Boring, bloated, overlong, repetitive half-baked arrangements of Clapton classics made even worse by Bobby Whitlock's horrible, intrusive over-the-top "backup" singing.
2 stars for some nice guitar solos and drummer Jim Gordon's amazing work, but it is not worth the 29 dollars. Better you should buy "Wheels Of Fire" or "Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert" or "Layla."

Pass.

What a fine document of Clapton's playing in a live setting this is. Even though Eric seems quite nervous at times, his graceful and fiery playing more than makes up for it. In places, Clapton seems to attack the solos as if his life depended on it.

The rest of the band functions as an incredibly tight unit in places and it makes me wish that Derek and the Dominos had managed to stay together for longer. It makes me wonder how much better the show could have been with a little bit more practice. I think the vocal support given by organist/vocalist Bobby Whitlock is particularly beautiful.

I would say that this is a very worthwhile purchase and just another example of why Eric Clapton is so great.

Any young drummers looking for hints on playing good rock live need this cd. Jim Gordon is flawless and the drums are the best recorded instrument on the cd. Aside from that, this set really misses Duane.

If you buy any Clapton cd, especially any live cd, this is a must have. Derek and the Dominos, Clapton, at his/their best. Great song versions extended, adding unbelievable solos and song arrangement. The emotion is present and you can feel it travel throughout the song list. The extended versions out do the songs on "The Rainbow Concert" and bring you to a place where you realize this guy is one of, if not, the best guitarist/song writer/performers alive. Although most of the latest live cd's sound more commercial and bland, this is the rawest of material well done at a time where Clapton was on his mark.

If you're reading this review to help you decide whether to purchase this disc, just stop here and buy it. This is the finest live blues/rock album available to man. It was recorded at the peak of Eric Clapton's career, before drugs made a mess of his life, with his best set of songs in hand, at the peak of Rock 'n Roll's most illustrious era. The only drawback is that he isn't playing with the most accomplished bandmates he ever assembled, but when you're competing with the likes of Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, and Steve Winwood, what do you expect?

Six of the tracks included on 'Live At the Fillmore' are the same tracks that were originally made available on vinyl in the early 1970's on the 'In Concert' double-LP. The band played four shows over two nights at the Fillmore East (rumor has it the band was not aware that recordings were being made), so alternate takes of the remaining three songs from 'In Concert', 'Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad', 'Tell the Truth' and 'Let It Rain' are offered on 'Live At the Fillmore'. I assume this was done to protect the integrity of the 'In Concert' discs, which are still highly valued because the concensus is that the takes of these three songs on 'Live At the Fillmore' are of lesser quality. Nothing is wrong with the alternate recordings, but the 'chemistry' seems less vibrant than on 'In Concert'. Small things can be noted, such as Bobby Whitlock's chiming piano on 'Tell the Truth' being much less prominent, but for the most part the discrepencies are intangible, and perhaps a matter of taste. On the upside, the 'Live At the Fillmore' discs offer 4 songs that are not offered on 'In Concert'. One wonders what other gems lie in the vault...

The biggest problem you'll encounter with this two-disc collection is figuring out which one to slide into the player first. Each is a great mix of rock and blues. On disc one we open with the firry 'Got To Get Better In a Little While' and 'Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad'. More than their titles are lengthy, with running times of 13:52 and 14:49 respectively. Needless to say, there is a wealth of wonderful wah-pedal guitar heroics from Clapton on every song. 'Key To the Highway' follows, and along with track 5, a cover of Billy Myles' 'Have You Ever Loved a Woman', wanders into some deep blues territory. The joyously rocking 'Blues Power' adds another 10:31 of serious jamming, and 'Bottle of Red Wine' closes the first disc out on another 'high' note.

Disc two offers more mid-tempo fare, including 'Tell the Truth', 'Roll It Over', and even the encore, 'Crossroads', which Clapton frequently rides like a jet train. The only true blues number is a cover of Jimmy Cox's 'Nobody Loves You When You're Down and Out'. 'Little Wing', though a great number, is owned by Jimi Hendrix, and so any cover of that is bound to pale in comparison, and Clapton's does. 'Roll It Over' is bound up in funky sensuality, while in contrast 'Presence of the Lord' is high-minded spirituality. No wonder Eric turned to drugs. An eighteen minute-plus version of 'Let It Rain' completes disc two, with Jim Gordon offering the requisite (given the year was 1970) drum solo. Despite all the great songs included here, 'Let It Rain', which reached number 48 in 1972, is the only charting song (and it obviously wasn't this lengthy version) performed.

Derek and the Domino's were short-lived, offering only two albums in the early 1970's, not including their stints with George Harrison on 'All Things Must Pass' and 'The Concert For Bangla Desh'. Their limited output however is like the flash of a camera. This moment of illumination should not to be missed, as it is the closest thing to perfection a soundboard at a rock concert has ever captured.