Eric Clapton – Pilgrim (1998) [Audio Fidelity 2014] [SACD / Audio Fidelity – AFZ 188]

Eric Clapton - Pilgrim (1998) [Audio Fidelity 2014]

Title: Eric Clapton – Pilgrim (1998) [Audio Fidelity 2014]
Genre: Rock, Blues Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

One strange thing about Eric Clapton’s ’90s success is that it relied almost entirely on covers and new versions of classic hits; he released no albums of new material between 1989’s Journeyman and 1998’s Pilgrim. In the decade between the two albums, he had two new hits — his moving elegy to his deceased son, “Tears in Heaven,” and the slick contemporary soul of the Babyface-written “Change the World” — and Pilgrim tries to reach a middle ground between these two extremes, balancing tortured lyrics with smooth sonic surfaces. Working with producer Simon Climie, his collaborator on the TDF side project, Clapton has created a numbingly calm record that, for all of its lyrical torment, displays no emotion whatsoever. Much of the problem lies in the production, which relies entirely on stiff mechanical drumbeats, gauzy synthesizers, and meandering instrumental interludes. These ingredients could result in a good record, as “Change the World” demonstrated, but not here, due to Pilgrim’s monotonous production. Unfortunately, Clapton doesn’t want to shake things up — his singing is startlingly mannered, even on emotionally turbulent numbers like “My Father’s Eyes” or “Circus.” Even worse, he’s content to take a back seat instrumentally, playing slight solos and fills as colorless as the electronic backdrops. The deadened sonics would make Pilgrim a chore even if there were strong songs on the record, but only a handful of tunes break through the murk. Considering that Journeyman, his last album of original material, was a fine workmanlike effort and that From the Cradle and Unplugged crackled with vitality, the blandness of Pilgrim is all the more disappointing.

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2 min read

Eric Clapton – Behind The Sun (1985) [Audio Fidelity 2014] [SACD / Audio Fidelity – AFZ 175]

Eric Clapton - Behind The Sun (1985) [Audio Fidelity 2014]

Title: Eric Clapton – Behind The Sun (1985) [Audio Fidelity 2014]
Genre: Rock, Blues Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Eric Clapton’s career was in decline in the early ’80s when he switched record labels from Polydor to Warner Bros., and his debut Warner album, Money and Cigarettes, became his first to fall below gold-record status in more than six years. As a result, Warner looked critically at his follow-up, the Phil Collins-produced Behind the Sun, in the fall of 1984 and rejected the first version submitted, insisting that he record several new songs written by Jerry Williams, backed by Los Angeles session players under the auspices of company producers Lenny Waronker and Ted Templeman. Warner then emphasized the new tracks, releasing two of them, “Forever Man” (which reached the Top 40) and “See What Love Can Do,” as singles. The resulting album, not surprisingly, was somewhat schizophrenic, though the company may have been correct in thinking that the album as a whole was competent without being very exciting. The added tracks were not bad, but they were not the sure-fire hits they were supposed to be. As usual, there was some effective guitar soloing (notably on “Same Old Blues”), but despite the tinkering, Behind the Sun was not one of Clapton’s better albums.

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2 min read

Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard (Japan SHM-SACD 2021) (1974/2021) [SACD / Polydor – UIGY-15039]

Eric Clapton - 461 Ocean Boulevard (Japan SHM-SACD 2021) (1974/2021)

Title: Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard (Japan SHM-SACD 2021) (1974/2021)
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO

This is not a reissue of the SHM-SACD 2010 The matrix code of this one disk is UIGY-15039 2 SHM-SACD reissue. Features 2018 DSD mastering based on the US original tapes. *** This SHM-SACD was FIRST released on 26 May 2021. However Universal in Japan admitted on 28 August 2021 (https://www.universal-music.co.jp/eric-clapton/news/2021-08-20/) that the source of the disc was *not* the “US original analog tape” and “2018 DSD Master” as stated in the booklet and OBI. They offered replacement/refund to the japanese buyers. This matter has been corrected in October 2021 (the correct disc has a “2” in the matrix code) and the SHM-SACDs now carry the 2018 DSD Master from the “US original analog tapes”, and NOT from the “2010 DSD Master” sourced from japanese copies of the master tapes as does the SHM-SACD issued in 2010 (https://www.discogs.com/release/5961164-Eric-Clapton-461-Ocean-Boulevard). The version of this release using the incorrect (Japanese) master tape can be found here : Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard Comes with lyrics and a description. Edited in DSD by Terukazu Kawashita at Universal Music Studios, Tokyo, in 2018.

