Eric Clapton’s Rainbow Concert (1973) — Your opinions and comments

It's nearly a identical copy of the Derek and the dominos version. Definitely not "Who" influenced

 

It's alright, a good listen every once in a while when put in context of what it means in Clapton's career, but not as good as the stellar line-up might make you expect. It's the end of an era for Clapton and as such, along with the fact that there are people on stage there like Townshend, Capaldi, Winwood, etc., it makes for an interesting document, but it's not essential. More an event than a great concert. If pre-Ocean Boulevard Clapton on stage is what one's after, the Dominos' Fillmore sets are a much more satisfying proposition.

 

IMHO, it’s a lame sounding indifferently played concert that shouldn’t have been released. Too many stars in a concert or film is never a good thing.

 

Whatever hype and histrionics there may or may not be on Blind Faith, it's a much better listen than Rainbow Concert. I wish that band had lasted longer.

 

This is one of those albums where the sheer number of used copies I've seen for sale speaks for itself. I've never owned a copy or listened to any of it, and it doesn't sound like I'm missing anything. I am glad Pete got Clapton out of the house, though.

 

*50th Anniversary bump!*
It was 50 years ago today!

 

you are not missing anything

 

The bootlegs better.......warts 'n' all...

 

I think it's one of the better EC/related live albums, because he's mostly drowned out by the superior musicians.

 

Perhaps not originally intended as such, but I’ve always felt the dramatic power chords in D&tD’s version were particularly Townshendian.

 

I think it’s an okay show. It’s nothing spectacular. It has a lumbering quality to it. It really cannot compare to live Cream and Dominos.

 

The insertion of 'dramatic power chords' into this beautiful & delicate song is EC/D&D's equivalent of thread-crapping. Goddamn rednecks...how f@cking dare they.

 

I would LOVE for that expanded CD to make a 2lP vinyl reissue. Its one of my favorites. the Audio Fidelity reissue is a significant audio improvement over the original.

 

the Audio Fidelity reissue tames a lot of the noise.

 

The available Dominos’ sets are fantastic, much better than the Rainbow concert.

 

I don't agree. Their rendition of a much more bluesy After Midnight was, to quote William Miller describing Stillwater, incendiary.

 

I like this album but it's not a stellar performance for anyone involved. Feels sluggish, EC's voice is weak, and some tracks are pretty lackluster. However, the extra songs on the expanded version add some spark and overall it collects some of his best songs (if not performances of them) from the previous few years. I've always had a fondness for it because it involved Pete and Ronnie (two of my top guitar heroes from that period) helping get Clapton (a third) back to performing. Lotta love among the drug-ingesting guitar gods of the '70s, so bonus points for that!

 

I’m not aware of a Derek & the Dominos or Cream live performance of After Midnight.

I find the Rainbow concert not particularly dynamic in interplay as it was in the Dominos and Cream.

The Dominos and Cream are proto-jam bands, among other things that they were. Their live performances are all about extending out the songs and jamming. The Rainbow concert’s arrangements are nothing special, to my ears. There’s no extended jamming like on the Dominos “In Concert” or any of Cream’s live releases.

 

It sounds like a concert where the star has been strung-out on smack and convalescing for a couple years, barely able to play like he used to do a few years earlier. In other words, the concert sounds exactly like what it was.

 

Well, as someone else pointed out, that’s the arrangement on the Layla LP. Blame Eric and Duane Allman, I guess.

That’s a pretty well regarded record and many think it’s a nice tribute to Jimi. Within two weeks of recording the song and prior to the album being released, Hendrix was dead, never to hear his friends’ and fellow axe slingers’ cover his work.

Within a year, Duane would be dead, too.

If the arrangement is overly bombastic, perhaps it seems more fitting as an unintentional tribute to their lives and work.

 

Oh, I do.

I know it's wrong to speak ill of the dead (musically, in the case of EC), but subtlety and nuance were never qualities associated with those two.

 

I think it’s a nice cover.

 

Has anyone been able to pick any significant Townshend guitar out of the mix? Does he solo anywhere?

 

Great question, no, I don't think so. Honestly, its difficult to pull any one person, besides Clapton, out of the mix... Reminds me to take another listen tonight of the Audio Fidelity pressing. sadly, that level of care is not present on the expanded CD

 

Absolutely!