The Eric Clapton album by album thread

Like it or not Wonderful Tonight is one of the core songs on Slowhand. It was a popular radio hit. At one time it was one of the most played songs at weddings.

A lot of us Eric Clapton fans want him to play with the fire he brought to Cream's Crossroads all the time. Heroin over time almost extinguished that fire. What's so wrong about a 32 year old married man writing a love song to his wife. I'm sure that song helped smoothed over many a transgression he made against her.

On the Slowhand Digest many many years ago, I offered that in a live concerts, Wonderful Tonight was a low point for me. Boy did it rain on me. Many men and women, at the concert with their significant others, love the song. It was their high point of the concert. So all our mileage varies.

Wonderful Tonight was a hit single, and hit singles help to move LPs, and puts warm butts in the concert seats.

Once again I find that Peaches & Diesels followed by Wonderful Tonight from Santa Monica, CA Feburary 12, 1978 to be Wonderful.

 

I will honestly admit that I did like Wonderful Tonight a lot more at the time. Now, it's not a track I dislike. It's just my least favorite track on the album.

Played the album a few times today. Although a good album, I doubt if I'd include it in my top-5 of Clapton albums. As said before, except for Cocaine and The Core I'm hearing bothing exceptional. But worse, much worse, is on its way. So a top-10 spit might still be in the stars

 

If NRTC was popular amongst Europeans (according to charts), Slowhand was loved in the States, where it topped at #2. It only managed #23 in the UK, and a dismal #89 and #130 peak in Belgium. I lived in D.C. when this album was released and they played either Cocaine, WT, or Lay Down Sally every hour on the hour. This album was big; more played than 461 on the radio in my area, where only I Shot The Sheriff, and maybe a little Willy got played.

That being said my first and only purchase of this album was the Super Deluxe. Because of the constant airplay I wasn't motivated to buy it then, and my go to for so long was Crossroads later. I do own every Clapton album now ... just looked, I don't have Rush yet, I do need to get it.

I do like the Super Deluxe, the tweed outer covering is clever, replicating the original tweed guitar cases and amp coverings from the fifties, pure Clapton, as he loves his tweed amps and Blackie and Brownie were both '50's era Strats. The inner design as mentioned is weak, I figured my inner portion was stuck so I forcefully pulled it out not knowing it was designed to slide in and out.

My go to is the 5.1, love it.

This is my opinion only, but from what I've read I feel Glyn Johns had a lot to do with taking the material Clapton had at that time and raising it to the level of this fine release. He got the best out of a weary Clapton ... or perhaps because it was Glyn Johns, Clapton raised his game.

Whatever happened, Slowhand is a solid release.

 

You found a Belgian chart that went all the way down to 130 ? Where on earth did that come from ? LOL ! They certainly didn't print them in magazines that way.
Nevertheless, a solid album indeed !

 

There are some great performances from the Santa Monica gig, although, there is a bit too much Marcy Levy at times.

 

Agree!

Can do without, We're All The Way, She's In Love With A Rodeo Man, Fools Paradise.

Gotta give Eric props for letting his band mates have a spotlight. But not my faves.

 

I think Eric did want to let his fellow musicians shine, but I also wonder if some of it was due to his alcoholism and complacency. And it obviously wasn't just Marcy (and Yvonne to a lesser degree), he let George Terry take way too many solos.

 

Eric, always has professed that he would prefer to be more in the background than fore front. One of the things he liked about The Band was that it was 5 equal parts working together. But touring as "Eric Clapton" he is front and center and putting bodies in the seats. The fans want to see Eric wailing on the guitar and not an emseble playing together.

 

Got it from Wikipedia. It shows Belgian albums (Ultratop Flanders) Peak Position #130 and Belgian albums (Ultratop Wallonia) Peak Position #89. Could you educate me on what Ultratop Flanders and Wallonia are? Or were these charts before your time. Like you I was also surprised that a Belgian chart went to 130 and beyond.

 

Lightweight Clapton is what a lot of people like. Lightweight Clapton accounts for a big portion of his fan base, the sweet dude who wrote anthemic power ballads. Cream, what? Still an enjoyable album.

 

For me, Slowhand is one of Clapton's best albums. The Core showed that he could still play with the intensity he had in the past, which was most welcome after the laid back direction of his 2 previous studio albums. Cocaine and Lay Down Sally also have some good guitar playing. We're All The Way and May You Never come off well, and I've never had a problem with Wonderful Tonight. It is a bit on the sweet side, but Clapton plays some nice licks that balance that out. Although Eric felt that the performances on Slowhand were somewhat limp, I believe that Jamie Oldaker said that they knew they had made a very good album and that they were eager to play the songs live. The fact that almost all of the Slowhand songs were played at the February 1978 Santa Monica concert supports the band's belief in and enthusiasm for the Slowhand material. Slowhand was also a very popular album in the U.S.

 

I would disagree, but I would say lightweight is what the radio at the time liked. I was at my eye doctors the other day on the streaming radio played Lay Down Sally. Like it or not, the song as they say ... has legs.

Think for a bit and tell how many artists from the early sixties to now have had long succesful careers? Not many.

 

The Core is the hottest thing here, but as others have said a bit Marcy heavy. For my money Cocaine is kind of ham fisted, never cared for it much, and never understand how it kept being a big live song for him after he cleaned up and opened a rehab joint and all that.

Wonderful Tonight is a nice little song. Maybe as Clapton fans we hear it too much, and it's on every live album, but songs like this always get stomped on when they get popular. If it was an obscure album track people would be pointing out its simple, melodic charms.

 

You got me there... Must admit I've never been really interested in the charts. Of course the Flanders applies to the Flamish speaking, Northern part of Belgium and the Wallonia part is the Southern, French speaking part. These charts were quite different with a heavy emphasis on native language singers.
Like I said, I have no idea where these charts come from. They certainly haven't been published in any magazine. Maybe this "Ultratop" thing printed their own chart, but I've never seen that or heard of it. But with such detailed information on Wiki, I guess I'm probably missing something here...

 

He now sings "dirty cocaine" when doing it live.

I prefer JJ Cale original , but i'm eternally gratefull to Mr Clapton for raising Mr Cale's profile and allowing many more people discover this wonderful artist

 

There are performers who were able to play while on heroin, but for Clapton his heavy heroin use coincided with his becoming a virtual hermit. So it seems indisputable for him, anyway, that he was able to better operate as you put it, and moved beyond that hermit like period.

 

As for Slowhand...

One problem I had with it and still do is that the title was misleading as to the content of the album. When he went with that title, the title seemed intended to invoke his harder playing from the sixties. Which is what I expected to hear on this, but other than The Core, which is a great tune to be sure, the rest of the album is pretty tame. Never liked Cocaine, or more accurately his version just doesn't do it for me. And at this point I've heard it too many times already. I don't mind love ballads in principle, but Wonderful Tonight has never worked for me.

Lay Down Sally is not bad. I guess it's my second favorite song on the album, but to say the second best is not bad is not a positive. On the whole Slowhand is a disappointing album.

 

I thought Slowhand would get more kudos here. It's mellow for sure, but it must still count among his strongest solo albums; at least he co-wrote a few solid songs for it.

 

It is a bit surprising considering it is one of EC's most successful commercial efforts, quite possibly his biggest solo album from the 1970's. That said, deep EC enthusiasts are a bit more critical than casual fans or less well-versed fans, so the group engaging on this thread are not as likely to quickly or blindly praise the album, particularly because some of its deficiencies are rightfully being addressed.

Speaking of Slowhand, no one has really said anything about the live Hammersmith bonus content from the Deluxe Edition and Super Deluxe Editions. Any thoughts?

 

I don't like Slowhand at all. I find it either too plodding and sterile or just plain sluggish. Even Cocaine sounds limp. Wonderful Tonight is unbearably twee, like something Cliff Richard would put out. The Western world was on fire with so much great music in 1977 and Eric was the epitome of a boring old fart unfortunately.

 

Background music for dinner parties.

• Too much Marcy, not enough Yvonne
• Too much George, not enough Eric
• Too much polish, not enough inspiration

 

Strange, I forget about Slowhand. I love "Lay Down Sally" I had the single growing up, have another copy now--sounds great in that format. "Wonderful Tonight" is spoiled for me because a local dive bar made it the closing time anthem. I didn't like the Don Williams song, Eric didn't quite have the constitution for it, too somnolent, Don makes those tired songs, swing!

I echo others statements about Marcy Levy, I always thought Yvonne Elliman was better in the role and her voice blended better with Eric. I do remember Yvonne having a nice solo career around this time, maybe that explains her absence...

 

Although not my favorite Clapton album either, I'm surprised to see such negative opinions about it. But OK, we're all entitled to our opinions.
Same for Marcy Levy's contributions. I agree that she probably couldn't pull off what Yvonne does on the Blind Faith covers, they're just different types of singers. They blend together well and Marcy is definitely more solid on the rockier tracks. But I guess Yvonne's leaving had more to do with her solo career taking off...

 

Aside from the previously mentioned Stormy Monday which Marcy unfortunately sings on the rest is pretty good. I really like the VHS of the Old Grey Whistle Test performance and the 2 Hammersmith shows and that were all filmed a few days apart. The band is on form, really like the early acoustic numbers. Sign Language goes down very well with George Terry performing the duet in place of Dylan. Very nice show.

I've already commented on the additional studio tracks. Does anyone else have the Deluxe or Super Deluxe Editions to comment on?

 

I guess solo career and possibly also that Yvonne got pushed more into the background on both this and the previous album. 4 albums in and she already had a solo career and her place in Clapton's band diminishing. Not that surprising she left.