It is after 9pm, central savings time, so we have just 3 hours left of Eric Claptons birthday party, on facebook. Derek & the Dominos only produced one album (though it consisted of two discs). Eric had been in both Cream and Blind Faith in the two years before 1970. He really did not want his name associated with any project. In fact he played a number of gigs in Britain that year advertised as Eric Clapton and Friends. This was even getting a little too personally promotional for him, so when he joined with Bobby Witlock on organ, Carl Radle on bass and Jim Gordan on Drums that year; they refused to pick a name. Dave Mason joined them onstage, as second guitarist, when they played their first gig, the Lyceum in London, on June 14. Their producer was Jeff Dexter, who had produced Delaney and Bonnie and Friends the previous year, when Clapton played with them. Jeff was kind of nervous when he had to introduce the band to the audience at the Lyceum that night. Some members of the band had told Jeff to introduce them as Eric & the Dynamos but Jeff mangled the title and called them Derek and the Dominoes. Another story says that the band was debating what to call themselves and bandied about names like Two-Tone Special and Fats Domino as their name. This version of the story says that Dexter screamed, thats it Derek and the Dominos. Dexter had a notorious habit of miss stating Erics first name as Derek. Claptons own version of the story is that Tony Ashton, lead singer of a band that often preceded Claptons onstage, had suggested the name Del and the Dominoes and that they just mashed together Del with Eric and came out with Derek. Regardless, the band went to Miami, Florida, in August of 1970 to record an album over a 90-day period at Criteria Studios. Most of you will remember Layla and other assorted love songs as the joining of Eric with Duane Allman, to produce a masterpiece. That is only partly the case. When the band cut the first couple of tunes, Eric had never even met Duane, and Duane had never played with any of them. I feel that of Claptons 40 released albums, Layla and other... by Derek and the Ds is by far his masterpiece. Probably because of his unrequited love for George Harrisons wife, Patty Boyd. Every song on this album owes its synergy to Claptons feelings for Patty. Yet, this album was recorded in 1970, Patty refused to have an affair with Clapton until 1974, and they did not marry until 1979. You dont find many rock and roll love triangles that last a decade in these current times. But, I digress. The song I am posting, Bellbottom Blues was recorded at Criteria before Allman became involved in the project. Tom Dowd (still producing) was the production engineer of the album for them at Criteria, but was also the producer for The Allman Brothers, who were currently recording Idlewild South. About a month into the recording, Dowd invited the four Dominoes to an Allman Brothers outdoor concert in Miami. The band attended the concert, and were sneaked in by Dowd. I will post a comment to this status which describes Duane Allman and Dicky Betts reaction to seeing Eric Clapton in the front row of the audience. Anyway, Duane did come to Criteria and play with the Dominoes on about half of the tracks which were released. As a result, Duanes lead guitar, slide guitar and rythm guitar were a major reason that Layla became a hit, and that the album became a masterpiece. Eric always plays better when he has another lead to keep him from becoming sloppy. So, here, without further ado, I present Eric Clapton, from his 1990 24 Nights stand at the Royal Albert Hall, performing with a 110 piece orchestra, in a fully orchestrated musical piece, from one of the twelve performances he played with an orchestra during that month. The other 12 nights he performed with only his five man electrical band. Enjoy! youtu.be/AY064qzZpns
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 03:44:25 +0000