By Steve Newton
Music lovers of a certain age—let’s call them “old fogies” for want of a better term—know that 1973 was an incredible year for guitar-based rock.
You can read all about it in music historian Michael Walker’s great new book, What You Want Is in the Limo, which focuses on the albums and touring shenanigans of the Who, Led Zeppelin, and Alice Cooper those 40 years ago.
Or you can just take my word for it, and go here for a sampling.
But the two years following weren’t too shabby either—especially for guys like Eric Clapton. Between April ’74 and June ’75 he released some of the finest material of his fabled career, all of which has been collected in an upcoming boxed set titled Give Me Strength: The ’74/75 Recordings.
The six-disc package, scheduled for release this Tuesday (November 26), features expanded versions of the two studio albums Clapton released in that time period, 461 Ocean Boulevard and There’s One in Every Crowd, as well as a remixed and expanded version of his live album, E.C. Was Here, which includes previously unreleased versions of “Crossroads”, “Layla”, and Hendrix’s “Little Wing”.
But perhaps most enticing to blues-loving guitar freaks is the inclusion of disc five, The Freddie King Criteria Studios Sessions, which sees Clapton performing with his idol—or one of them, anyone—on “Sugar Sweet”, “TV Mama”, the previously unreleased “Boogie Funk”, and the full-length (22-minute!) version of “Gambling Woman Blues”.
According to Universal’s promo material, a sixth Blu-ray disc “adds a newly-available 5.1 Surround Sound mix of 461 and the original quadrophonic mix of both studio releases.”
But who cares about that when there’s 22 minutes of Slowhand and Freddie trading licks in their prime!
DISC ONE – 461 OCEAN BOULEVARD expanded version
01 MOTHERLESS CHILDREN
02 GIVE ME STRENGTH
03 WILLIE AND THE HAND JIVE
04 GET READY
05 I SHOT THE SHERIFF
06 I CAN’T HOLD OUT
07 PLEASE BE WITH ME
08 LET IT GROW
09 STEADY ROLLIN’ MAN
10 MAINLINE FLORIDA
Session out-takes:
11 AIN’T THAT LOVIN’ YOU
12 MEET ME (DOWN AT THE BOTTOM)
13 LONESOME ROAD BLUES (WALKIN’ DOWN THE ROAD)
14 GETTING ACQUAINTED (previously unreleased)
15 GETTING ACQUAINTED 2 (TOO LATE) (previously unreleased)
16 ERIC AFTER HOURS BLUES
17 PLEASE BE WITH ME (ACOUSTIC) (previously unreleased)
18 GIVE ME STRENGTH (DOBRO 1) (previously unreleased)
DISC TWO – THERE’S ONE IN EVERY CROWD expanded version
01 WE’VE BEEN TOLD (JESUS IS COMING SOON)
02 SWING LOW SWEET CHARIOT
03 LITTLE RACHEL
04 DON’T BLAME ME
05 THE SKY IS CRYING
06 SINGIN’ THE BLUES
07 BETTER MAKE IT THROUGH TODAY
08 PRETTY BLUE EYES
09 HIGH
10 OPPOSITES
Session out-takes:
11 BURIAL (previously unreleased)
12 WHATCHA GONNA DO
13 I FOUND A LOVE
14 (WHEN THINGS GO WRONG) IT HURTS ME TOO
15 FOOLS LIKE ME 5:09 (previously unreleased)
Non-album single release:
16 KNOCKIN’ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR
17 SOMEONE LIKE YOU
DISC THREE – E.C. WAS HERE remixed and expanded version
01 SMILE 3:35
Recorded at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California, July 20, 1974
02 HAVE YOU EVER LOVED A WOMAN 7:41
Recorded at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California, July 19, 1974
03 PRESENCE OF THE LORD 8:47
Recorded at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California, July 20, 1974
04 CROSSROADS 4:38 (previously unreleased)
Recorded at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California, July 20, 1974
05 I SHOT THE SHERIFF 7:35 (previously unreleased)
Recorded at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California, July 20, 1974
06 LAYLA 6:00 (previously unreleased)
Recorded at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California, July 20, 1974
07 LITTLE WING 8:57 (previously unreleased)
Recorded at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California, July 20, 1974
08 CAN’T FIND MY WAY HOME 5:18
Recorded at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California, July 20, 1974
09 DRIFTIN’ BLUES / RAMBLIN’ ON MY MIND 11:38
Recorded at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California, July 20, 1974
DISC FOUR – E.C. WAS HERE remixed and expanded version
01 RAMBLIN’ ON MY MIND / HAVE YOU EVER LOVED A WOMAN
Recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, December 4, 1974
02 WILLIE AND THE HAND JIVE / GET READY
Recorded at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California, July 20, 1974
03 THE SKY IS CRYING / HAVE YOU EVER LOVED A WOMAN / RAMBLIN’ ON MY MIND
Recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, December 5, 1974
04 BADGE
Recorded at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale New York, June 28, 1975)
05 DRIFTIN’ BLUES
Recorded at Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island, June 25, 1975
06 EYESIGHT TO THE BLIND / WHY DOES LOVE GOT TO BE SO SAD
Recorded at Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island, June 25, 1975
07 FURTHER ON UP THE ROAD
Recorded at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale New York, June 28, 1975
DISC FIVE – THE FREDDIE KING CRITERIA STUDIOS SESSIONS
01 SUGAR SWEET
02 TV MAMA
03 BOOGIE FUNK (previously unreleased)
04 GAMBLING WOMAN BLUES (previously unreleased full length version)
DISC SIX (BLU-RAY)
1. 461 OCEAN BOULEVARD 5.1 Surround Sound mix (previously unreleased Elliot Scheiner mix)
01 MOTHERLESS CHILDREN
02 GIVE ME STRENGTH
03 WILLIE AND THE HAND JIVE
04 GET READY
05 I SHOT THE SHERIFF
06 I CAN’T HOLD OUT
07 PLEASE BE WITH ME
08 LET IT GROW
09 STEADY ROLLIN’ MAN
10 MAINLINE FLORIDA
Session out-takes:
11 AIN’T THAT LOVIN’ YOU
12 MEET ME (DOWN AT THE BOTTOM)
13 LONESOME ROAD BLUES (WALKIN’ DOWN THE ROAD)
2. 461 OCEAN BOULEVARD original 4.0 quadraphonic mix
01 MOTHERLESS CHILDREN
02 GIVE ME STRENGTH
03 WILLIE AND THE HAND JIVE
04 GET READY
05 I SHOT THE SHERIFF
06 I CAN’T HOLD OUT
07 PLEASE BE WITH ME
08 LET IT GROW
09 STEADY ROLLIN’ MAN
10 MAINLINE FLORIDA
3. THERE’S ONE IN EVERY CROWD original 4.0 quadraphonic mix
01 WE’VE BEEN TOLD (JESUS IS COMING SOON)
02 SWING LOW SWEET CHARIOT
03 LITTLE RACHEL
04 DON’T BLAME ME
05 THE SKY IS CRYING
06 SINGIN’ THE BLUES
07 BETTER MAKE IT THROUGH TODAY
08 PRETTY BLUE EYES
09 HIGH
10 OPPOSITES