to Eric's version of "Further on down the road" and you will know. This is truly what a live concert should be like.

Flash back to mid-1970's, where record companies began releasing live albums regardless of the quality, a problem that would get worse after the unforeseen success of 'Frampton Comes Alive'. At this time Clapton had covered a reggae song, Bob Marley's "I Shot The Sheriff". Similarly, he had recorded what can best be described as laid-back versions of songs such as Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and the traditional "Swing Low Sweet Chariot". So the powers that be decide that since he is (some would argue "was") first and foremost a blues guitarist, Clapton needed to release a live recording to burnish his blues credentials. So far, so good. Unfortunately the concert that was picked for this release, a 1974 summer stop in Long Beach, California, was very weak. In his autobiography, Clapton himself said that he would have preferred to have played small venues on this tour, which as others have noted was his first tour after 2-3 years of a serious drug addiction, but his management had committed him to an arena tour instead. Clapton's singing voice is weak, in fact I don't understand why others have lauded the inclusion of two Blind Faith songs ("Can't Find My Way Home" and "Presence Of The Lord") on this disc since they are basically sung by Yvonne Elliman. Now don't get me wrong Elliman is a good singer with a fine voice but we're paying for Eric Clapton here, right? Clapton is better on the slow blues numbers such "Driftin' Blues" and "Ramblin' On My Mind". "Further On Up The Road" is also a good song for Clapton's vocal style, but there are three other versions available from 1976-77 (one on the 'Crossroads' box set, another on 'Crossroads 2', and the third on the 2-CD compilation 'Blues') that are all superior to the version on 'E.C. Was Here'. In fact Clapton is in much better form in the late 1974 London leg of this tour and in 1975 -- in hindsight these are the shows that should have originally been released in '75 instead of this disc. If you want to hear Clapton live, 'Just One Night', '24 Nights' or even the live Derek and the Dominoes disc are better choices. There is also a complete concert from December, 1974 on the Deluxe Edition of '461 Ocean Boulevard'. These are all much better alternatives.

I have tons of Clapton albums, including many of his live recordings, such as Just One Night and 24 Nights. This is my favorite live Clapton album and maybe my favorite Clapton album of all. It displays a time when Clapton could show real emotion in his voice and guitar (unlike, say, From the Cradle, which seems faked to me). The progression of songs build perfectly towards the creshendo of Further on Up the Road. You must buy this album for the latter track alone, and consider the rest freebees.

As a blues player, I am always referring people to this album.

I honestly believe that this live version of "Rambling on My Mind", with the called-out ascending key changes, is perhaps the greatest electric blues recording ever.

EC's done a bit of touring over the years, you know? Paid his dues. Back when these tunes were recorded, many of his fans were uncertain how much longer Eric would be around, worried as they were about rumors of drug and alcohol abuse typical of rock star excess. But ol' EC wasn't finished just yet and as the intervening years have shown, he's still alive and kicking.

It might be easy for some to look at the song list and discount this set of live performances - where are the hits? Well, you won't find "Layla" or "Crossroads" but all six of these songs are excellent and perhaps more importantly, they fit into a coherent whole. "Have you Ever Loved A Woman" has never been on my EC favorites list but each time I listen to it, I get pulled down into the fabric and catch the groove. Likewise, the two Blind Faith tunes included here ("Presence of the Lord" and "Can't Find My Way Home") might seem a little out of place since they take up so much of this disc, but in fact, they prove to be excellent choices.

But if you only need one excuse to pick this disc up, it can be found in "Drifting Blues" which weaves a seven minute path through a moody blues before melding into a rambling finish. Robert Johnson's "Rambling On My Mind" is included here and is given a kind of patient approach that can give incredible power to the blues. This is an excellent performance and after signaling the band to F sharp, EC unleashes a signature solo. The disc closes out with a rowdy rendition of "Further On Up the Road" that is fit for a king. Not bad for a disc that was more often than not panned by professional reviewers when it was released in '75.