Over the course of Eric’s 40-plus year career, many official live recordings have been issued. Initially, they were only released on LP. From the late 1960s, concerts were not only recorded for audio release, but were sometimes filmed for theatrical release or broadcast television. Beginning in the late 70s, filmed concerts were released to the home video market.
Eric’s first live album came out in 1963 and was entitled “Five Live Yardbirds”. The most recent is a two DVD set called “Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival”. It was filmed and recorded in June 2004 in Dallas, Texas. In addition to performances by some of the world?s greatest guitarists, it features Eric sitting in with some of his favorites as well as portions of his solo set.
“One More Car, One More Rider” was recorded on 18 August 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles with bonus tracks from December 2001 at the Budokan in Tokyo, Japan was the last complete concert issued. It was released on CD and DVD in 2002.
In February 2003, Record Collector magazine listed Clapton’s Top 5 live albums as “Unplugged”, “Live At The Fillmore” (Derek And The Dominos), “Wheels of Fire” (Cream), “24 Nights” and “Crossroads II: Live In The Seventies”.
Over the years, Eric has also taken in part in several “superstar concerts” that have been released on vinyl, VHS, CD or DVD. They include the world’s first rock benefit, The Concert for Bangladesh, Live Aid, Knebworth 1990, Music for Montserrat, various Prince’s Trust Concerts, and most recently, The Concert for George.
For a complete list of his official live recordings, both audio and concert films, visit this site’s Discography.
Additionally, bootleg recordings exist for hundreds of Eric?s concerts over the years. Bootlegs are videos, DVDs, CDs, tapes or LPs of illegitimate origin. Artists receive no royalties from the sale of such material and they are illegal. The great majority of bootlegs are recorded by fans in the audience. Occasionally, radio broadcasts or soundboard tapes make their way into the bootleg market. Where’s Eric! does not condone the manufacture or sale of bootlegs, nor recommends their purchase. However, as numerous fans are already resigned to collecting them, this site features an “Essentials List” by year for bootleg audio recordings on CD. Additionally, the Eric Clapton Bootography is an excellent resource for interested individuals.
