The Eric Clapton album by album thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by DoF, Dec 11, 2016.

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  1. Almost Simon

    Almost Simon Forum Resident

  2. Almost Simon

    Almost Simon Forum Resident

    Interview from 1989 promoting the album.....of course he had to ask Eric to sign the Beano cover for a friend;)

     
  3. Mainline461

    Mainline461 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tamiami Trail
    I haven't heard Journeyman in years and I can't believe how much I like it. This album hums along like one of Clapton's beloved Ferrari's. I bought this on release, on cassette and wasn't overly thrilled with it in '89, but I guess I'll put this with TOIEC as an album originally not thrilled with but grew to love. I'm sure Russ Titelman had much to do with this release because to me it is soooo much better than August. And looking forward, pretty much everything he was associated with as far as Clapton is at least good. This is '80's production perfection imo; Clapton stands out, with the production just enhancing the feel. I also normally abhor drum programming ('80's ZZTop comes to mind), but so what, the songs sound great. I recommend the Steve Hoffman mastered AF SACD disc of this, I'm just now getting around to listening to it, it's crystal.

    Improvements imo: I wish it was a 10 track album and would have left off Hound Dog and Run So Far (sorry George). RSF is not a bad song at all, but to me it just doesn't fit the collection here, it stops the flow, it's too George sounding. As far as Hound Dog ... why? That being said I'm sure there are fans of HD.

    Standouts: According to Roberty's Day By Day book, Mick Jones said Clapton should put a "Badge" middle break in Bad Love. He did and it works. Daryl Hall's harmony vocals on No Alibis is a nice touch. Clapton went to his arsenal of guitars on Ray Charles "Hard Times" and pulled out what sounds like a Gibson "jazz box" hollow body. Sweet. "Old Love" is my favorite on this disc. Not much of a fan of Robert Cray's thin tone and rushed delivery but it works here.

    A shout out to @Almost Simon for keeping this thread alive when it almost died at birth. I've discovered and rediscovered some good albums because of it. It's easy for albums to get lost in the shuffle or just plain forgotten about.
     
  4. Almost Simon

    Almost Simon Forum Resident

    It's good to see the praise for an album i'm not so fond of. If we all agreed on everything would be a very dull world. I will have more positivity for the upcoming releases but lets see how Journeyman flows. I'm interested in the views here.

    I know that Eric has never been a prolific song writer but the amount of Jerry Williams tracks and the fact i'm not that fond of them does bother me with Journeyman. But that said it was a popular release and I too played it a lot at the time of release.
     
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  5. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    What a killer tone. He can cut through the sound like no one else.
     
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  6. reb

    reb Money Beats Soul

    Location:
    Long Island
    It amazes me how EC blossomed from the shy young man to what we see in that video. The vocals are delivered with such confidence, the stage prescence is commanding. He is one of the all time greatest rock artists.
     
  7. John Fell

    John Fell Forum Survivor

    Location:
    Undisclosed
    I prefer this to the last 2 studio albums.

    My favorites are Pretending, Bad Love and Before You Accuse Me.
     
  8. Bossyman

    Bossyman Forum Resident

    Almost Simon! You and I agree on so much throughout this thread...but I'm sorry my friend, we part ways here...

    I absolutely LOVE Journeyman. A complete return to form by the master. He rips and rips and shreds and shreds again like it was the late 60s early 70s. Far surpasses his playing on behind the sun.

    As far as song selection, f it! I, personally, love them all...but so easy to skip what you may not like...

    I purchased this on CD the day it was released. I was 25 years old. And used to listen to it EVERY SINGLE DAY for 6 months or so on my portable CD Sony discman back and forth from work (subway - Brooklyn to New York and back again).

    1989-1990 were fabulous times to love the music and the man. Some memories:

    1 - cd Sony Walkman. Journeyman was stuck in it for months
    2 - the tour. I saw him EVERY show in 90-91 at msg, Nassau coliseum, and Hartford civic center.
    3 - he seemed to be everywhere on tv. Letterman, Night Music w/Sanborn, SNL, etc. - on one Monday night, when the Miami dolphins defeated the Chicago bears to break their 10 (?) game winning streak EC was on letterman, I believe.
    4 - stressing that the VCR that I set for each and every tv appearance wouldn't work right.

    Just so much fun...

    And the songs!

    Will be back later to comment...but mr. Simon, PLEASE Relisten to lead me on...beautiful and heartbreaking...
     
  9. superstar19

    superstar19 Authentic By Nature

    Location:
    Canton, MI, USA
    That about sums up my feelings on Journeyman. I didn't dislike Behind The Sun or August, but both were just albums that had a few songs I really liked with the rest of the material kind of "meh".

    Pretending - This was the lead single (at least in the US), and when I first heard this, I was thrilled. It seemed like a statement song that put August clearly in the rearview mirror. Clapton's look even seemed less Armani than August although still late '80s, but looked more like the veteran guitar player ready to get down to some serious playing.

    Bad Love - love the tone on the guitar intro & the "Badge" like bridge and then the solo coming out. Favorite song on the album

    Running On Faith - Always one of my faves as the lyrics struck a cord with me when I got this CD

    Before You Accuse Me- One of my fave Clapton vocals. Rare is the Clapton song that I say I like primarily because of the vocal.
     
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  10. SGR

    SGR Forum Resident

    I thought that Journeyman was a stronger album than Behind the Sun and August, both of which I liked. Clapton just seems more confident on Journeyman about his material, his singing, and his guitar playing. On songs like Pretending, No Alibis, and Before You Accuse Me, he's not afraid to make some noise with his guitar solos. It's significant that many of the songs on Journeyman were played live, and the live versions are arguably better than the studio versions. For example, Clapton would really stretch out on Old Love in concert, and I like the electric version of Running on Faith from 24 Nights very much. There is something very satisfying about Journeyman.
     