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1 min read

Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974) [Reissue 2004] [SACD / Polydor – B0003638-36]

Eric Clapton - 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974) [Reissue 2004]

Title: Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974) [Reissue 2004]
Genre: Rock, Blues Rock
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

461 Ocean Boulevard is the second solo studio album by Eric Clapton that marked his return to recording after recovering from a three-year addiction to heroin. The album title refers to the address on Ocean Boulevard in Golden Beach, Florida where Clapton lived while recording the album. The street address of the house was changed after the album’s release due to fans flocking to the property.

461 Ocean Boulevard is Eric Clapton’s second studio solo album, arriving after his side project of Derek and the Dominos and a long struggle with heroin addiction. Although there are some new reggae influences, the album doesn’t sound all that different from the rock, pop, blues, country, and R&B amalgam of Eric Clapton. However, 461 Ocean Boulevard is a tighter, more focused outing that enables Clapton to stretch out instrumentally. Furthermore, the pop concessions on the album – the sleek production, the concise running times – don’t detract from the rootsy origins of the material, whether it’s Johnny Otis’ “Willie and the Hand Jive,” the traditional blues “Motherless Children,” Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff,” or Clapton’s emotional original “Let It Grow.” With its relaxed, friendly atmosphere and strong bluesy roots, 461 Ocean Boulevard set the template for Clapton’s ’70s albums. Though he tried hard to make an album exactly like it, he never quite managed to replicate its charms.

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2 min read

Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2010] [SACD / Polydor – UIGY-9024]

Eric Clapton - 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2010]

Title: Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2010]
Genre: Rock, Blues Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Reissue features the high-fidelity SHM-SACD format (fully compatible with standard SACD player, but it does not play on standard CD players) and the 2010 DSD remastering. DSD Transferred by Hitoshi Takiguchi. 461 Ocean Boulevard is Eric Clapton’s second studio solo album, arriving after his side project of Derek and the Dominos and a long struggle with heroin addiction. Although there are some new reggae influences, the album doesn’t sound all that different from the rock, pop, blues, country, and R&B amalgam of Eric Clapton. However, 461 Ocean Boulevard is a tighter, more focused outing that enables Clapton to stretch out instrumentally. Furthermore, the pop concessions on the album — the sleek production, the concise running times — don’t detract from the rootsy origins of the material, whether it’s Johnny Otis’ “Willie and the Hand Jive,” the traditional blues “Motherless Children,” Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff,” or Clapton’s emotional original “Let It Grow.” With its relaxed, friendly atmosphere and strong bluesy roots, 461 Ocean Boulevard set the template for Clapton’s ’70s albums. Though he tried hard to make an album exactly like it, he never quite managed to replicate its charms.

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2 min read

Eric Bibb – Rainbow People (1977) [Reissue 2009] [SACD / Opus 3 – CD 7723]

Eric Bibb - Rainbow People (1977) [Reissue 2009]

Title: Eric Bibb – Rainbow People (1977) [Reissue 2009]
Genre: Blues
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

“Rainbow People” means more than just an LP. It’s Eric Bibb’s debut album, gathering of friends and musical ideas that go together and express one thing above all; the joy of knowing each other. Hearing the sounds of jazz, blues, African, Latin-American and classical music on the same album is a naturally good thing – a kind of rainbow. Eric Bibb grew up in New York City, surrounded by a plethora of cultural variety from Leadbelly to Villa-Lobos wafting in from the radio and the streets. By the time little Bibb got his first guitar, his father, the eminent Leon Bibb, was making the rounds as a respected folk singer. Leon removed Eric from school in favor of packing him along to rehearsals, where he consorted with the likes of Judy Collins, Odetta, Bob Dylan, Earl Robinson and many others.

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1 min read

Eric Bibb, Rory Block, Maria Muldaur – Sisters & Brothers (2004) [SACD / Telarc Surround – SACD-63588]

Eric Bibb, Rory Block, Maria Muldaur - Sisters & Brothers (2004)

Title: Eric Bibb, Rory Block, Maria Muldaur – Sisters & Brothers (2004)
Genre: Blues
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

