Derek & Dominos - The Layla Sessions: 20th Anniversary Edition

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Free Music Notes for The Layla Sessions: 20th Anniversary Edition

Free Music Review: If you thought the origanal was good,wait till you hear this
Hit: 5 Stars

First,nothing was really taken or added to these tracks.The origanal album is 77:06 minutes long.This remaster is 77:00 minutes long.I can live with an album that is six seconds shorter.

The origanal version of this album,even the re-released remaster,sounds a bit muddy.By that I mean you can hear vocals,bass,drums,and in the background the other guitar and organ.

This new remix changes all of that.You can hear everything clearly,including all of Clapton and Allman's guitar parts.

Take for example the exellent song,"Why Does Love Got To Be Sad".In the origanal mix,when Clapton comes in twards the end of Allman's solo,it sounds like Allman stopped playing after a few notes.In this remixed version you can hear that he just moved lower on the neck,playing some very deep guitar lines.In the origanal mix this is burried under Clapton's playing.Now you can hear how it was meant to be heard,with both Allman and Clapton playing leads.

Plus,on tracks like "Anyday" and "Key To The Highway",you can hear Allman's slide parts much clearer.They ring out much more than the origanal versions.

Now,onto the jams disc.It should be noted that there are no vocals on this disc,just insturmental jamming.The first three jams are just Clapton and the other Dominos.Exellent playing,some of Clapton's best for sure.On the fourth jam,everything changes.This jam not only has Eric and the Dominos playing with Duane Allman,but also Dickey Betts,Berry Oakley,Butch Trucks and Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers.It is an insturmental take on Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor".There is no real virtuoso playing on this track (though Clapton,Allman and Betts were the most capable of any to do that),just clean guitar lines and a wonderful beat provided by Jim Gordon and Butch Trucks.Each guitarist takes turns playing.It is probibly the most exellent guitar playing ever put on disc.It was taken from the night Eric and Duane met,and the Allman Brothers came into the studio to jam with the Dominos.Out of an unreal 15 hours of jamming,all of which Tom Dowd smartly put on tape,this 12 minute track is the only part of it released.

On the fifth jam,it is what turned out to be the origanal line up of Derek&The Dominos,with Duane Allman.This jam is simmilar to the D&D/AB jam just before it for the first 8 minutes or so-just good easy playing between the two.Just at 8 minutes or so,things change.Allman slips on a slide and for the next 10 minutes you hear some of the most unreal slide playing ever.When Duane described his playing on this album,he called his own playing "something like a full tilt screech".That's about what it is on this track,and it is certainly the best screeching I have ever heard.

Now,for the alternate takes disc.Out of the three discs,I enjoy this one the least.The Tell The Truth jams are interesting,but after awhile seem boring and pointless without Allman's slide parts,which really make the album version of the song what it is.The tracks on this album that Duane perform on,which are all the Mean Old World takes and a few blues improvisions,are fantastic.The two versions of "Have You Ever Loved A Woman" on this disc,even though they do not have Duane Allman performing on them,are without a doubt much better than the album version.

Overall,if you are a Clapton fan and liked the origanal version of this album,you will LOVE this boxed set.It is worth every penny.

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