Eric Clapton - guitar; Marcy Levy - vocals, harmonica; Yvonne Elliman - guitar, vocals; Dick Sims - keyboards; George Terry - guitar; Carl Radle - bass; Jaime Oldacker - drums
Although this performance includes only two songs (Clapton's "One Night With You" and "Can't Find My Way Home" from his brilliant 1969 super group Blind Faith), there is sufficient material here to gauge Clapton's expertise on the guitar and get a sense of the superior musicianship that has made him such an enduring presence in rock 'n' roll.
Recorded originally for the King Biscuit Flower Hour on his 1976 North American tour, this performance captures Slowhand in Houston, TX at a sensitive but transcendent time in his personal and professional life. After an incredibly creative period from '66 to '70 during which he made acclaimed albums with Cream, Blind Faith, and Derek & The Dominoes, in addition to his first solo recordings, Clapton took a few years off to kick his heroin habit.
Upon his return he went through a period of almost ten years and several albums that explored a number of different directions and musical styles while he worked with a myriad of musicians. While this period did produce some solid recordings and one bona fide masterpiece (Slowhand in 1977), it was not until he made August and Behind The Sun in the mid-1980s (with the help of Phil Collins) that Clapton found a formula that allowed him to embrace his past legacy and still grow as a musician within the range of his new material.
The vocals on these two songs feature long-time collaborator Marcy Levy and Yvonne Elliman, who delivers a stellar version of "Can't Find My Way Home," a song that Steve Winwood originally sang while he and Clapton were in Blind Faith. Clapton's guitar work, as always, is astounding. Performing with Clapton here is his mid-'70s band, when he used second guitarist George Terry, and the late Carl Radle, who was also the bassist in Derek & the Dominos.