The Eric Clapton album by album thread

I love the S/T album. It's as much a Delaney & Bonnie & Friends album as an Eric Clapton one, but that's OK, I love them too! Clapton has said that he suspects Delaney Bramlett's real motive in co-writing songs with Clapton was for royalties, but these are really catchy songs that let Clapton showcase his diversity instead of being God the Blues guy. Deluxe edition is fun, but makes me appreciate the original album as they got it right the first time.

 

What do we mean by side projects?

Does that include guest sessions with other artists?

If so, that's a pretty big list, even if we start in 1970.

 

The S/T album is really good. Let It Rain and After Midnight have some of Eric's best guitar playing. Bottle of Red Wine has a nice groove to it and Blues Power became a signature song for Eric. This was a very productive period for Eric, since the S/T album and the Layla album were both released in 1970.

 

Clapton's voice is reminiscent to Delaney's on s/t
but Clapton did more within that style than Delaney ever did.

Oddly enough, I don't have this in vinyl, (I have it in 8 track) the album is very good. While it seems like he was looking for an identity, there's a certain relaxed intensity that appears on the best of his work.

 

For years I listened to this album in reverse because a buddy made a tape for me and he somehow started it with side 2 then side 1. Actually imo I like it better that way, leading off with Bottle of Red Wine, ending side "1" with Let It Rain. Starting side "2" with Slunky and ending the album with Blues Power. The albums builds momentum in this order instead of tailing off until you get to Let It Rain. Again imo.

 

I did a few reviews of some Clapton solo albums on the Cream thread. Hope you don't mind a retread.



Eric Clapton

Released August 1970
Produced by Delaney Bramlett

"Slunky"
"Bad Boy"
"Lonesome and a Long Way from Home"
"After Midnight"
"Easy Now"
"Blues Power"
"Bottle of Red Wine"
"Lovin' You Lovin' Me"
"Told You For the Last Time"
"Don't Know Why"
"Let It Rain"

Eric Clapton – lead guitar, lead vocals
Delaney Bramlett – rhythm guitar, vocals
Leon Russell – piano
Bobby Whitlock – organ, vocals
John Simon – piano
Carl Radle – bass
Jim Gordon – drums
Jim Price – trumpet
Bobby Keys – saxophone
Tex Johnson – percussion
Bonnie Bramlett – vocals
Rita Coolidge – vocals
Sonny Curtis – vocals
Jerry Allison – vocals
Stephen Stills – vocals, guitar

Slunky
A blues vamp in E kicks off the album. Fun tune with horns a blazing.

Bad Boy
Funk blues in E. Eric's vocals are great here and pleasing to the ear. Neat funk riff repeats thru the song.

Lonesome and a Long Way From Home
Kicks off with a neat harmonics and D sus4th riff from Eric. First time I think he plays harmonics on record so a first of sorts. Straight up rock and roll tune with hot horns and Carl Radle plays fine basslines. I like the vocal harmonies. Eric plays a solo with Wah Wah. The solo is very economical in notes.....a trademark of things to come.

After Midnight
JJ Cale tune played with funk feeling. A great solo from Eric once again with an economical use of pulloffs and bends. Fun song. The outro solo/fills really cook.

Easy Now
A Who inspired intro/cadence leads off this awesome tune. Some folk and country influences as well. The verse chords are R and B influenced. Lots of influences here. Eric does a fantastic job with the harmony vocals on the double tracked vocals. One of my favorites from the album.

Blues Power
Title say it all. Clapton's Strat really cooks here. Leon Russell fills in beautifully with his honky tonk stylings. Another awesome song. Eric vocals really shine with some neat vocal bends...listen at 2:02 when he sings the word "blues". First time I thought gee.....Eric is a pretty good singer.

Bottle of Red Wine
Blues boogie. Eric sings great again with Bramlett filling in with harmonies. EC fills are hot.

Lovin You Lovin Me
R and B ish tune with a good vocal melody that rises up. Laid back conversational sounding vocals that became a trademark of EC's.

Told You for The Last Time
A gospel tinged tune from Bramlett and Steve Cropper. Lots of vocals but very well done.

Don't Know Why
R and B tune from Bramlett and Clapton. Eric's fills are sparse but just right. Fine vocals again. Lots of vocal harmonies again add a gospel feel to it.

Let it Rain
My favorite song from the album and one of my favorite EC songs. Lots of harmony guitars in the intro give it a real jangly sound. The intro riff anchors the song throughout. Call and response guitar fills from Eric. I like the descending piano line when the intro riff returns. I am pretty sure it is Bobby Whitlock on backing vocals. The guitar solo in the middle is a fat warm clean sounding one. The solo in the coda is a searing masterpiece of Claptonisms. Perfectly placed triplets and immaculate bends. From 4:46 to 5:00, the final few bars, comprise one of my favorite endings to a song.......Carl Radle plays a cool octave ascending bass line and Clapton's guitars float in and out...one playing a variation of the intro riff, another playing a descending line, another playing a little four note motif....one of those magical unplanned (maybe) moments in the studio. A perfect ending to this great album.

Clapton really changed his approach to guitar playing and other aspects of his art with this album. I think most fans were surprised when it was released. His guitar tone radically changed to a thin piercing tone as compared to how he sounded in Cream. He found a musical soul mate in Delaney Bramlett and the musicians that contributed to the album. His approach to songwriting and arrangement was also very different than what he did with Cream. The album is one of my favorites by EC.

Some of the musicians on this album would go on to play with Clapton in Derek and The Dominoes an album that many fans consider his greatest achievement.

 

Rose River Bear thank you for fire things up

 

We start from the beginning and hopefully go up till the interest burns out.

 

I really like the debut solo album a great deal. I have a great appreciation for what Delaney did for Clapton on this album. I have to say I heard Eric Clapton At His Best before I heard the individual albums in their entirety. And I still like the sequencing...

Side one: Bottle of Red Wine/Anyday/I Looked Away/Let It Rain/Lonesome and A Long Way From Home
Side two: Sea of Joy/Layla/Blues Power/Bell Bottom Blues
Side three: After Midnight/Keep On Growing/Little Wing/Presence of the Lord
Side four: Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad/Easy Now/Slunky/Key To The Highway

(Easy Now is a bit...risque...for the time)

 

Easy Now is transcendent.

 

thank you! I was getting whiplash

 

can we fit apple jam in ?

 

Just saw "Clapton- The Seventies Review" that Steve Stills played bass on Let It Rain, as they were discussing the descending bass line in the coda solo. It went album by album and is a must for any fan of '70's Clapton. It runs 2 hours 31 minutes and is not just one of those talking heads deals. It gets a 4.1 review on Amazon with a 148 reviews. Not bad.

 

Ooops.....sorry that I posted a review of the debut before you did. I just realized it looking back over the thread. I will wait for you to post a review first going forward.

 

We appreciate your enthusiasm Frank!

 

Seems like there were untold number of side project contributions going on around here as well: Live Peace in Toronto & Music From Free Creek ('69), All Things Must Pass, Leon Russell, Stephen Stills, On Tour With Eric Clapton, The London Howlin Wolf Sessions, The Sun, Moon & Herbs…

Eric Clapton discography - Wikipedia »

 

There is discussion of the Clapton mix in past threads. The notable differences I remember are:

- Studio dialogue interludes before several songs
- "Slunky" sax solo is mixed out
- Heavy echo on Clapton's voice on many songs
- Different vocal on "Bad Boy" (with a much more innocent tone rather than the Jagger imitation vocal style from the common version)

 

My go to versions of early Clapton albums (and Layala and Blind Faith) are MFSL. I think MFSL really nailed the eq on them with warm sound.

 

For those who don't recall the lyrics:

"Easy Now"

Holding you, you holding me,
Everyone could see we were in ecstasy.
Making love against the wall,
Feeling very small when we didn't need to be.

[Chorus:]
Easy now; don't let my love flow out of you.
Please remember that I want you to come too.

Oh my darling, help me please.
When I'm without you I fall down and graze my knees.
I look so funny and I feel sad,
Your love is all I've ever had, so please don't tease.

[Chorus]

Yesterday, you know tomorrow,
Could it be I'll have to borrow someone new?
I know that I'm the one to blame,
But all the same, there must be something you can do.

[Chorus 3x]

 

or blind faith?

 

have both and yes, nailed them both.....spin them very often.....had bell bottom blues as an ear worm the other night....good thing I like the song.

 

S/T was and still is one of my favorite Clapton albums. Top-3 ! The only negative thing I have to say about it is that I'm not too fond of the "loudness" of Slunky to open the album.

 

I agree Slunky is not the best opener, especially in that it has the abrupt start and kind of fades in, almost like it starts mid jam. To me Bottle of Red Wine makes a better opener. Great album though.

 

Let It Rain also has some different soling. I think it's the best version of the 3. I didn't really think much of this album for years, but when I found my Clapton mix, I find a lot of it really hangs on with me.

 

Where can the Clapton mix be found? I have the MFSL and the deluxe version.