Clapton In The '80s - Letdown or Underrated?

Was Eric using drum machines in the 1980s? My impression is while he was not employing rock musicians as much as in the 1970s, the drums were still being played by live people, even if some of them were Phil Collins. Maybe that changed with Pilgrim, but that was '90s Clapton.

 

Have you ever gave a good listen to Theres One In Every Crowd? I don't think it ever got a lot of press and there were no hits from it.
But it really is a very creative album. The last two songs on it, High and Opposites, just blow me away. It is also very beautifully arranged and recorded.
I admire that the guy could have made a LOT more money going out and just wankering away on the guitar but he always kept his perspective that it was about songs.
And as far as him having hit songs in the 70s, I think that was purely a side effect of the fact that he was doing great music, not because he was trying to get hits.
As an example, when he recorded Cocaine, the very last thing you could get away with in the mid 70s was performing a song that openly and blatantly referenced hard drug abuse. It is amazing that the song got airplay.
I also always admired that he depended on his musicians rather than tried to stifle them in the best interest of making himself look good. For example on live stuff he seemed to encourage George Terry to have equal time doing leads on songs. And of course the others involved in songs got songwriter credit.

 

I'd have to find room for "The Shape You're In" and "Running on Faith", but the other two or three songs will take me awhile to ascertain...

 

He should have never hooked up with Phil Collins...

 

Any decent Clapton collection has to include "Money and Cigarettes," if only for Side 1 alone. After that, it's mostly downhill with high points sprinkled in here and there. I did really enjoy seeing him live around 2002 with Billy Preston on keyboards.

 

No, to be honest I don't think I did but that's from 1975. I'll listen to those songs on Youtube.
The thread is supposed to delve into the 80's though and I have more trouble with Eric as time went on. From the 80's I own Money and Cigarettes, Behind the Sun, and August and I have no desire to put them on.
I haven't listened to them in years though, so maybe i'll give them a spin and see if they have aged better than I might have thought. I try to stay open minded.

 

I love Behind the Sun and Journeyman. My favorite Clapton albums.

 

There isn't a lot I like from Money and Cigarettes through the early 2000s either.
But I do like quite a bit of what he has done in the past ten years.
Those damn drums by mattel on some of the stuff need to go though. There are too many great drummers out there for him to rely on machinery.
It would be different if they were well programmed and they had a real vibe sound to them, but on his albums they do not.
Also, his 70 stuff really begs to be heard on nice stereo gear rather than bit streaming or MP3s through ear buds.
Those albums sound really nice through old stereo receivers with nice 3 way speakers.

 

That's why I like Clapton. It's natural sounding and he's having fun. I didn't bother with Old Sock though. Opinions?

(Sorry for the slight thread detour Bill !)

 

I have a lot of his albums, but I must say the only ones I've listened to repeatedly over the past few decades are Best of Cream, Layla and Me and Mr. Johnson.

 

I think Old Sock is worth having. I like it a bit better than the 80s stuff.
I still wish he would get Jamie Oldaker back. That dude was a big part of his 70s sound.

 

I admit to finding Lay Down Sally really catchy and unexpected when it came out. But most of his biggest money discs and tours came in the 80's and 90's, and it's all fairly plastic and soulless. I'm of the feeling that his peak was the BBC version of Outside Woman Blues which is just good nasty.

 

"Meh. Some fun stuff; it could have been worse." Who are we to pass judgment on God? .....................................

 

Here's a breakdown of Clapton's 1980s commercial success, as found in Wikipedia. I found it fascinating how different his career went in the U. S. and U. K. Clearly he was more prized as a rock radio guy in the U. S. (as measured by the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart), while he was a top album seller in the U. K. Interestingly, he only had one top ten single on the pop charts of either country in the 1980s, and that was his first, "I Can't Stand It," which just made the Top Ten in the U. S.

Eric Clapton 1980s Studio Albums

Another Ticket, 1981 (#7 U. S.; #18 U. K)

Charting songs: “I Can’t Stand It,” #1 U. S. Mainstream Rock Tracks; #10 U. S.

“Blow Wind Blow,” #24 U. S. Mainstream Rock Tracks

“Catch Me If You Can,” #23 U. S. Mainstream Rock Tracks

“Rita Mae,” #10 U. S. Mainstream Rock Tracks

“Another Ticket,” #78 U. S.


Money & Cigarettes, 1983 (#13 U. K.; #16 U. S.)

Charting songs: “I’ve Got A Rock ‘n’ Roll Heart,” #18 U. S.; #24 U. S. Mainstream Rock Tracks; #83 U. K.

“Ain’t Going Down,” #32 U. S. Mainstream Rock Tracks

“The Shape You’re In,” #75 U. K.


Behind The Sun, 1985 (#8 U. K.; #34 U. S.)

Charting songs: “Forever Man,” #1 U. S. Mainstream Rock Tracks; #26 U. S., #51 U. K.

“She’s Waiting,” #11 U. S. Mainstream Rock Tracks

“See What Love Can Do,” #20 U. S. Mainstream Rock Tracks, #89 U. S.


August, 1986 (#3 U. K.; #37 U. S.)

Charting songs: “Behind The Mask,” #15 U. K.

“It’s In The Way That You Use It,” #1 U. S. Mainstream Rock Tracks; #77 U. K.

“Tearing Us Apart” (w/ Tina Turner), #5 U. S. Mainstream Rock Tracks; #56 U. K.

“Run,” #21 U. S. Mainstream Rock Tracks

“Holy Mother,” #95 U. K.


Journeyman, 1989 (#2 U. K.; #16 U. S.)

Charting songs: “Bad Love,” #1 U. S. Mainstream Rock Tracks; #25 U. K.; #88 U. S.

“Pretending,” #1 U. S. Mainstream Rock Tracks; #55 U. S.’ #96 U. K.

“No Alibis,” #4 U. S. Mainstream Rock Tracks; #53 U. K.

“Before You Accuse Me,” #9 U. S. Mainstream Rock Tracks

“Run So Far,” #40 U. S. Mainstream Rock Tracks; #88 U. S.

In addition, two cuts from the Clapton live album Just One Night hit the U. S. Hot 100 chart in 1980: “Cocaine” went to #30 and “Blues Power to #76.

 

Thems fighting words varmint!

 

Didn't realize that Journeyman was from the '80's. I thought it was from 1990. That's a great album, probably my favorite solo album by him. So yeah, I think as a whole, he's underrated in the '80's, if just for that one album.

 

Still think Blind Faith is his best album.

 

One big difference maker for Clapton's reputation in the 1980s worth mentioning was the Crossroads compilation, released in 1988. Obviously that included a lot of material from before the 1980s, beginning with his Yardbirds work and every phase after, but there were some notable songs from the 1980s not on the studio albums that got in there, too. "Heaven Is One Step Away" was originally released on the Back To The Future soundtrack and then as a "Forever Man" B-side, and then there was the "Michelob version" of "After Midnight." I remember the latter track getting a lot of play on rock radio back then, though I'm not sure if it made the U. S. Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

 

"A ten-year old girl on a street corner
Sticking needles in her arm
She died in the dirt of an alleyway
Her mother said she had no chance, no chance!
Heart breaker, heart breaker
She stuck the pins right in her heart
Heart breaker" - #15 hit single U.S.

"I hit the city and
I lost my band
I watched the needle
take another man
Gone, gone, the damage done." - from a #1 U.S. album

 

Since I've only gotten into music in the late 80s due to young age, I cannot comment on much of 80s Clapton but would rather talk about which tracks are good ones from the 80s onwards.

I first noticed Eric Clapton as a guest guitarist on George Harrison's "Cloud 9" album, one of my first few CDs. At one point, in a store, I got curious and listened to some of his own material but it didn't do anything for me at the time so I put it away.
I liked "Pretending" on the radio pretty much. At some time in the mid-00s, I finally got the "Journeyman" CD in midprice, almost for that song only. But not so fast. In 1992, Eric showed up on Elton John's "The One" album, taking part in the duet "Runaway Train". That song is BIG. So I got interested in his own material again, having put it aside so quickly beforehand. Eric's cameo on Sting's "It's Probably Me" single version was great at the time, but it hasn't aged well at all. I only got the CD-single much later in used condition. Enter the "Unplugged" album which I listened to in a store before it turned out to be his biggest success. I somewhat hated live albums at the time but I liked more songs than on his other recent solo albums, so I figured I'll buy it when it has become cheaper. Little did I know how big a success it would become. Over 10 years later (and several purchases of weaker Clapton albums later), I finally found this album in mid-price. It amongst his best records since the late 80s.
Instead, my first CD by Clapton was the CD-single "Tears in Heaven". A great song and the studio version does not need to hide at all behind the unplugged version.
Next, "From the Cradle" came out, and that one became the first Eric Clapton full-length CD in my collection. This coincided with my big blues phase in my teens. During the same timeframe, he guested on Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown's album "Long Way Home", playing a cover of his own "Blues Power" with Leon Russell on duet vocal. Another BIG performance.
Having been a fan of the Traveling Wilburys, I finally found a cutout of the otherwise out of print "Nobody's Child" benefit CD which has got Eric performing the song "That Kind Of Woman" which was written for him by George Harrison. A very good song and performance. Next, Eric played a great solo on "Love Can Build A Bridge", a benefit single for Comic Relief, starring Chrissie Hynde, Cher and Neneh Cherry. And his single "Change the World", produced by Babyface Edmonds, from the "Phenomenon" soundtrack appeared. He also guested with B.B. King on "Deuces Wild", playing the song "Rock Me Baby" but they just haven't got anything against Tina Turner's version.
So I was curious when Eric Clapton donned the pseudonym x-sample and put out the electronica with guitar instrumental album "Retail Therapy" under the artist name T. D. F.
It took a while to get into, which is a procedure I already knew from U2 having put out the "Original Soundtracks, Vol.1" disc under the Passengers moniker with Brian Eno joining them a year or so before T. D. F.
"Siena" and "What Else" are particularly lovely instrumentals, and "Seven" and "Sno-god" rock out pretty hard even though they are not rock.

So I had high hopes for "Pilgrim", his next album of original material. But they were not met. "Fall Like Rain", "Circus", "My Father's Eyes", "Born in Time", "River Of Tears", "Broken Hearted" and "One Chance" are the standout tracks on this one, but overall, this album is a bit of a sleeper.

I saw a poster for "Ridin' With the King" with B.B. King somewhere in town and thought this was great, went to the shop and got it in the week of release. This album is much better, mostly due to the quality of the songs. Standouts include the title track, "I Wanna Be", "Days Of Old", "Marry You", "Help the Poor", "Key to the Highway", "3 O'Clock Blues" and "Ten Long Years". The production may not have aged all that well but it's an album that is unfairly overlooked these days.

"Reptile" was next. I was expecting another "Ridin' With the King" but I got another "Pilgrim" instead. This is when that production style started to become grating. I would not want to recommend this album. "I Ain't Gonna Stand For It", "Come Back Baby", "Find Myself", the instrumental title track and maybe "Superman Inside" are my go-to tracks here. But I rarely go there anymore. I prefer "Journeyman" over this.

"Me And Mr Johnson" was a return to form for this listener. This is probably my favourite Clapton album from the 00s. It may not be Cream or "From the Cradle" but I don't mind because it's pretty good either way and a fun album.

So I had higher expectations when "Back Home" came out. But that is the last album by Clapton which I got at list price. The opener "So Tired" sets the tone for the album: a virtual 96-track tape machine storing every sound on a different track, does eliminate the action between the musicians from the mix and makes it sound way too polished to be interesting. Yes, there is lots of detail but nevertheless, it leaves you easily bored and "so tired". It should have been a single because it represents the album so well, and it's not a bad song in spite of the bad rap I give it here. Other standouts are "One Track Mind", "Lost And Found" with its abrupt end and "I'm Going Left".

I only got "The Road To Escondido" with JJ Cale after having come across the beautiful single "Ride the River" on the radio accidentally. This album is pretty good, too, his 3rd best of the 00s after "Me and Mr Johnson" and "Ridin' With the King". I'd say it's worth getting, even though the effect of the virtual 96 track machine is audible, too, at times making things run too smooth.

"Clapton" with its standards is not my cup of tea at all, and there is not much on this album that struck a chord with me. They wisely chose "Run Back To Your Side" as the single.

I listened to "Old Sock" in a store but when I found just as many American Songbook titles on there as on "Clapton", I left it there.

 

The 80s Clapton was done after Blind Faith!

 

I rate Money and Cigarettes and Journeyman as pretty good albums. August is a low point due to the s0 80s production and reliance on guest stars. There are a number of highlights on all Clapton's 80's albums which makes them worth an occasional listen. Having said that it is his weakest decade apart from the last 10 years.

As for the 90s/00's I quite liked Pilgrim as it attempts to do something different as well as having a few strong tracks. Unplugged is a no brainer classic and both Pilgrim and Riding With The King are excellent Blues albums. Unfortunately the original vinyl pressings of the last 2 were crammed onto one disc and sound poor. Just bought the new reissues of these on double vinyl and soundwise they are a revelation enabling proper appreciation of these for the first time. Don't have Mr Johnson but of the later albums I have heard would rate the JJ Cale collaboration the best and both Reptile and Old Sock fairly forgettable although some nice attempts at Reggae arrangements on the later. Also check out the new JJ Cale tribute album. Clapton is always good doing JJ Cale songs.

BTW I rate the 70s output highly especially 461 Ocean Boulevard and Slowhand. No Reason to Cry, EC Was Here and One in Every Crowd are underrated gems. Everything after is a rather a step down.

 

Mostly all Meh to me, it's been even worse since then, his only good studio album since Slowhand was his collaboration with JJ Cale ''Road To Escondido''.

I keep expecting him to do a duets album with Rod Stewart, Santana or John Fogerty

 

I really like "Money And Cigarettes" and it's the only 80s Clapton I need. Great band, great performances, great covers and fun but inconsequential self-written material. "Journeyman" has an unhealthy dose of corporate rock.
The 70s was pretty much a lost decade too after "Layla" with the exception of "Slowhand".

 

Many great songs from the 80's even though it doesn't translate to great albums from the 80's. Another Ticket had a great blues rocker in Blow Wind Blow, real nice dobro picking on Hold Me Lord and a scorcher in Rita Mae. Money And Cigarettes had nice playing from Ry Cooder on it. Standout include Everybody Got To Change, Shape Your In and Ain't Going Down. Behind The Sun is where the 80's production starts to get in the way for me. That being said Same Old Blues and Just Like A Prisoner are keepers. August is the toughest for me to warm up to. I really do like It In The Way That You Use It and Holy Mother. Journeyman is the keeper of the bunch with numerous great songs. Before You Accuse Me and Old Love being two winners. I always though to appriecate Eric in the fullest, seeing him live in concert is the way to go.