Polydor

My first-blush reaction to the news that there was to be yet another reworking/repackaging of the Layla album was, “Oh, Lord – what’s left? And what sort of wretched excess are they going to employ to entice the helpless Eric Clapton completists of the world into buying it?” (Really: I had visions of some sort of video game that put you right in the driver’s seat of keyboardist Bobby Whitlock’s Ferrari, sitting in Clapton’s driveway after the Dominos imploded in 1971 with control options of a.] blowing the horn repeatedly, b.] screaming out the window for E.C. to come down from the attic, c.] holding the accelerator flat to the floor and redlining the engine until it blows, or, d.] all of the above.)

Well, boys and girls, it turns out there is some material left that at least some of us haven’t heard from the short, intense, and incredibly creative existence of the Dominos. And you have your choice of how far you wade into the waters of Layla as well – from a single-disc remaster of the original album to a “Super-Deluxe” version which includes four CDs’ worth of studio and live Dominos music, an audio DVD with surround sound mix, two slabs of vinyl containing the original album mix, a hardcover book that includes an essay by Derek Trucks, pop-up 3-D artwork, and all sorts of Domino-flavored geegaws. (No word on that interactive Ferrari-in-the-driveway game, but I’ll get back to you.)

Though timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the original Layla sessions, these releases really have more to do with the Dominos’ short history as a band. You know the deal: in 1970, Clapton, wrestling with the demons of fame and his love for Pattie Boyd (the wife of buddy George Harrison), built a bunker of music to burrow into with the help of some fellow Delaney & Bonnie “Friends”: Whitlock, bassist Carl Radle, and drummer Jim Gordon. The anonymously-named Derek and the Dominos had just begun laying down tracks built from the pieces of Clapton’s tortured heart and soul when they crossed paths with the Allman Brothers. Duane Allman was brought into the small circle and magic ensued over the next several weeks, resulting in what the outside world came to know as Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. Duane rejoined the Allmans while the original core four Dominos hit the road for a short run of live performances. By spring of 1971, Derek and the Dominos began working on their second album, which was never completed. The combination of drugs, alcohol, money, egos, and heartbreak finally ignited. Clapton went into a smack-fueled self-imposed exile for the next couple of years and the Dominos went their separate ways. (Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1971; Radle died of a kidney infection in 1980; Gordon was institutionalized for bludgeoning his mother to death with a hammer in ’83; and Whitlock rode a riches-to-rags roller coaster for the next several decades, as documented in his recently-released autiobiography.)

Layla was a time of turmoil, excess, and genius. Looking back it seems incredible that Derek and the Dominos were able to leave such a large imprint in what time they actually spent together as a band. It’s also no surprise that they didn’t last any longer than they did.

Which brings us back to the latest flurry of Layla releases. If you’re one of those aforementioned completists, you’re going to do what you gotta do. Apart from the geegaws and vinyl, the advantage of the “Super Deluxe” box set over the “Deluxe” 2-CD collection is the inclusion of two discs’ worth of live Dominos material – the bulk of which was originally on the Dominos’ long out-of-print In Concert album. (Four additional tracks were on the archival _Live At The Fillmore _ release from 1993.) These performances feature just Clapton, Whitlock, Radle, and Gordon, but the sound is full and the jams are amazing (without even figuring in the added degree of difficulty created by the prodigious substance consumption at the time). If you have no live music from Derek and the Dominos already, a case can be made for looking at the Super Deluxe package.

What both the two- and four-CD sets offer, however, may be the true treasure of the lot. On Disc 2 of either collection are four tunes the band performed live at the Ryman Auditorium in November of 1970 for Johnny Cash’s TV show. There’s no mistaking Cash’s voice as he introduces the Dominos as “one of the finest musical groups in the world” while they make their way into “It’s Too Late”. Gordon and Radle are totally one solid wump/thump way-cool rhythm machine while Clapton and Whitlock come as close to Sam & Dave’s vocal soulfulness as two white boys could ever hope to. Clapton’s guitar tone is clear and sweet with just a touch of dirt – and Whitlock’s keys push against EC gently without ever crowding.

Things get a little funkier with “Got To Get Better In A Little While” (which never saw the light of day on television). Although the Dominos kept their performance reigned in for the Cash audience, they still jammed hard (and jammed well) on the song, making use of the drama of its stop-and-start arrangement, working their way to a total rave-up at the end.

You can tell Cash is tickled to have the Dominos there; he encourages the crowd’s applause while a very humble-sounding Clapton thanks them. An exchange between the two leads to the introduction of one of Clapton’s heroes, Carl Perkins. Cash and Perkins then join the Dominos for a rocking run through “Matchbox”, which is nothing but fun. And then Cash tells the audience that “if it’s alright with our producer, Eric has agreed to do another song just for you guys.” The crowd goes apeshit when the Dominos tear into a mean-ass version of “Blues Power”.

There are no overdubs; no tricks; no nothing. Even though it was music played in the confines of an event recorded for television, there’s something about Cash’s admiration for the band (and theirs for him) that seems to inspire the Dominos. For the moment, they were majestic, soulful bluesmen at the top of their game. Outside of the original Layla sessions, it may be Derek and the Dominos’ finest hour. And the best reason of all to lay hands to one of these 40th anniversary packages.

When they came apart, the Dominos came apart big time. But when they were together … my God, but they were good.