Eric Clapton – On Tour 1974 Budokan 2nd Night (Tarantura TCDEC-76)

On Tour 1974 Budokan 2nd Night (Tarantura TCDEC-76)

Budokan Dai Hall, Tokyo, Japan  – November 1st, 1974

Disc 1 (55:06):  Announcement, monitor check, Let It Grow (acoustic), Can’t Find My Way Home (acoustic), Little Rachel, Tell The Truth, Singing The Blues, Badge

Disc 2 (53:11):  Willie And The Hand Jive, Get Ready, I Shot The Sheriff, Have You Ever Loved A Woman, Layla, Little Wing (encore), announcement

Listening to performances of rock bands on their first visit to Japan is always fun.  It was still quite novel in the early to mid seventies for artists to tour the far east and, as the surviving tapes for Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Queen show, they were met with extreme enthusiasm. 

It was the same for Eric Clapton when he toured Japan for the first time in October and November 1974.  He played only five shows:  three in Tokyo and two in Osaka.  All were taped from the audience and have been pressed before. 

Clapton’s second show in Tokyo was on November 1st and exists on at least three tape sources.  The first is a poor to fair tape released as Rachel’s Wing (ECDR 746/747).  In 2007 Tarantura issued a second source on Lovely People (Tarantura TCDEC-23, 24) called the “Sound Brothers.”  This tape is good to very good mono with some distance from the stage and a slight amount of hiss.  

On Tour 1974 Budokan 2nd Night is the second Tarantura to carry this show, but this time sourced from a previously uncirculated Mr. Peach tape.  It is an early effort from the popular taper.  It’s clear but distant from the stage.  Some of Clapton’s introductions are hard to hear.  The music, however, is loud enough to be enjoyed and to get an appreciation for the performance.  

The only significant cut is a tape flip after “Badge,” losing no music.

After announcements and a brief check of the monitors, they start off with only two acoustic numbers instead of the usual three.  “Let It Grow” sounds gorgeous and Yvonne Elliman gives a powerful vocal performance on “Can’t Find My Way Home.”  Afterwards Clapton can be heard saying “take a bow, Yvonne, take a bow!”

“Little Rachel” is the first electric number played.  It was  freshly recorded for the next album There’s One In Every Crowd, to be released in March 1975, and introduced to the setlist in September.  The audience sound bewildered at the new unfamiliar material.  

Much warmly received in the Derek And The Dominoes jam “Tell The Truth.”  Clapton and George Terry jam ceaselessly during this and the following number “Singing The Blues.”

“Willie And The Hand Jive” and “Get Ready” run for almost eighteen  minutes of unadulterated smut.  The latter segues seamlessly into “I Shot The Sheriff.” 

The audience erupts at the first notes of “Layla” and continue shouting and whistling throughout the song.  They erupt into applause and commotion a couple times for no apparent reason, and when Clapton comes out for the encore has to shout “calm down, calm down, calm down, calm down” before they can start playing again.  “Little Wing” is given a nine minute interpretation by Clapton, playing one of the strangest solos in the middle.

On Tour 1974 Budokan 2nd Night is packaged in a gorgeous gatefold sleeve with several photographs from the tour, the same ones used on Lovely People.  It’s a nice Mr. Peach recording which, even though it’s not one of his best efforts, is still much nicer than anything else available for this date and is worth having.