Artist: Clapton, Eric
Label: Warner Bros. Records
Release: 2009
Duration: 2h 09.09
Rating: 4/5
Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, the two guys who long ago built the supergroup Blind Faith on the wobbly foundations of fame, went back to the scene of the crime after four decades: New York’s Madison Square Garden. That’s exactly where Blind Faith played one of their last shows back in 1969, part of a megalomaniacally planned and, fittingly, far too quickly ended tour that brutally buried every hope of matching the success of the immortal Cream. Over the years Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood kept their friendship rock solid, gentleman-style, even though their musical paths hadn’t crossed since the ignominious Blind Faith shipwreck. That is, until last February, when the two frontrunners of British popular music, in front of a repeatedly sold-out auditorium, symbolically closed the final chapter in the story of one of the first supergroups in the history of rock music.
Live from Madison Square Garden understandably feeds mostly off the Blind Faith legacy, around which mighty renditions of assorted gems from the catalogs of Traffic, Derek and the Dominos and Clapton’s solo career swirl excitedly, and alongside the ever-present blues standards there’s even room for a rather unexpected revival of the sparkle of Hendrix’s diamonds. Chewing through the 21-track set, the inspired yet effortlessly relaxed instrumental playing is matched by energetic vocal trade-offs between the two musicians, though Winwood understandably holds on to the lead vocal duties. Winwood shines vocally throughout, and it’s a real joy that the years haven’t robbed him of that trademark wailing note that makes his delivery so recognizable. Steve Winwood takes no shortcuts or other mitigating circumstances to show off his astonishing vocal talent. Every turn is a carefully mapped vocal approximation of the original, naturally including the obligatory improvised acrobatics, which are in no way there to slyly cover up holes in his voice. Sure, it cracks here and there, barely noticeably — on Had To Cry Today and Dear Mr. Fantasy, for instance, the pitch of the original seems barely reachable — but that’s no reason to think Steve won’t blow us away with a steady stream of first-rate vocal manifestation, which erupts emotionally in Georgia On My Mind, by the singer’s great idol Ray Charles. Winwood also proves himself a superb interpreter of grittier material like Sleeping In The Ground, which in the master’s hands comes out as an elegant, nicely groomed tribute to the Sam Myers blues standard. The colors of his solo career are represented by Split Decision, while the cheerful Traffic crowd piles up around the strong rhythmic chassis of Pearly Queen, the potent instrumental Glad and the heartfelt sensitivity of No Face, No Name, No Number.
Plenty of interesting things have been said about Eric Clapton in the past. Eric is like wine: it seems he only gets sweeter with the years, more spontaneous, even more playful in his own way, and he certainly remains the undisputed mentor of blues guitar. With his exceptional interpretive skills and a uniquely polished guitar style that, through the musician’s discographic highs and dizzying lows, has cut through every sphere of human emotion and feeling, Eric has shaped a one-of-a-kind musical voice that has inspired generations. Eric’s live recordings have always guaranteed listeners a thrilling taste of rich and varied music, especially later in his career, when he increasingly dabbled in different styles. The musician’s wide stylistic range is plain to hear on the album (as a curiosity, Live From Madison Square Garden is one of the few Eric live albums where you won’t find any Cream-era material). Amid the rough-and-tumble shoving around of the Blind Faith ironware, Clapton fans will surely break into a smile at the presence of the Derek and the Dominos classic Tell The Truth, and especially the grumpy-sounding Forever Man, which, unlike the rest of the album’s already pretty gray-haired songs, dates from the mid-80s. There’s also Otis Rush’s Double Trouble, one of the few blues standards that has survived the years as a favorite of Clapton’s live repertoire. Where Clapton shows up, Robert Johnson naturally can’t be missing, and with him the inseparable champion of raw blues, Ramblin’ On My Mind. This time Eric gave the song a more urban makeover, wrapped in teasing acoustic guitar work that adds freshness to Johnson’s diamond and a touch more accessibility. A good chunk of the credit for Clapton’s huge commercial success in the post-Cream and Blind Faith days goes to the old guy with the stage name J. J. Cale. Clapton repays the favor to his musical colleague and great friend with a lively run through After Midnight, Low Down, and of course the indispensable Cocaine, whose age-appropriately adapted lyrics grandly close out this thrilling concert get-together of two titans of rock music.
Lineup
Eric Clapton: vocals, guitar
Steve Winwood: vocals, keyboards
Willie Weeks: bass
Chris Staintin: keyboards
Ian Thomas: drums
Production
Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood
Track list
CD 1:
1. Had to Cry Today
2. Low Down
3. Them Changes
4. Forever Man
5. Sleeping in the Ground
6. Presence of the Lord
7. Glad
8. Well All Right
9. Double Trouble
10. Pearly Queen
11. Tell the Truth
12. No Face, No Name, No Number
CD 2:
1. After Midnight
2. Split Decision
3. Rambling on My Mind
4. Georgia on My Mind
5. Little Wing
6. Voodoo Chile
7. Can’t Find My Way Home
8. Dear Mr. Fantasy
9. Cocaine
