Iconic British guitarist Eric Clapton performs at Pechanga Arena on October 8, with former Fabulous Thunderbird, Jimmie Vaughn, opening the concert. Clapton’s current band features Doyle Bramhall II (guitar / vocals), Sonny Emory (drums), Chris Stainton (keyboards), Tim Carmon (Hammond / keyboards), Sharon White (backing vocals), Katie Kissoon (backing vocals), and legendary bassist / former San Diegan, Nathan East (bass / backing vocals).
The show comes just days after the release of his latest album, Meanwhile, out digitally on October 4, via Encinitas based label, Surfdog Records, with vinyl and CD editions set to follow on January 24, 2025. The fourteen-track album features all of Clapton’s recent singles, plus six new songs. Collaborators on Meanwhile include Jeff Beck, Bradley Walker, Simon Climie, Judith Hill and Van Morrison.
It’s Clapton’s first studio album release since Surfdog Records acquired his entire Warner Brothers catalog, 1983 – 2010. The deal includes a dozen studio albums, three live recordings, and two rarities collections, including several Gold, Multi-Platinum and Grammy winning releases, notably 1992’s Unplugged. That album won “Album of the Year” in 1993, and has been certified Diamond for sales in excess of 10,000,000 copies in the U.S.
Surfdog Records had previously issued several Clapton titles, as well as material released as Slowhand & Van, a collaboration with Van Morrison. “Eric has enjoyed working with many individuals at Warner over the years, but with the greatly changed landscape of the music business and the increasing significance of streaming income, it has been decided to take a different approach to the marketing of the catalog,” a statement on Clapton’s website noted. “In recent years Eric has collaborated with and been impressed by Dave Kaplan and Surfdog on several new record releases in North America, including his last four studio albums, and is also now looking forward to working with Surfdog worldwide in relation to this catalog.”
In addition to digital releases, “(We) will also be handling physical LP’s and CD’s,” said Scott Seine, President at Surfdog Records / Dave Kaplan Management. Does this open the door to releasing expanded editions of these albums in the future? “Yes, we will be looking at rolling out special editions and reissues wherever it makes sense in the future,” Seine said. “There won’t be any promotional activities specifically related to the catalog move to Surfdog, but we have exciting plans around limited-edition releases of some of Eric’s legendary catalog.”
The following Eric Clapton releases, previously available from Warner Brothers, are now available via Surfdog Records.
Studio Albums:
Money and Cigarettes (1983)
Behind the Sun (1985 / Platinum)
August (1986 / Gold)
Journeyman (1989 / 2X Platinum)
From the Cradle (1994 / 3X Platinum)
Pilgrim (1998 / Platinum)
Reptile (2001 / Gold)
Me and Mr. Johnson (2004 / Gold)
Sessions for Robert J (2004)
Back Home (2005 / Gold)
Road to Escondido – Eric Clapton & JJ Cale (2006 / Gold)
Clapton (2010)
Live Albums:
Unplugged (1992 / 10X Platinum)
One More Car, One More Rider (2002)
Live in San Diego (2016)
Collections:
Rarities 1983 – 1998 (2022)
Rarities 2001 – 2010 (2023)
Don’t miss out! Click below to discover this story and more in the full issue.
