To be quite fair, Eric Clapton did not need to do a live album at this point, but still, this Guitar God managed to make one as part of his solo career. He deserves praise alone for this decision. Recorded after the release of the phenomenal 461 Ocean Boulevard album in 1974 on his tours during 1974-1975, Eric Clapton made this album with mostly covers here, focusing on his Blues based side here. Let’s take a listen to the music and hear what it sounds like, and it should be a worthwhile listening experience on this live album.

Have You Ever Loved A Woman – Live begins the album with some gorgeous Fender Stratocaster playing from Eric Clapton as he reinterprets this classic John Mayall Bluesbreakers number which he played back in 1966. Clapton wastes no time impressing the audience with his awesome guitar skills, and his singing voice is really clean, clear and awesome to listen to. Slowhand’s guitar playing on this song is very much monumental, and he proves that he is truly a guitar great out there. With gorgeous playing and expression musically, Eric Clapton shows where it’s at. A really awesome listening experience that is never dull nor boring throughout its seven minute long timespan, and this is a great snapshot of not just Clapton’s music, but the era itself here. This is very much expanded Progressive Rock, in Eric Clapton’s own inimitable way. There are duelling guitar leads throughout, and both E.C. and his backing band do a wonderful and inspired job here. The guitar leads are absolutely fantastic to hear and are followed by some very nice organ sounds. Eric Clapton does play a mean guitar here, and very few on the planet at this point could ever match him. He plays in a pseudo-Shred fashion, something that audiences hadn’t really heard by this point. A real joy to hear, this is very cool and amazing music. The crowd love it, too, and this is something one must listen to at least once in their life. It ends with a great climax and is followed by a mash of sounds to conclude. A fine piece of legendary music.

Presence Of The Lord – Live is an Eric Clapton original. It begins with some loose guitar melodies, before launching straight into the song at hand. It has some of Clapton’s most expressive singing here and he does so well here that the crowd loves it. Yvonne Elliman’s wonderful co-vocals are present as well, and this piece is a real joy to hear. An enjoyable and expertly played tune that sounds wonderful and magnificent throughout, this is a majestic, spiritual and awesome listening experience. Some nice arpeggios then enter, before drum rolls, organ washes and guitar feedback enter, before launching straight into the next section of the song. Eric Clapton plays in an extremely manic way, and he proves that indeed, practice makes perfect in a musical sense. His leads are searing, loud and powerful, in an acknowledgement of Blues music tradition. A cool tune to listen to, this is still hugely impressive many decades after this recording. There is a catchy melodic section in the second half of this tune that sounds mighty and powerfully brilliant. This switches back into the first part of the song, and Clapton sings very nicely here, delivering the goods nicely. A great cut from the Blind Faith era, Eric Clapton does exceptionally well on this song, as does everyone else in the band, especially Yvonne Elliman. A great and emotional listening experience, this wraps up with a grand conclusion and the crowd loves it. Nice work dude.

Driftin’ Blues- Live is another traditional Blues cover by Eric Clapton, which goes on for over 11 minutes. It begins with some gorgeous acoustic guitar playing and some mental crowd screaming here. This playing from Eric Clapton is beautiful and magical and is supported by the band, just as Eric Clapton begins singing. This is another Grade A performance from the Guitar God that many know. The playing and singing by Clapton and co. are really wonderfully beautiful. A great live performance, Eric Clapton busts out some acoustic guitar solos that are really interesting and fantastic. This is yet another great performance by Slowhand and is 100% worth hearing. This is followed by some clean Fender Stratocaster shredding as well, which is really awesome and cool. The crowd love this music, and one could never blame them for that. A real joy to hear this song, this is a brilliant extended jam. The playing continues on for some time and is really awesome, playing some upbeat licks and riffs for the crowd to enjoy. This music is amazing, even today in a postmodern digital world where guitar based music isn’t such a big thing as it used to be. Regardless, this is a fine listen. The guitars and organ duke it out towards the middle, with the addition of slide guitar playing on this song. The slide guitar playing is covered with some interesting guitar effects. In the second half of the song, it takes the front and centre of the music. This may not exactly be everyone’s cup of tea to hear slide guitar, but it still works tremendously nicely. Having said this, the playing of the slide guitar is interesting and worth your ears, if you like that sort of thing. The slide guitar eventually goes back into the background, and Eric Clapton gets singing again over the top of it all. Clapton sings with passion and melodicism, making one wonder why he was shy to sing in the first place. This is an interesting tune to hear, and if you dig Blues, Rock or Country music, this is going to be an enjoyable listen for you. There is a return to the slide guitar solos here after a while, whilst this tune powers along. A fantastic and interesting tune to hear, this is fantastic listening, even for such a long piece as this one. Eric Clapton returns back into the tune at hand, and this music begins to wrap up after some further far-out slide guitar, crashing drums and a final finish. Excellent, not bad for an 11-minute-long song. The crowd go nuts at the end, and deservedly so.

Can’t Find My Way Home – Live is a Steve Winwood (from the band Traffic) cover, and it begins again with acoustic guitar and some dark and introspective playing. Yvonne Elliman and Eric Clapton sing gorgeously together on this tune, and it sounds like a wonderful piece and a live cover that should really be a Clapton favourite. Eventually, this piece slowly builds up in intensity and this song begins to sound really cool. The lyricism present is about being wasted and being unable to get home as a result. Indeed, some people can experience this during their lifetime. A gorgeous acoustic guitar solo emerges which sounds deep and powerful. A really sweet tune to listen to, this is a great slice of music that is totally worth hearing. An excellent and refreshing listening experience, there are some great vocal harmonies present towards the end, and this is followed by some great singing and playing from the band. Awesome stuff, and worth your time and ears. The drumming here brings a great finale to this piece before it concludes. Nice work.

Ramblin’ On My Mind – Live is a cover of a tune by the Blues legend Robert Johnson. It begins with some neat and mean sounding Blues playing that is suspenseful and terrific. It sounds sensual and is the sort of thing one would play when getting kinky with a partner on a Saturday night. Eric Clapton begins singing this piece very nicely, and he sounds amazingly thorough. Clapton shows his groove well here and plays as those he hasn’t been getting much at all, being the superstar Rock God that he is. This still sounds really great to this day, and the music is fresh, excellently played and inspired sounding. Eric Clapton sounds brilliant here, even with a key change in the song. His guitar playing here is top, nobody can match Clapton’s way of expressing the Blues. The sections of guitar soloing here are brilliant, and Clapton does his absolute best to impress, and succeeds. This music progresses along nicely, and Slowhand plays some really screaming guitar leads. Even though this may not be as popular or recognised as the 461 Ocean Boulevard album, Clapton makes his mark here. A sensational listening experience, the screaming leads here are fantastic. The soloing eventually concludes and goes back to the main song section with Eric Clapton singing towards this finale, which has some more loud guitar leads. It ends with a loud climax and Eric Clapton is God. Seriously great music and the crowd agrees.

Further On Up The Road – Live is the last song, which is introduced at the end of the previous track. It launches into a deep, upbeat and optimistic listening experience that sounds really cool. A great and enjoyable piece that sounds excellent from the outset. Eric Clapton launches into a piece of music about relationships and revenge tactics regarding an unfaithful lover and her future partners. A good, energetic and brilliant piece of live music, this still sounds great to this day. It quickly launches back into the instrumental side of things, complete with Eric Clapton ripping up the city to shreds with his guitar playing. He launches into some wonderful and overdriven guitar leads throughout. Eventually, Clapton begins to sing again and he does a great job musically at what he does. If anyone does Blues Rock the best, it surely is Eric Clapton. Soon enough, we go back into the guitar soloing and instrumental section that was here before, with some seemingly improvised leads. A beautiful and enjoyable tune that is interesting, adventurous and historical, Slowhand does not hesitate to show us how’s it done. A cool and great tune to listen to, especially if you are a Blues fan. Worth repeat listens, even for a live album. Towards the end are some neat progressions and playing, just as Eric Clapton launches into the last of his soloing which is awesome. Eventually, after seven minutes, this wraps up. A great finish to a great live album.

This is a great live album, and whilst it doesn’t cover any of Eric Clapton’s hit songs, it does show him as a masterful guitarist. There was always more to Eric Clapton than what the studio albums would ever suggest. Should you give this a listen? Definitely, especially if you love excellently played Blues songs mixed in with instrumentals. Nonetheless, Clapton is an absolute legend of a musician, and his singing and guitar work here confirms that.

Amazing sounding Bluesy Rock and Roll.

9/10