Compensation For Betrayl
6 show, 6 cd box set
Paddington 019 thru 024
The Band:
Eric Clapton guitar, vocals
Steve Winwood keyboards, vocals
Ginger Baker drums
Rick Grech bass
Artwork included
Lineage: Soundboard and audience>?>cdr>EAC>Flac frontend 6
My rating (scale 1-6) It varies from Aud 3 up to SBD 4+
When Paddington released their six-disc anthology of well-known Blind Faith performances at the end of 2006, we were curious about the set's title, Compensation For Betrayal. We do not own an original copy and have not seen the artwork. So we can only speculate.
Just who was betrayed? Mojo magazine in a 1996 article suggests that it was the idea of the band, at the time a "supergroup" composed of two parts Cream, one part Traffic and Rick Grech of Family. Blind Faith, a name invented by Clapton, was supposed to be the precursor of the superstar bands which less than a decade later would reap tens of millions for their management and labels. Corporate rock was just an idea at this point.
But an unwieldly arrangement had Winwood managed by Chris Blackwell, while Clapton's manager was Robert Stigwood. Two heads were in this case not better but a source of conflict. Management wanted their new band to start playing and the label wanted a record. According to Winwood, there was no time for the four to gel first, rehearse together and write songs.
"Who would let a million-dollar-a-week potential in a band sit around and rehearse?" he asked.
The famous debut at Hyde Park proved their undoing. Nervous and without much chemistry, Blind Faith crumbled in front of 100,000 fans. At the end of the gig, you could hear fans calling for Cream. But Robert Stigwood was oblivious to this.
"They are going to make a lot of money in appearance and on records, and this concert was the best possible beginning. I am going to make a great deal of money out of it from the film and television rights all over the world," said Stigwood. The Hyde Park concert was finally released on DVD in 2006.
Stigwood committed the band to a brief European tour and a major US tour opening at Madison Square Garden. Of the European tour, the Gotoberg concert was recorded. Judging from quite a number of audience recordings of the US tour, there was much anticipation. But as Winwood has noted, Blind Faith were unrehearsed, had only one album of songs to play and needed Cream and Traffic tunes to fill up the set. Clapton has admitted as soon as the tour started, he was already thinking of how to leave the band.
Inside America, Blind Faith faced a dead end, playing Cream songs to please the fans. In effect, Blind Faith had betrayed themselves. The tour was a financial success but Blind Faith failed to win an audience for themselves.
The Blind Faith album cover was another betrayal of the idea of artistic freedom. The naked young girl with the silver winged jet was too much for America and orders were quickly cancelled. A quick reprint had the back cover of the band on the front, the naked girl banished from sight. Within a week of the change, the album was a gold record.
When the tour ended, so did the band. Blind Faith's short lifespan has never been properly archived by their record label. So Paddington's work is welcomed bringing together very good audience recordings, a compensation for betrayal.
The only quality soundboard in the set is the show in Sweden, just 11 days after Blind Faith's debut at Hyde Park as guests for the Rolling Stones. The entire Blind Faith album was played in Goteberg plus some other songs. Now you can have a taste of Blind Faith live.
Nice quality for its time.
Disc 1:
Konserthallen Liseberg
Liseberg Nojespark
Goteborg, Sweden
June 18, 1969
1. Well All Right
2. Sleeping In The Ground
3. Sea Of Joy
4. Under My Thumb
5. Can't Find My Way Home
6. Do What You Like
7. Presence Of The Lord
8. Means To An End
9. Had To Cry Today
rapidshare.com:
http://lix.in/-351336
http://lix.in/-3699d7
http://lix.in/-382078
http://lix.in/-2a64d9
http://lix.in/-2beb7a
megaupload:
http://lix.in/-2a64cf
http://lix.in/-2beb70
http://lix.in/-2d7211
http://lix.in/-2ef8b2
http://lix.in/-307f53
Disc 2:
Madison Sq. Garden
New York, NY
July 12, 1969
1. Had To Cry Today
2. Can't Find My Way Home
3. Sleeping In The Ground
4. Well All Right
5. Presence Of The Lord
6. Sea Of Joy
7. Do What You Like
8. Means To An End
rapidshare.com:
http://lix.in/-2ef89e
http://lix.in/-307f3f
http://lix.in/-3205e0
http://lix.in/-338c81
http://lix.in/-351322
megaupload:
http://lix.in/-3205ea
http://lix.in/-338c8b
http://lix.in/-35132c
http://lix.in/-3699cd
http://lix.in/-38206e
Disc 3:
**Milwaukee Community College
Milwaukee, WI
July 26, 1969
1. Had To Cry Today
2. Can't Find My Way Home
3. Sleeping In The Ground
4. Well All Right
5. Presence Of The Lord (cuts at 5:00)
6. Do What You Like
7. Sunshine Of Your Love
rapidshare.com:
http://lix.in/-2bfa02
http://lix.in/-2d80a3
http://lix.in/-2f0744
http://lix.in/-308de5
megaupload:
http://lix.in/-338ca9
http://lix.in/-35134a
http://lix.in/-3699eb
http://lix.in/-38208c
Disc 4:
Almeda County Coliseum
Oakland, CA
August 14, 1969
1. Well All Right (fades in, some distortion, missing middle segment)
2. Presence Of The Lord
3. Sea Of Joy
4. Means to An End
5. Do What You Like (fades early)
rapidshare.com:
http://lix.in/-321486
http://lix.in/-339b27
megaupload:
http://lix.in/-307f71
http://lix.in/-320612
Disc 5:
Fairgrounds Arena
Santa Barbara, CA
August 16, 1969
1. Well All Right
2. Can't Find My Way Home
3. Had To Cry Today
4. Sleeping In The Ground
5. Crossroads
6. Presence Of The Lord
7. Means To An End
8. Do What You Like
9. Sunshine Of Your Love
rapidshare.com:
http://lix.in/-36a869
http://lix.in/-382f0a
http://lix.in/-2a736b
http://lix.in/-2bfa0c
megaupload:
http://lix.in/-3699f5
http://lix.in/-382096
http://lix.in/-2a64f7
http://lix.in/-2beb98
Disc 6:
Hemisphere Arena
San Antonio, TX
August 20, 1969
1. Well All Right
2. Can't Find My Way Home
3. Had To Cry Today
4. Sleeping In The Ground
5. Crossroads
6. Presence Of The Lord
7. Means To An End
8. Do What You Like
9. Sunshine Of Your Love
rapidshare.com:
http://lix.in/-339b31
http://lix.in/-2a7479
http://lix.in/-2bfb1a
http://lix.in/-2d81bb
megaupload:
http://lix.in/-2d80ad
http://lix.in/-2f074e
http://lix.in/-308def
http://lix.in/-321490
Comments welcome.
