Derek and the Dominoes: Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (SACD)
PCM Stereo: B
DSD 2.0: B+ DSD 5.1: A- Music:
A-
It’s a strange thing listening back to the now classic
album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, because it has such a different
context now than it ever did. It seems
stuck in the middle, at least for Clapton, of his prolific career and falls
between his roots as a guitar player and the influence he had with Cream, and
then his work in the late 70’s and into the 80’s. It might also be argued that this is Clapton at his most daring
and honest moments as a guitar player, but his life would drastically change
after Derek and the Dominoes short-lived existence due primarily to the tragic
death of Duane Allman.
Not only that, but then in the 80’s Clapton’s infant son
fell from a window to his death, which would also put a hold on Clapton’s life,
plus the years of addictions and just making it day by day, it’s hard to
believe he was able to pull through and still today be in the business. There is no doubt that Clapton will go down
as one of the greatest guitar players ever, which even to my disagreement I
cannot help but admire his work on this particular project, which remains one
of my all time favorites.
There is also very little that can be left said about such
a huge album after all these years and to drone on about such would just waste
time and text. However, I can honestly
say that I have heard this album thousands of times, but listening to it again
for it’s multi-channel debut on SACD was like falling in love all over
again. Actually it’s almost better than
falling in love again because you fall in love this time around with something
that is in some ways a more fully realized version of the original, yet you
still have that original feel. One
advantage that the SACD format has is that it tries to come as close to the
sound and feel of the original masters, but also include multi-channel for a
new remix and enable certain musical cues and passages to sound like they never
did before. In some cases, you can hear
things that you never heard before.
What I am getting at is that even if you know every little
nuance with the original mix there are still surprises with the 5.1 mix simply
because the instruments and vocals have more room to breathe. In comparing just the two stereo channels
(the DSD and the PCM CD tracks) there is a gigantic difference in the
definition and clarity as expected.
Since the Direct Stream Digital (DSD) source enables such a high
sampling rate you are ensured a much cleaner playback that truly comes close to
sounding like it would from the master, and without the compression that the CD
layer in PCM seems to always have. So
you have more depth in this case, which I think it extremely important when you
are working with the wide range of instrumentation and arrangements that Derek
and the Dominoes were putting out.
If you decide to just bypass the stereo mixes and go
straight for the core of this release with the remixed DSD 5.1 then you are in
for a real treat! While I may have
heard some slightly better recordings from this period perhaps sound a tad
better, this is still one of the best yet.
What I particular love here that most remixes miss out on is keeping the
original vibe, but at the same time mixing with 5.1 in mind and allowing the
music to just casually blend itself into the corners. The vocals are mixed heavily through the middle channel allowing
for the left and right channels to take on the larger portion of the sound,
while the surrounds became active with more of the melodies and standout
sections of the songs. The mix never
becomes hollow or empty and is constantly engaging the listener in as each song
has something fresh to offer, despite how many times you have heard it before.
There are a few Elton John SACD’s on the market such as Madman
Across the Water, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and even the
self-titled 1970 album (reviewed on this site along with Goodbye Yellow
Brick Road) that are just amazing realizations. This is also a superb outing as well, that probably does not come
as close because this particular recording was intended for a more raw
emotional sound, while the Elton John’s have a more polished feel. Even with Tom Dowd (check out Tom Dowd
& The Language of Music reviewed on this site) behind the mix for Layla there is no way to truly remix
these tracks without losing anything in order to make them lose that raw
power. Part of that raw power was
contributed by Duane Allman’s slide guitar, which allowed for Clapton to break
into new territory with more passionate undertones followed by the lucid upper
range of the slide effect taking the song to new heights.
Layla is a
true achievement in sound mixing both then and now. There is no doubt that his song alone has influenced much in the
way of rock and the way a fusion between a passionate ballad and a hardcore
rock song can unite. Also notice the
way it has been used effectively throughout time since, even Clapton would
re-record an acoustic version of the song and who can forget the montage of
death accompanied by Layla’s outro in
Martin Scorsese’s infamous Goodfellas?
In this particular case this is the best I’ve ever heard the song with
the exception of the live version from Eric Clapton’s One More Car, One More
Rider tour available on DVD in DTS.
That is one impressive recording giving the song new energy and
stamina. Layla from the beginning, along with some of the other tracks that
include layered guitars, are distinctly placed inside the 5.1 to give
separation that have never been there before.
Now you can hear a more articulate rhythm guitar and that allows for the
lead to become more crystal clear and cutting.
If I am not mistaking it sounds like there are at least 3 different
guitar parts not including slide guitar inside Layla. Of course mixing
technology was becoming much better in the 70’s and by the time that this
particular album was ready to be pressed it was more possible to isolate the
musical tracks and lay down various parts much more swiftly than before. Allman’s slide guitar cuts through like a
laser through the entire song and is also effectively placed in other songs as
well that he joins in on.
The unique relationship that was sported by this album is
that Clapton and Allman do not compete against one another, yet they compliment
each other’s playing and add texture to each other’s abilities. No ego seems to be heard and they harmonize
their parts together with such flamboyance and attitude that we do not get
these days in the music industry.
Track Listing:
I Looked
Away
Bell
Bottom Blues
Keep
Growing
Nobody
Knows You When You’re Down and Out
I Am
Yours
Anyday
Key to
the Highway
Tell The
Truth
Why does
Love Got to Be So Sad?
Have You
Ever Loved a Woman?
Little
Wing
It’s Too
Late
Layla
Thorn
Tree in the Garden
What should also be noted are a few other highlight
tracks, which stand out in particular. Bell Bottom Blues carries a bit more low
end with this mix, which make it sound more full and powerful like it should as
it’s clearly a call out to a lost love, which Clapton at the time was
experiencing. As if some of the other
tracks are not obvious enough with their titles. Even the cover version of the classic Little Wing you can hear a more full sound coming forth, while I am
still not nearly a fan of this version or even the Stevie Ray Vaughan one for
that matter. What both of these
versions lack is the smoothness and almost poetic nature of the original that
Hendrix seemed to pull of effortlessly.
Clapton’s is a bit too stadium sounding with the raw rock oriented riff
added here and there to the main melody line.
I can’t really find anything negative in this release and
it is a high recommendation for a classic catalog title that needs to be
re-experienced in 5.1. It would be
great to see the major companies really start to pick up the pace with the SACD
catalog and convert more classic material over. Once you experience this you will not likely want to hear any
inferior form again. It’s easy to be
spoiled by such a solid release that offers something new even for the biggest
fan. Let’s continue to hope for more
material equal or even better in the near future.
- Nate Goss
