Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert Album Reviews

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AMG Review

By January 1973, Eric Clapton's career was going great guns as the result of compilations like History of Eric Clapton; the only problem was that Clapton himself was nursing a heroin addiction and hadn't been heard from since his August 1971 appearance at the concert for Bangladesh. The Who's Pete Townshend enticed Clapton out for another one-off concert appearance (in fact, there were two shows) at the Rainbow Theatre in London on January 13, 1973, and organized an all-star band to back him. It was an ensemble effort, as much a showcase for Steve Winwood -- who sang lead vocals on "Presence of the Lord" and Traffic's "Pearly Queen" -- as for the nominal star. But it demonstrated that the reclusive Clapton could still play, and that was welcome news. Today, the album is an adequate live document, though one can find better performances of the songs on other records. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide