Just An Illusion (Tricone-005/006)
Budokan, Tokyo, Japan – December 5th, 1990
Disc 1 (71:16): Pretending, No Alibis, Running On Faith, I Shot The Sheriff, White Room, Can’t Find My Way Home, Bad Love, Before You Accuse Me, Old Love
Disc 2 (65:57): Badge, Wonderful Tonight, member introduction, Cocaine, A Remark You Made, Layla, Boom Boom, Crossroads, Sunshine Of Your Love
Just An Illusion on Tricone is a document from the end of Eric Clapton’s Journeyman tour. The label have utilized a brand new, very good to excellent stereo audience recording that is taped a fair distance from the stage. The middle frequencies are emphasized and it captures all of the music coming from the stage very well, the only drawback is the heavy echo caused by the poor acoustics of the venue which is a bit distracting. All of the music is present and the only cut on the tape is a tape flip during “Old Love”, after which the volume increases.
Maybe it’s fatigue from the long tour, but it takes Clapton a good hour to really get warmed up. “I Shot The Sheriff” begins very mellow and segues nicely into a laid back version of “White Room”. “Can’t Find My Way Home” (introduced by Clapton as an old Blind Faith number) is given an impressionistic arrangement but it isn’t until “Before You Accuse Me” until Clapton sounds interested. “Old Love” contains an interesting jam, and the encore begin with the “Boom Boom” riff and Clapton jams for a few minutes, then goes into “Crossroads”. In “Sunshine”, before the drum solo, he runs back into the riff, and runs into John Lee Hooker’s “Boogie Chillun'”.
Overall a nice document of what some consider being somewhat of a Clapton “comeback” after producing several disappointing albums in the mid to late eighties. Tricone has produced several Clapton based titles including Journey’s End (Tricone-001/002) documenting his December 13th, 1990 show in Yokohama, Run For The Roses (Tricone-003/004) featuring his show with George Harrison in Osaka on December 2nd, 1991, and Lord Have Mercy (Tricone-007/008). I think it’s produced by the same people who make the Beano titles, but can’t figure out what the distinction is between the two. Whatever it is Just And Illusion is a great title and worth having.
