Eric Clapton – Speeding Down The Highway (Beano-015)

 Speeding Down The Highway (Beano-015)

Cow Palace, San Francisco, CA – February 7th, 1983

Disc 1 (52:32):  After Midnight, I Shot The Sheriff, Worried Life Blues, Crazy Country Hop, Crosscut Saw, Slow Down Linda, Sweet Little Lisa, Key To The Highway, Tulsa Time, I’ve Got A Rock n’ Roll Heart

Disc 2 (49:09):  Wonderful Tonight, Blues Power, Who’s Loving You Tonight/ Have You Ever Loved A Woman / Rambling On My Mind, Let It Rain, Cocaine, Layla, Further On Up The Road

Speeding Down The Highway documents the fifth show from the first Money And Cigarettes tour at the Cow Palace.  The tape is a slightly distant but excellent sounding complete stereo audience recording.  The echo from the walls of the venue produce a nice live sound.  A soundboard of this show also is in circulation.  

Five songs (“After Midnight”, “I Shot The Sheriff”, “Worried Life Blues”, “Crazy Country Hop”, and “Crosscut Saw”) are available on I’ve Got Money, But I’ll Throw Away The Cigarettes (ECDR-835/836) with the St. Louis soundboard from February 18th.  The audience tape circulated on cdr before but this is the first release silver disc.

Money And Cigarettes is one of Clapton’s most mellow and relaxed albums in the catalogue and is reflected both in the songs recorded and in some of the interpretations of older material live.  “After Midnight” is an effective opener.  “I Shot The Sheriff” is extended with one of Clapton’s most intense solos of the evening. 

“We’d like to play some songs from the new album.  Three in fact.  The first is by Johnny Otis called ‘Crazy Country Hop'”.  This wasn’t the first time he covered an Otis song (“Willie And The Hand Jive”) and this song is very punchy, bouncy and rather silly.  Albert Lee has his moment in the spotlight with “Sweet Little Linda”.  There is a tape flip between  “Key To The Highway” and “Tulsa Time” with no loss of music.

“Wonderful Tonight” is very slow on this tour and is followed by “Blues Power”.  “Who’s Loving You Tonight”, “Have You Ever Loved A Woman” and “Rambling On My Mind” are played as a medley.  The end of the show including the encore is filled up with the expected classics.  

Bonus cdr, Rushing ‘Round (Beano-015 Bonus)

Keil Auditorium, St. Louis, MO – February 18th, 1983

Disc 1 (37:17):  Slow Down Linda, Lay Down Sally, Let It Rain, Sweet Little Lisa, Key To The Highway, Tulsa Time, I’ve Got A Rock ‘N’ Roll Heart

Disc 2 (45:07):  Wonderful Tonight, Blues Power, Who’s Loving You Tonight/Have You Every Loved A Woman/Rambling On My Mind, Layla, Cocaine, Further On Up The Road

Speeding Down The Highway is packaged with glossy paper inserts and some copies come with the bonus 2cdr set Rushing ‘Round containing the full soundboard recording from St. Louis on February 18th.  The sound quality and the show itself is good enough to stand on its own but is a real nice bonus.  This is overall another great Beano release worth having.