Eric Clapton - VCD/DVD

July 4, 1986
Spotlight Of Roskilde VCD (2)
Copenhagen, Denmark

VCD Comments

1970 - 1989
Eric Clapton & His Rolling Hotel: Maybe not the greatest produced video, but not too bad. The exerpts from the '78 European tour are very nice and make this worthwile.

September 20, 1983: VCD is of very good video and audio quality. The sound is of a straight soundboard, maybe too good of a soundboard as it feels as if you are not really at a live show. This is certainly not the complete show.

July 31, 1984: One of the very rare "Pros and Cons" shows to be filmed and actually in circulation. The video could easily be described as horrible and the audio pretty annoying at times. Besides the ultra-rarity of this show in any form, there is little reason to own it. The few positives are in the performance which is certainly above average. The actual concert volume must have been quite loud as there is no problem hearing the band, specially EC's guitar. The problem is hearing the band easily without any audio difficulties. Certainly the best part of this show is for a brief period I think we all hear what we want to hear; an obnoxiously loud, wild, and super fast guitar from Mr.Clapton. The long delay EC uses along with many other guitar effects is quite welcome, and it's a wonder why that sort of style never really sticks with him.

July 4, 1986: Video is pretty bad, but everything besides that, it is a worthwhile show to own. Contains the first "New" version of "After Midnight." A very loose band; I wish it was this show compared to the others in '86 which were produced.

October 7, 1988 - Video is not good, certainly average enough for watching though. Hard to find a fault with this show, just does not seem to have anything spectacular, if you can call that a fault. There is one little tid bit that caught my eye. This may only impress the "mega" Clapton fan, but during the solo for "Tearing Us Apart, EC plays the riff while laughing and pointing to a fan in the audience. We in ClaptonLand just do not see this type of arrogance or showmanship very often. Kudos to EC who appeared to be in high spirits this night. Needless to say this is a top version of "Tearing Us Apart."

1990 - 1999
January 24, 1990: More than a few selections are from "24 Nights." Not the complete show, but this is certainly a good backup if you do not own the "24 Nights DVD." Hard to comment on this one as there is an overflow of RAH material out there, it is quite easy to find. Good picture however, slightly below DVD/VHS quality.

March 24, 1990: One of the best reasons that I've found collecting these VCD's is precisely for this one. Where else would you find over an hour of EC at rehearsal. It's a very good look at what people rarely see and that's of a band at practice. Don't know if there's any real gem's hear as far as a great song, but I'd treat it as a biography; something to learn from. The quality is also surprisingly good, although it can be a 3rd or 4th generation copy.

August 17, 1990: Again, the best thing about this VCD is the audio, the video is forgettable. Not really anything memorable from this show. Just a lot of EC "Rock God" playing. Every now and then EC seems to come out of his shell and mainly just play a "Rock" concert the fan's want to hear - this seems to be one of those shows.

September 29, 1990: A Pro-Shot Video that is heavily edited and pretty much out of order. Besides that, not too much to complain about this one. A Professional show.

September 6, 1992: A very bad recording. Shaky all the way through and I don't even remember any closeups of the band. Probably shot from the nosebleed section. The show could be nice, I wouldn't know. I prefer the CD version with audio only.

Nuthin' But The Blues, 1994: This VCD is a straight copy with no extras as the newer versions have. An essential VCD or CD for any Clapton Fan. Pic quality is also very average, there are better versions out there.

September 13, 1995: One of the real pleasures of collecting these videos. Every once in a while something special happens in a live concert, and this is one of those days. If you look at the pic above, you'll notice a guitar that looks completely out of place. The guitar in the pic is actually a guitar that a fan gave Eric before the show. Quite a surprise to see Eric actually play it that night. A real treat of a show - a top notch blues performance.

July 9, 1997: Collectable only because of the rarity of these performances. The video is mostly shaky throughout. Also, this show is only the middle portion, capuring the part of the show in which EC is featured most.

October 17, 1997: So far, the best EC show that I own on VCD. Wonderful Guitar here and there's not a bad perormance anywhere in this show. The video is nothing great, but in terms of a Video Recording it is quite average. Pretty good sound, too- really sounds like you are in the audience. Also, this is Eric's 100th Show at The Budokan in Tokyo. There's a nice speech and presentation before the Encore.

October 16, 1998: I expect better quality with this show being in a small venue, but the quality is pretty poor. The sound is average, but distant. The only real highlight is the encore with B.B. King - I've never heard him play so well. Certainly worthwhile for the encore.

December 6, 1998: A good news/bad news VCD. The good news is that it features both amazing sound (possible soundboard) and an amzing picture. The VCD does seem to have slight issues with the disc itself. All in all a great show however, a top show for 1998. Sadly, no "I Shot the Sheriff."

November 24, 1999: In terms of quality, easily the best VCD that I own. In terms of the actual show this only falls a very short distance behind Oct.17,1997 for the best in performance. This is a pro-shot video and it certainly looks good enough to be a DVD. There is a small interview just before the Encore that is a little unique. Interesting to actually see a live version of "Gin House", as for some reason it is even that much better seeing it on video. Wild version of "She's Gone" where you can also really appreciate how really difficult it is to pull off those wonderful sounds! A perfect Video and should be a must have for anybody.

2000 - 2001
February 3, 2001: Above average show and above average pic quality. Nothing spectacular with the video except it gives you a pretty interesting "straight on" view of EC during the entire show. First show of the 2001 Reptile Tour. The band certainly performed better in the coming months, but this is a decent show with a very rare 2001 version of "I Shot The Sheriff, and White Room". Those songs were dropped from the setlist although they never were *really* apart of it anyway.

December 4, 2001: This is a Pro-Shot Video. It is not, however a very clear picture for reasons I do not know. Besides that, this VCD would be just like one you would buy in the stores. The sound is amazing, and I prefer it to many other recordings. Very good performances all around.

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