it seemed the more raggedy and doped out clapton was the more inspirational his playing was. i saw this tour from 1974 and some of his playing was from another world, some of his licks and runs on this album are just sick, play it and see why for a period of 5 years from 1969 to 1974 he was the best in the world

The backup band is so lousy. On 'Rambling' you can hear EC speaking out the chord (C sharp, E, funny). But wait, the guitar is simply the best blues rock I've ever heard.

In HYELAW, each singing line is completed by a poignant guitar phrase that complete and dig deepeer in the emotion.
The Presence of the Lord chorus shows what heavy guitar can be when it goes beyond the cliches. It's at par with the best Led Zeppelin.
All acoustic work is better than anything in Unplugged.
Rambling is a meditation, the same kind he would do years after in Old Love. Close your eyes and take the trip with him.
Further On Up The Road is a classy boogie, showing EC amazing sens of timing and crescendo.

I truely respect all EC work. But I wish he build on this kind of inspiration rather than go puppy like he did next in his career.

If you want to hear what a real "shuffle" is supposed to sound like just take a listen to Eric's version of "Further on down the road" and you will know. This is truly what a live concert should be like.

This (album) is a testimony to why EC has become the most widely acclaimed guitar master of the last 30 years. I've heard the complaints of many through the years, about how "...(he) just doesn't do it as good as in the old days", meaning the shredding style developed when he was in Cream. I beg to differ. The man returned to the soul of the music that motivated him to play in the first place. This is a display, not only of his immeasurable ability to play a guitar, but to use it to communicate in a way that his voice alone could never do. The acoustic solo on "Can't find my way home" is short, sweet, and among the best I have ever heard. It isn't surprising to hear Clapton say that this was the one band he was in that he "would have paid to see". If you like blues, and you like EC, you owe it to yourself to get a copy of "EC was here". It is one of my favorites.

EC's done a bit of touring over the years, you know? Paid his dues. Back when these tunes were recorded, many of his fans were uncertain how much longer Eric would be around, worried as they were about rumors of drug and alcohol abuse typical of rock star excess. But ol' EC wasn't finished just yet and as the intervening years have shown, he's still alive and kicking.

It might be easy for some to look at the song list and discount this set of live performances - where are the hits? Well, you won't find "Layla" or "Crossroads" but all six of these songs are excellent and perhaps more importantly, they fit into a coherent whole. "Have you Ever Loved A Woman" has never been on my EC favorites list but each time I listen to it, I get pulled down into the fabric and catch the groove. Likewise, the two Blind Faith tunes included here ("Presence of the Lord" and "Can't Find My Way Home") might seem a little out of place since they take up so much of this disc, but in fact, they prove to be excellent choices.

But if you only need one excuse to pick this disc up, it can be found in "Drifting Blues" which weaves a seven minute path through a moody blues before melding into a rambling finish. Robert Johnson's "Rambling On My Mind" is included here and is given a kind of patient approach that can give incredible power to the blues. This is an excellent performance and after signaling the band to F sharp, EC unleashes a signature solo. The disc closes out with a rowdy rendition of "Further On Up the Road" that is fit for a king. Not bad for a disc that was more often than not panned by professional reviewers when it was released in '75.