Eric Clapton - Turn Up Down -1980- - Unreleased... -

The quality is startling. The high-end frequencies of Stainton’s clavinet crackle with electricity. The bass drum thumps with a punk-like flatness. In 2024, a 30-second snippet leaked to YouTube before being pulled by Universal Music Group—confirming that the track is now in the official vaults.

He whispered the last line:

Produced and engineered by the esteemed , the sessions featured an all-British lineup including Albert Lee on guitar, Gary Brooker and Chris Stainton on keyboards, Dave Markee on bass, and Henry Spinetti on drums. Eric Clapton - Turn Up Down -1980- - Unreleased...

A click. The tape ran silent for three seconds. Then, the sound of a glass being set down heavily on a wooden table. A long, slow exhale. The quality is startling

Despite the rejection, the Turn Up Down sessions were not a total loss. Many of the tracks were later reworked for his 1981 album, . In 2024, a 30-second snippet leaked to YouTube

To understand "Turn Up Down," one must understand November 1980. Clapton was fresh off a near-fatal car accident in Germany (1979) and a grueling tour supporting his reggae-inflected album Money and Cigarettes (though that album technically dropped in 1983, its seeds were sown earlier). By 1980, Clapton had relocated to his recently purchased country estate, Hurtwood Edge, in Surrey, England. He had installed a state-of-the-art recording studio in the stable block, dubbed "The Stable Studio."