News

EC’s Long-Awaited Nothing But The Blues Documentary & Soundtrack Out Now

25 Jun 22

1995 Documentary Gets 4K Upgrade And Remixed Audio. Soundtrack Features 17 Previously Unreleased Live Performances Recorded During The From The Cradle Tour. Watch Four Tracks Including “Groanin’ The Blues” And “It Hurts Me Too” Below.

Eric Clapton’s lifelong passion for the blues burns brightly in Nothing But The Blues. The film – which was broadcasted once in the U.S. on PBS in 1995 and nominated for an Emmy® Award – has been upgraded to 4K for its long-awaited official release. In addition to the film, Reprise will release a new soundtrack with more than an hour of previously unreleased live performances recorded in 1994 during the legendary guitarist’s tour supporting From The Cradle, his Grammy®-winning, multi-platinum blues album.

Written and produced by Scooter Weintraub and executive produced by Martin Scorsese, the documentary includes an in-depth interview with Clapton conducted by Scorsese. Throughout the interview, Clapton discusses his love for the blues and the profound impact bluesmen like Muddy Waters and B.B. King had on his music. Many of those artists (Robert Johnson, Howlin’ Wolf, Buddy Guy, T-Bone Walker) appear in the film through vintage performances, interviews, and photographs.

At the heart of the film and audio formats are Clapton’s performances of blues standards and lesser-known blues songs. The CD features 17 songs; the double LP 18, and the DVD and Blu-ray each contain 20 songs. Two nights at the Fillmore in San Francisco (November 8 and 9, 1994) were filmed and recorded during his acclaimed From The Cradle tour, and the highlights from the two shows were selected for this release. Likewise, Clapton’s longtime co-producer, Simon Climie, has remixed the audio from those performances from the original multi-tracking recordings.

Nothing But The Blues and the accompanying soundtrack was released on June 24 in multiple formats. The Super Deluxe Edition (US $199.98) comes with the documentary on Blu-ray, the soundtrack on both 2-LP vinyl and CD, a bonus CD with four extra tracks “Driftin’,” County Jail Blues,” “Kid Man Blues,” and “Too Bad,” and an exclusive hardcover book with memorabilia, including a numbered lithograph, 12×24 poster, Clapton guitar string set, custom guitar picks, and an exclusive bandana.

The documentary is available separately on Blu-ray (US $24.99) and DVD (US $19.99). Additionally, the soundtrack will be released as a standalone on CD (US $18.98) and 2-LP vinyl (US $34.98 – available July 29) and on digital and streaming services.

The previously unreleased live performances on Nothing But The Blues serve as a vital counterpart to From The Cradle, which was recorded in the studio. While several songs appear on both (“Motherless Child,” “Standing ’Round Crying,” and “I’m Tore Down”), the performances are entirely different.

The soundtrack also includes songs that did not appear on From the Cradle, including Jimmy Rogers’ “Blues All Day Long” and Robert Johnson’s “Malted Milk,” as well as the standards “Every Day I Have The Blues” and “Forty-Four.”

Initially released in 1994 by Warner Bros. Records, From The Cradle was certified triple-platinum in the U.S., where it topped the Billboard 200. The album was certified gold and topped the charts to become certified gold, platinum, or multi-platinum in many countries.

NOTHING BUT THE BLUES
Track Listing:

CD & 2-LP:
01. “Blues All Day Long”
02. “Standing ’Round Crying”
03. “Forty-Four”
04. “It Hurts Me Too”
05. “Early In The Morning”
06. “Five Long Years”
07. “Crossroads”
08. “Malted Milk”
09. “Motherless Child”
10. “How Long”
11. “Reconsider Baby”
12. “Sinners Prayer”
13. “Every Day I Have The Blues”
14. “Someday After A While (You’ll Be Sorry)”
15. “Have You Ever Loved A Woman”
16. “I’m Tore Down”
17. “Groaning Blues”
18. “County Jail Blues”* (exclusive to 2-LP vinyl)

DVD, Blu-Ray, Super Deluxe Edition*
01.   “Blues All Day Long”
02.   “Standin’ Round Crying”
03.   “Forty-Four”
04.   “It Hurts Me Too”
05.   “Early In The Morning”
06.   “Five Long Years”
07.   “Crossroads”
08.   “Malted Milk Blues”
09.   “Motherless Child”
10. “How Long Blues”
11. “Reconsider Baby”
12. “Sinner’s Prayer”
13. “Every Day I Have The Blues”
14. “Crosscut Saw”
15. “Someday After A While”
16. “Have You Ever Loved  A Woman”
17. “I’m Tore Down”
18. “Groaning The Blues”
19. “T’Ain’t Nobody’s Bizness”
20. “Driftin” (Bonus Track)

*The Super Deluxe Edition includes the documentary on Blu-ray, the soundtrack on both 2-LP vinyl and CD, and an exclusive hardcover book with memorabilia, including a numbered lithograph, 12×24 poster, Clapton guitar string set, custom guitar picks, and an exclusive bandana. Also includes a bonus CD with 4 exclusive tracks – “Driftin’”, “County Jail Blues”, “Kid Man Blues” and “Too Bad.”