Collectors Music Reviews

Boogie Chillen’ – His Alibi For The Second Night (Tarantura TCDEC-51-1,2)

Budokan, Tokyo, Japan – December 5th, 1990

Disc 1 (74:11):  Layla (orchestra intro), Pretending, No Alibis, Running On Faith, I Shot The Sheriff, White Room, Can’t Find My Way Home, Bad Love, Before You Accuse Me, Old Love

Disc 2 (73:00):  Badge, Wonderful Tonight, band intro., Cocaine, A Remark You Made, Layla, Boom Boom, Crossroads, Sunshine Of Your Love, Boogie Chillun’, drum solo, Sunshine Of Your Love (reprise), SE / Happy Trials / announcement, concert information, concert goods information, concert information, announcement, What A Wonderful World, around the questionnaire box / backing home

Eric Clapton closed the year with ten Journeyman shows in the far east.  Three shows in the middle of the tour were played at the Budokan in Tokyo.  Recently Tarantura released the December 4th show from a brand new Gryphon tape source on Blues Reversion – His Alibi For The First Night (Tarantura TCDEC-50-1,2).  Boogie Chillen’ – His Alibi for The Second Nightis a Gryphon recording of the second night in Tokyo.  Like the first, it is an amazingly detailed and balanced stereo DAT recording.

Another tape was released in 2005 on Just An Illusion (Tricone-005/006).  Although the sond quality of the Tricone is very good, the Tarantura is much better.  It is also more complete since Tricone lacks the two and a half minute “Layla” orchestral introduction.  Gryphon tapes are also distinguished by the post concert  information since the taper recorded himself leaving the venue and going home from the show.

Overall a nice document of what some consider being somewhat of a Clapton “comeback” after producing several disappointing albums in the mid to late eighties.  After the orchestral “Layla” he opens with three new songs, “Pretending,” “No Alibis” and “Running On Faith.”  “I Shot The Sheriff” begins very mellow and Clapton receives several standing ovations before it segues into a laid back version of “White Room.” 

“Can’t Find My Way Home” (introduced by Clapton as an old Blind Faith number) is given an impressionistic.  ”Old Love” contains an interesting jam.  The encore begins with the riff from John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom” played for a few minutes, then goes into “Crossroads.”  In “Sunshine,” before the drum solo, he runs back into “Boom Boom” and also plays ”Boogie Chillun.’”  It’s an interesting jam sessions which is unique to this show.  The final part of disc two contains the post concert announcements and the taper’s walk to the train station.  Overall another wonderful new tape from the era, packaged in a pretty cardboard gatefold sleeve. 

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