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  11. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    Journeyman still has elements of 1980's contemporary production, such as on Breaking Point and Bad Love, but there is also an organic, more natural sounding feel to the album, something that was arguably missing on Behind The Sun and August. Old Love, Hard Times, Before You Accuse Me, and even Running On Faith are stripped away of the 1980's excess post-production and programming that dominated much of his prior two albums. And that is not a knock on the former two albums, both of which I like, but with Journeyman, it seems like EC was finding the right balance. He would strip it down even more on the next two albums, Unplugged and From The Cradle, before re-embracing contemporary, modernized production methods.
     
  12. kollektionist

    kollektionist Forum Resident

    Location:
    EU
    Here it is... My third favorite Clapton album. Not so keen on Lead Me On, but other than that, nothing but highlights ! This is the album where I became obsessed with Clapton. Last album I originally bought on vinyl.
    Added bonus was that thiis was also the first time there were a bunch of promo videos. And a bunch of different formats of the singles. Great time to be a Clapton fan !
     
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  13. Almost Simon

    Almost Simon Forum Resident

    Okay, i'll give it another listen. Maybe I was in a bad mood at the time I listened earlier this week.

    This was the time I had become a hard-core Clapton fan but was also soaking up his back catalogue as well as listening to Journeyman. My first Clapton concert was at the Royal Albert Hall in February 1991. Saw him several times over a 2/3 year period and he did concentrate a lot on playing the material from this album and after a while I did get tired of the lack of change in set-list. Hence my reluctance for a long time to listen to this album. As already said I loved Hard Times, I just found the rest not quite to my tastes. And being honest, for quite a few of the future albums I'm not quite so positive as the past albums. But don't expect full on negativity going forwards, perhaps the ride is not quite so smooth as before. I do look forward to the next few for sure.

    But i'll give this another spin with ears wide open!:cool:
     
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  14. Almost Simon

    Almost Simon Forum Resident

  15. Almost Simon

    Almost Simon Forum Resident

  16. Almost Simon

    Almost Simon Forum Resident

    Not directly linked with Journeyman but Eric did appear on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Disc's around the time of the album release. The MP3 can be downloaded here from BBC Iplayer if anyone is interested.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009mdm4#p009mdm4
     
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  17. Purple Jim

    Purple Jim Senior Member

    Location:
    Bretagne
    I bought Journeyman on release after reports that it was a return to form. I was disappointed with it. There are a few song that I like on it (Running On Faith, Hard Times, Old Love) but the rest didn't do much for me. Pretending sounds like something Cliff Richard would put out. The 80s were still taking their toll.
     
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  18. DTK

    DTK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    Old Love and Bad Love are good, the rest so-so; good covers and too many Jerry Lynn Williams songs.
     
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  19. Mainline461

    Mainline461 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tamiami Trail
    I love the clunker at 2:55, smiles all around, and Nathan East walking behind Clapton I guess signifying it was Clapton's clunker. No one alive can use/work a wah wah like Eric, love how he cracks it open for the bite.
     
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2017
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  20. reb

    reb Money Beats Soul

    Location:
    Long Island
    The camera man seamed to be impressed by the pedal...:cool:

    [​IMG]
     
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  21. Henry Porter

    Henry Porter Well-Known Member

    Location:
    UK
    Just listened to Behind The Sun, August and Journeyman for the first time in years and, for me, Journeyman is a distant third. Behind The Sun and August I really like, Behind The Sun slightly more, but I find Journeyman disappointing apart form Hard Times, Running on Faith and Old Love. I am sure I used to like Bad Love, but not anymore. During this period, and earlier, I was a massive Clapton fan and seem to recall that August was the one of the three that got played most at the time, maybe connected to seeing him playing a number of the songs live at the Manchester Apollo in early 1987 , with Mark Knophler in his band. Great concert.

    As for the 80s production values, they obviously stand out now but, at the time, I don't recall having an issue with them. Even today, I still prefer the sound of these three albums to anything that followed with Simon Climie involved - horrible sterile sound.

    Journeyman was the last Clapton album I bought on day of release and which was subject to many plays. Everything that follows, I have acquired at some time or other (usually when cheap), and not played much beyond the first 4 or 5 listens.
     
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  22. DTK

    DTK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    Johnny Winter actually recorded Anything For You Love a year earlier; I like both versions OK.

     
  23. vudicus

    vudicus Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    A much stronger album than the previous two.
    Although the production is still a bit slick and 80's, it's nowhere near as offensive to me as "August".

    I think the album could benefit from being a bit shorter, I'd drop "No Alibis", "Breaking Point" and "Lead Me On".
    "Running on faith" is one of my favourite Clapton tracks. Beautiful.
     
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  24. Almost Simon

    Almost Simon Forum Resident

    Yes, agreed. 57 minutes is too long for single vinyl. That was when album lengths started to creep upwards and not necessarily a good thing. Lose 3 tracks at least, Hound Dog definitely. The others not sure. A couple of the Jerry Williams songs so Breaking Point.
     
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  25. Mainline461

    Mainline461 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tamiami Trail
    Keep in mind the original release of the outstanding 461 only had 3 Clapton penned songs. I think there is a possibility it takes some pressure off Clapton not to have to bring a bunch of his own songs to fruition, and to just concentrate on wailing and singing ... and if he did have a bunch of songs on an album, it helped to have a writing partner, ala Whitlock on Layla.
     
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