As its title implies, this is a spiritually based collaboration from three distinct — even disparate — yet surprisingly harmonious voices. Mostly, but not entirely acoustic, the trio of rootsy singers trade lead vocals on smooth jazz/blues (“Bessie’s Dream”), folk-blues (“Good Stuff”), Delta blues (“Rolling Log”), gospel (an a cappella version of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s “Rock Daniel”), and combinations of those genres. On paper it sounds scattershot, but in actuality this is a thoughtfully paced combination of styles, united by three affecting voices. Eric Bibb’s smoother Keb’ Mo’ approach meshes surprisingly well with Rory Block’s more penetrating Delta croon and Maria Muldaur’s sassy, sexy, throaty growl. Covers of Jimmy Reed’s “Little Rain” and Bob Dylan’s “Gotta Serve Somebody” with Bibb taking lead, and Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me” (Muldaur and Block) show the disc’s wide stylistic range. A musical seminar in how diverse types of music interbreed and influence each other, all three singers are in the moment with nobody commanding the spotlight for long. The barrelhouse honky tonk piano blues of Block’s “Travelin’ Woman Blues” incorporates both Muldaur’s and Block’s singing in the album’s most convincing duet. Only a few songs such as the closing title track feature all three voices, and the album might have benefited from more instances where they all contribute. But the vocalist’s exuberance soars from the grooves and creates a lively yet relaxed vibe that’s contagious and often thrilling. The result is a cohesive, soulful, and powerful disc that will hopefully inspire listeners to find more material from each of its headliners.

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2 min read

Eric Bibb & Needed Time – Spirit And The Blues (1999) [Reissue 2002] [SACD / Opus 3 – CD 19421]

Eric Bibb & Needed Time - Spirit And The Blues (1999) [Reissue 2002]

Title: Eric Bibb & Needed Time – Spirit And The Blues (1999) [Reissue 2002]
Genre: Blues
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Eric Bibb and Needed Time’s Spirit & The Blues is a real odyssey of Eric’s music. Here we find everything from Mississippi blues to spirituals, ballads, country and even reggae – sometimes with an almost electrified swing, but guaranteed unplugged in the finest Opus 3 tradition.

Spirit and the Blues is a funky folk-blues delight: a bubbling pot of authentic bottleneck spirituals and memorable hum-alongs, especially for hardcore Deacons fans. Bibb blends the muddy-river vocal style of Delta gospel and the drive of white vagabond balladeers like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. Choice cuts “Lonesome Valley” and “Satisfied Mind” are gorgeous understated revisits of neglected gems; “Where I Shall Be” is a meditative adaption of an old field prayer recorded by Blind Lemon Jefferson. Bibb’s fingerpicking technique engages the “micro-melodies” happening between melody and bassline, skillfully accompanied by the harmonica-wielding Rev. Dan Smith on “Keep Goin’ On” and the traded leads with Göran Wennerbrandt’s steel-bodied National Style “O” on “Lonesome Valley.” Bibb’s songs successfully trade visits with gospel as well as sassy, lazy blues tunes about sex and old-fashioned romance, as in “Braggin,” also a favorite cut. A modern and beautifully mixed record, graced with spirit and a real timelessness factor.

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2 min read

Eric Bibb And Needed Time – Good Stuff (1997) [Reissue 2001] [SACD / Opus 3 – CD 19623]

Eric Bibb And Needed Time - Good Stuff (1997) [Reissue 2001]

Title: Eric Bibb And Needed Time – Good Stuff (1997) [Reissue 2001]
Genre: Blues
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Eric Bibb’s Good Stuff, is a clever fusion of contemporary folk and classic country-blues and classic gospel that emphasizes the guitarist’s skill at fusing genres, as well as his flair for writing solid bluesy songs. Not all of the material really catches hold, but it all shows promise, and the very best moments on the record confirm that he’s one of the more intriguing new bluesmen in the late ’90s.

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1 min read

Eric Bibb – Blues, Ballads & Work Songs (2011) [SACD / Opus 3 – CD 22111]

Eric Bibb - Blues, Ballads & Work Songs (2011)

Title: Eric Bibb – Blues, Ballads & Work Songs (2011)
Genre: Blues
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

This new CD from the great Eric Bibb is one of the very best-sounding guitar recordings I have ever heard.” the audiophile voice Klassiker von Dave Von Ronk, Leadbelly, Alan Lomax usw. interpretiert er ganz vorzüglich auf einer Baritongitarre sowie sieben- und zwölfsaitigen Modellen. Die SACD-Spur gibt all das wunderbar natürlich wieder.” (Stereo, November 2011) Durch den warmen, glasklaren Sound lässt sich sein Spiel auf diversen überwiegend akustischen Instrumenten ganz intensiv genießen. Schöner noch ist seine volle, wahnsinnig seelenvolle Stimme – die durch die vielen Jahre auf der Bühne langsam, aber sicher etwas aufgerauter klingt.” bluesnews #68 12 / 2011 Eine Platte für die Ewigkeit!” (Stereo Phono Sonderheft 1 / 2012)

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1 min read