Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Had To Cry Today
2. Low Down
3. Them Changes
4. Forever Man
5. Sleeping In The Ground
6. Presence Of The Lord
7. Glad
8. Well All Right
9. Double Trouble
10. Pearly Queen
11. Tell The Truth
12. No Face No Name No Number

Disc 2:

1. After Midnight
2. Split Decision
3. Rambling On My Mind
4. Georgia On My Mind
5. Little Wing
6. Voodoo Chile
7. Can't Find My Way Home
8. Dear Mr Fantasy
9. Cocaine

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #574 in Music
• Released on: 2009-05-18
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Live
• Dimensions: .23 pounds

CD Description
Live From Madison Square Garden is taken from a three nightrun by former Blind-Faith bandmates Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, both legendary guitarists in their own right. A setlist compiled of past hits, traditional standards and coversshowcases these two remarkable talents on one of the world's most famous stages. Also included is a documentary exploring the history of the pair, as well as the preparations and even soundchecks for the gigs themselves.

Customer Reviews

The years just slipped away.....
Live from Madison Square Garden

I often went to Cream & Traffic gigs in the sixties, and managed to catch Blind Faith in Hyde Park, so I just had to buy this. This must have been a great concert to attend - if I'd been there I'd have clapped until my hands bled. However, listening to it in the less euphoric atmosphere of my front room I was not quite as enthusiastic. There are some excellent tracks - a good version of Double Trouble, knockout Voodoo Chile, and it was good to hear Glad having an airing again after all these years. However, there are a few too many old chestnuts. Just how many versions of Cocaine and After Midnight do you want in your collection?

Traffic used several lead instuments, and so their numbers are less satisfactory in this smaller line up, irrespective of any debate about whether Clapton is/was the better musician. The numbers featuring Clapton work better, but are often a little predictable. Blind Faith was the only time Clapton worked in a band where there was at least one other lead instrument, rather than other instruments filling in & taking the odd solo (someone will correct me if that's wrong) and that's one of the sad things about its short life. He does seem to perform better when stretched by other musicians, and his subsequent career as sole star of the band has made him a less interesting musician than he might have been.

But that's just hypothesis. This is an enjoyable album, and captures the atmosphere of an overdue reunion very well. Lovers of nostalgia will enjoy it (I do), but those who weren't around 40 years ago may be less impressed.

Voodoo Chile - a joy to behold!
If you are familiar with Blind Faith and Traffic then no doubt you will buy this on the spot and you will not be disappointed, I promise.

However it is Voodoo Chile which is well worth the price of admission alone! Not to be confused with it's sibling Voodoo Chile (slight return) which was released as a single, this is the extended bluesy jam version and it weighs in at just over 16 minutes! The original version was recorded 'live' in the studio and can of course be found on Electric Ladyland. An alternate version which was recorded as a warm up can be found on Jimi Hendrix: Blues. Both are simply wonderful.

To hear Messrs Clapton and Winwood playing this song together is a joy to behold. Of course Winwood played with Hendrix on the original in 1968. Quite likely he has not played it in 40 years, but then one is hard pressed to think of anyone besides Clapton who has the pedigree with whom he could play. Rarely does Clapton have the opportunity to extend himself in a song of this length and it is an absolute treat to hear these two masters paying homage to an old friend.

What are you waiting for?

clapton/ winwood - a marriage made in heaven
Quite simply, this is as good as it gets. A truly magnificent live album, equal, if not surpassing all other classic rock/blues live albums that i've heard over the last 40 odd years..I thought the Cream reunion cd was pretty good - but this is in a different class altogether... which shows that the Clapton/Winwood collaboration shouldn't have ended after the blind faith album in 1969.....(in fairness that departure did produce my other favourite clapton live album Delaney and Bonnie on Tour)....but even so........

Although both men are in their 60's, Clapton's playing has never been so potent and Winwood's voice has actually improved and matured with time. Each known track, be it 'tell the truth' 'little wing' 'pearly queen' 'ramblin on my mind' 'presence of the lord' 'had to cry today' 'split decision', betters the original studio version. Winwood's rendition of his Traffic classic 'no face, no name, no number' is perfect and extremely moving. Originally recorded in 1967 when Winwood was 19 years old, it sounds more convincing, now that age and experience are behind him. The same can be said for 'georgia' , which Winwood recorded on the Spencer Davis Group 2nd album in 1966.

The musicianship throughout is sublime and Clapton's guitarwork is the best I've heard from him. The Winwood and Clapton voices compliment each other really well (i.e. presence of the lord). There are a couple of unexpected highlights: they bravely tackle Hendrix's Voodoo Chile (the slow blues version) and against the odds, pull it off. As everyone knows, Winwood played the keyboards on the original Electric Ladyland album version. If anyone is worthy of doing hendrix, there's no one more qualified than Clapton. Also present is a great version of Buddy Miles's 'them changes', originally recorded on Hendrix's Band of Gypsys.. Little Wing stays faithful to the Derek and the Dominoes version on 'Layla'. But as Little Wing and all the other tracks on this great double cd show, to hear the now definitive versions, just go out and purchase 'Live from Madison Square Garden'...