ERIC CLAPTON with SHERYL CROW – GIORGIO ARMANI GALA 1996 SBD MASTER (CD)

Description

Lexington Armory, New York City, New York, USA 12 September 1996
★UPGRADE

[The original DAT master recording of Giorgio Armani’s event performance in 1996!]
　This week, we’re releasing another high-quality recording from a first-generation DAT master provided by a veteran taper based in the UK, known for his rare Eric Clapton recordings! This is a superb stereo soundboard master of a rare show on September 12, 1996, when Clapton made a guest appearance at the opening celebration of a new store in New York owned by the famous designer Giorgio Armani, with whom he had a close relationship.

　While this recording has been released on other platforms before, this time the veteran taper has provided the original DAT master. As a result, the sound quality is arguably the best it’s ever been. It’s a flawless, perfect stereo soundboard recording, capturing both the rehearsal and the actual show in its entirety.

　Many guests were invited to this event besides Clapton. These included actor Michael Keaton (famous for playing Batman), model Naomi Campbell, and former heavyweight boxing world champion Mike Tyson (some of you may have seen a photo of Clapton and Tyson together at this event). Before Clapton’s musical performance, there was a preview of Armani’s Spring 1997 collection. And as the celebratory mood reached its peak, the Clapton Band appeared.

　This album features an unusual band personnel, including singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, who was rumored to be dating Clapton at the time. The Clapton band’s performance was recorded from rehearsals onwards, and it’s rare to hear them rehearsing the songs they played on stage multiple times, as well as instrumental jams that weren’t played on stage. The performance was also filmed and later broadcast on the American channel VH1. Currently, “Tearing Us Apart” from that recording has been uploaded to the internet and can be viewed. This is a very interesting film, and I hope you will take this opportunity to watch it.

[Amidst a packed schedule of events, they delivered a performance that showcased their true essence even in a short set!]
　So, let’s take a look back at what 1996, the year this concert took place, meant to Clapton.

– January 11th and 13th: Made a surprise appearance at Dr. John’s gig at Ronnie Scott’s Club in London.
– February 16th to March 19th: Performed in the UK (including 13 consecutive performances at the Royal Albert Hall).
– May 9th: Filmed the VH1 television program “Duets” with Dr. John at the Roseland Ballroom in New York.
– May 28th: ​​Made a surprise appearance at Buddy Guy’s concert at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London.
– June 20th: Performed at a charity concert hosted by opera singer Luciano Pavarotti in Modena, Italy.
– June 29th: Performed at the “Princes Trust Concert” held in Hyde Park, London.
– September 12th: Performed at the Giorgio Armani store opening celebration event at the Lexington Armory in New York. ←★Here★
・November 18th, 19th, 26th: Made a surprise appearance at Sheryl Crow’s concert at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London.
・December 31st: Held the annual charity concert “New Year’s Eve Dance” in his hometown of Woking, Surrey.　

　You can see that, compared to a typical year, there was no new album release, and the tour was limited to short trips within his native England. This is because he had been immersed in the “Nothing But the Blues World Tour” for the past two years. Therefore, it was basically a year of rest. Nevertheless, Clapton, with his extensive network of contacts, his loyalty to his friends, and his love of live performances, meant that he would often make surprise appearances at various events and friends’ gigs. That’s so typical of Clapton. It seems he readily accepted this event at the request of his acquaintance, Armani. Since it was a short, spot performance, Clapton didn’t assemble his large band, but instead gathered musicians he knew well who were willing to come along. These included his old acquaintances Greg Phillinganes, Nathan East, and Steve Gadd. Listening to this album, there is another musician participating on organ, but I couldn’t find their name even after checking the data. And he also approached Sheryl Crow, with whom he was reportedly dating at the time.

　First up is a rare rehearsal recording, but it’s not a serious one; the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed, with laughter from the band members interspersed throughout. The opening track is an instrumental jam. This song is officially completely unreleased, but Clapton’s skill is evident even in this improvised jam. The second track is labeled “Pretending/Run Baby Run,” but in “Pretending,” keyboardist Greg Phillinganes only plays a brief intro, and in “Run Baby Run,” Crowe is there, so he thoughtfully improvises a solo of her hit song; it’s not a take where the band is playing properly (this kind of performance is typical of rehearsals).

　Pretending and Tearing Us Apart were rehearsed twice, while Going Down Slow and Crossroads were rehearsed only once. It seems he’s confident he can always deliver a stable performance on the blues numbers, so one rehearsal was enough. Interestingly, Going Down Slow, which wasn’t included in the setlist for the previous year’s Nothing But the Blues Tour, is performed with a more orthodox arrangement, different from the version used in the following year’s spot unit, Legends’ stage, the subsequent Japan tour, and even the version included on the 1998 release “PILGRIM.” It seems Clapton had the idea of ​​mastering this blues song from early on, but it appears he was still in a trial-and-error phase. On the other hand, Crossroads follows the arrangement from the Nothing But the Blues Tour. Sheryl Crow participates in Tearing Us Apart, singing the part originally sung by Tina Turner. And she delivers a perfect performance in the actual show. Two blues songs and two of his own hit songs. This balance is typical of Clapton. It’s impressive how he captures the essence of this era of Clapton in just four songs.

　This is a fantastic live performance where Clapton truly shines, even at a rare, one-off event. Please enjoy it on this release, which features a first-generation DAT master.

(73:37)
Rehearsal
1. Instrumental Jam
2. Pretending/Run Baby Run
3. Pretending
4. Going Down Slow
5. Tearing Us Apart(with Sheryl Crow)
6. Crossroads
7. Tuning
8. Tearing Us Apart(with Sheryl Crow)
9. MC Rehearsal

Concert
10. Intro.
11. Crossroads
12. Pretending
13. Going Down Slow
14. Tearing Us Apart (with Sheryl Crow)

Eric Clapton – guitar / vocals
Greg Phillinganes – piano, synthesiser
Nathan East – bass
Steve Gadd – drums

STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING