Customer Reviews

Behind the Sun

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the so-called "comeback album" which hailed Eric Clapton's entry into the MTv age, circa 1985. While it certainly accomplished his goal, the overall album was a decidedly mixed bag, partially the fault of Clapton's label, Warner Brothers.

After the disappointment of "Money & Cigarettes", Clapton turned to the then-red-hot Phil Collins to produce his next record. The finished product was sent to Warner Brothers and WB tinkered with it, insisting that EC add a few new Ted Templeman-produced tracks: "Forever Man", "Something's Happening", and "See What Love Can Do". These tunes were heavily promoted by WB and ended up being a big help to the album's success. However, this tinkering caused the album to have an uneven feel between the Templeman and Collins-produced tracks. Also evident is that the Clapton/Collins team were still searching for synergy.

"Forever Man", one of the Templeman tunes, is easily the strongest tune on the album, containing one of the best intros on record. It spools up, then flies! It is worth buying this album just to get this tune.

The best of the Collins tracks are "She's Waiting" & "Just like a Prisoner. Although both are examples of solid songwriting and performing, none of the tracks are particular standouts which would have produced a big hit, thus the reason WB felt compelled to intervene.

On the down side "Never Make You Cry" & "Same Old Blues" went on way too long and started to drag, even though the latter was the closest EC came to a true blues tune.

Despite its limitations, it is still a decent album, although the Collins/Clapton team would not gel until their next ablum, "August".

This album is incredibly strong even with Phil Collins helping on it. The Concert tour which I was fortunate enough to see in England was one of the best ever. She's waiting, Same old blues, knock on wood, are really driving tracks.
But number 10 Just like a prisoner, I feel, is the best on the album, the way he closes it up with Behind the sun makes this an album that should be in everyone's collection.

(1985) I think this album is a new dawning for Clapton. He's clean & reinvigorated & for the first time really focused on production & muscianship. First of all, Clapton & Collins (by this time) had been friends for almost ten years. They had played togther with John Martyn (1981), Steven Bishop (1981), & on Collins's Face Value (1981). So clapton didn't just recruit collins because he was the most sought-after producer/drummer of the 80s. He recruited him because he deeply respected Phil's ability to produce, motivate musicians, unlock hidden talent, & take them to a higher peak of perfection. Another notable about Collins was he was never a drunk or junky. He was a music man & very professional. 12-16 hour studio days aren't possible if you're all screwed up on dope. Now that Clapton was clean from heroin he could seriously focus on his music & there was noone better to recruit then Collins(known as the busiest man in Rock). Clapton's best attribute is being humble & modest. he has played with so many people because he wants to constantly change & improve. This is why Phil Collins produced & toured with him. ted Templeton (van halen / doobie brothers) also produced 3 of the 11 tracks here (forever man / something's happening / see what love can do). There are alot of musicians on this one including nathan east (bass), greg phillinganes (keyboards), john robinson (brand x & phil collins touring keyboardist), jamie oldaker (drums), jeff porcoro of TOTO (drums), ray cooper (percussion), steve lukather of TOTO (guitar), Donald duck Dunn (bass), marcy levy (long time clapton vocalist/cowriter), & many others. The opening track "She's Waiting" explodes with strong drumming & hard rhythm keyboard tracks indicating that Phil Collins was conducting this train & Clapton was more than happy to let him. Even though Jamie Oldaker was drumming there's no doubt who was fuelling his rhythm patterns (Collins). There is also a great bluesy track called same old blues that is more or less a 1980s blues song that is powerful & compelling. Throughout the album you can hear the strong Phil Collins trademark drum patterns & production. On "Tangled in Love" the sequencer pattern used is so genesis-like that you would think that rutherford & banks (genesis pals) are in the studio as well. Clapton's vocal performances are also the strongest he's ever recorded again indicating that Collins must have pushed him to push himself vocally. The collins/clapton relationship would continue on the road (phil at drums) at LIVE AID, on tour with East & Phillinganes (producing an awesome 1986 Montreaux Festival appearance), & on another album in 1986 called August which would prove to be another huge album. A great producer can bring out amazing potential in a musician & that is what Phil Collins did with Clapton & also Robert Plant. Clapton & Collins continued to work together on other albums including But Seriously & Journeyman. This relationship, I think, created some of the best produced & most mature music of the 1980s & early 1990s. At this time (1985-86) Collins was very busy balancing his own solo work (no jacket required - 1985) & genesis's 1986 invisible touch but he would find breaks during tours & albums to work with clapton again & again indicating that their relationship was very important to them.

"Behind the Sun" is not a favorite of most fans or critics, but it's one of mine. With this album, Clapton finally abandoned the mellow, laid-back (and often boring) country rock of the late 1970s and mastered the more electronic (and energetic) sound of '80s radio. The sound is more dense and satisfying. "She's Waiting" and "Forever Man" are Clapton's hardest - and most convincing - rockers since "Layla." "Something's Happening" is pure pop-rock joy, and "See What Love Can Do" is uniquely beautiful. Don't miss out on this gem!

While I don't think this is a vintage Clapton recording I don't think you should over look it either. There are vintage Claptonian solo's and well written lyrics but I don't like the overall production. It was fine for the 80's but doesn't stand the test of time. I don't think this combo, in practical terms, makes sense. Collins is a great drummer and a fine pop producer, his colaboration with Robert Plant was great. I think a pop artist producing a bluesman like Clapton isn't smart.

I like "She's Waiting" but it seems to be about a minute too long and the end sounds like Phil Collins is about to break into a refrein of "Johnny Comes Marching Home". I think the synthesizer sounds out of place and makes the song have a choppy feel to it. Remove the keyboard and add a Hammon B3 and you've got a great song.

"See What Love Can Do" and "Knock On Wood" sound more Genesis than Claptonian but they are good tracks. I like "Same Old Blues" but again, the keyboard sounds out of place, overall vintage soloing by Clapton.

"Tangled In Love" sounds like a leftover Genesis track.

"Forever Man" is definately the strongest track on the cd, probably his best solo since "Layla". "Just Like A Prisoner" is another strong track with a great solo as well. These last two tracks the overall production is great.

Overall, this set is ok. I'd take it on a road trip.

Now obviously this is not Eric Claptons first album of the decade. But after 1983's Money & Cigarettes Clapton obviously understood it was time to modernize his sound more fully. Now this was 1985 and pop music in general was dominated by a lot of gated drums and sounds that really didn't suit Clapton's style very well so that may have been way he didn't follow contemporaries Steve Winwood and Rod Stewart's early lead on the 80's new wave/synth rock style. It obviously took a lot of soul searching to figure out how Clapton was going to come into this sound during it's peak and not destroy his own musically qualities. In the end not only did he jettison some of his old blues players in favor of more contemporary session musicians such as Michael Omartian,bassist Nathan East and Greg Phillinganes (who became a huge part of his band at that time) and chose Phil Collins and Ted Templeton as producer fors the album. Lucky for us Eric Clapton and Phil Collins in particular actually made a really good fit and not only is the music endowed with with some of the darkly hued harmonics of 80's Genesis but that sound was actually a rather far off variation of blues chords anyway so it was the perfect way for Clapton to get in on the sound of the era "She's Waiting",with it's destinctive drum sound and melody is the perfect pairing of both musicians and that feeling is extended across "It All Depends","Never Make You Cry" and "Just Like A Prisoner". So is Clapton's brilliant 8+ minute "Same Old Blues" which contains some of his most electric playing of the era as well as a central musical theme that bares the insecent repetition that it gets. "See What Love Can Do" and "Something's Happening" are both poppier,brighter tunes that have that hint of a caribbean/reggae rhythm that Clapton had dealt with during the late 70's and now was bringing them into the next decade. This album is also of course has a heavy soul flavor with a really well produced mid 80's version of Eddie Floyd's "Knock On Wood" and the rhythmically strident keyboard funk of "Forever Man". "Tangled In Love",with it's actually does resemble one of Steve Winwood's 80's soul/new wave hyrbids of the early to mid 80's. The album ends with the warm and very George Harrison like title song. This album not only turned out to be a significant change in direction for Clapton but,after a couple false starts this album actually ended up being the beginning of a very successful comeback for Eric Clapton in this decade.

I agree that this is an underrated Clapton Album. Produced by Phil Collins, it boasts one of the best guitar solos (his guitar rocks and roars above a blues standard backing) I have heard from Clapton captured in the studio since his Cream and Derek and the Dominoes days. (Before his laid back, easy listening persona took hold) The song is a Clapton penned one called 'Same Old Blues' Indeed, if it were up to me, I would recommend the album just for that track, 'She's Waiting' (One of his strongest, emotionally charged songs since 'Layla')and the Jerry Lynn Williams song that became a hit for him and helped rejuvenate his career, 'Forever Man'. Note, The remastered version reduces the analog hiss, strengthens and brightens the overall sound of the album but the original analog transfer is just fine if you are concerned about cost.

First of all, to answer the previous review, Clapton never won grammies for Best Guitarist -- I don't think such award exists. And he wins such guitar awards because he is the most emotional and fluid player in the world! There are other great guitar players, but he could shame the ones listed with one note to their twenty. My opinion, of course. As for this album, It has great material, and I was glad to see his guitar work come to the forefront a bit more again, and the singing gets a little better with each subsequent album. I don't personally care for the production, though, and it irks me that Clapton had to replace three tracks with more "commercially viable" ones to soothe the record company. Forever Man fits, but the other two tracks stick out like a sore thumb. If you've heard the sacraficed tracks, they are great! Anyhow, the solos on Same Old Blues and Just Like A Prisoner are awesome,and I love the fragile title track.

I remember the buzz surrounding this album back in the mid-80's touting that "Eric Clapton is back!" There were full page ads in the music magazines at the time, mixed between articles on Ratt's new album, and whether or not David Lee Roth would be leaving Van Halen. Where did Eric Clapton fit into the scheme of things back in 1985?

The musical climate had changed dramatically from when he had topped the charts in the '70's, and his two new 80's albums ("Money and Cigarettes" and "Another Ticket") made nary a whimper. So to help give him some direction, Clapton enlisted the help of Phil Collins, who could do no wrong at the time on the music charts. So that's why this album is so heavy on the slick 80's production and Phil Collins drum sound. Let's face it, back when this was released, the slick 80's sound wasn't a bad thing!

The painfully obvious thing about this album is that it is indeed a transition album, showing an artist trying to acclimate to a new sound. One half of the album is very pop sounding ("She's Waiting," "Forever Man," "Never Make You Cry"), while the other half is still in '70's mode ("Knock on Wood," "Same Old Blues," "Something's Happening"). It never quite works and seems somewhat awkward at times. Yet when he shines, she shines brightly. "Forever Man" and "She's Waiting" proved to be the biggest hits off the album, showing that Clapton was still relevant in the 80's.

My favorite track is actually one of the sleeper songs on the album, a beautiful little tune called "Never Make You Cry." It's easy to dismiss as sticky-sweet fluff, but there's just something about it that puts it up there with "Wonderful Tonight." Not in the same league, but definitely up there.

Eric Clapton / Behind The Sun: This excellently performed and excellently produced album was a welcome arrival in 1985 and it remain an enjoyable listen. The production here, far from being a drawback, lifts these songs and makes them soar. This is a great album and it deserves Five Stars.