Complete Clapton

Eric Clapton | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 9, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• ASIN: B000UAE8CQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,105 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #10 in Music > Blues > Contemporary Blues
  • #23 in Music > Classic Rock > British Invasion
  • #49 in Music > Rock > Blues Rock

Editorial Reviews

Eric Clapton: his music, his story. 36 of Eric's greatest songs from 1968 to 2006 in one collection for the first time ever! This 36 selection multi-disc set features hits from 1968 to 2006 including "Crossroads," Badge," "Layla," "Tears In Heaven," "Change The World" and much more.

Eric Clapton Photos

Eric Clapton Merchandise

More from Eric Clapton

Clapton: The Autobiography

The Road to Escondido

Unplugged

Clapton Chronicles - The Best of Eric Clapton

The Cream of Clapton

461 Ocean Boulevard

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Companion CD's for the Book, October 13, 2007

By 

George McAdams (Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Complete Clapton (Audio CD)

Clapton's "Complete Clapton" is an outstanding double CD collection that I would give anyone who had heard of Eric Clapton, but didn't have any of his music. It is an economical collection that is fairly representative of his music, but it is nowhere near a comprehensive collection of his music. With music from his work with Cream, Blind Faith, Derek & the Dominos, and his solo work, including tracks with B.B. King and J.J. Cale, I found this a great CD to have in my car in addition to all the other Clapton CD's I have.

What I enjoy about it most of all is a sense that this is what "he" wanted out on the streets when his autobiography was published. Looking through my collection of Eric Clapton CD's, I am amazed by the sheer amount of work he has issued, with a copy of "Cream of Clapton" and "Clapton Chronicles" serving as chapter dividers around 1995 and 1999.

But, what if you are a true fan of Clapton and you really want to have a definitive collection of his work, what CD's can you purchase now that will give you a true sense of the groups he played with and how his music evolved over the years? Personally, I would have "CrossroadsCrossroads," a four CD Boxed-Set compilation of his earlier work with heavy doses of his work with the Yardbirds, Mayall, and Cream, and later solo work up to the mid 1980's. Another collection, that I don't have, but it has more of his earlier work with groups you never knew he performed with, and several tunes he played with Jimmy Page, is "Clapton is God," Clapton Is God: The Cream of Early Eric Clapton a four CD collection that is an import from England.


A second box-set I would have would be the Derek and the Dominos 20th Anniversary one, The Layla Sessions : 20th Anniversary Edition that has an extra 2.5 hours of recordings that feature Eric playing along with Duane Allman. This is a great set of recordings. The third CD collection I would have to be representative of his work would be either the "Clapton Chronicles" Clapton Chronicles - The Best of Eric Claptonor "Complete Clapton" because they both have two of his better commercial successes, "Forever Man" and "It's In the Way You Use It" along with several of his "unplugged" work, "Layla" and "Tears in Heaven."


All-in-all, "Complete Clapton" is a great double CD for someone who doesn't have any Clapton music, and I wouldn't hesitate buying it to have in my car or as a gift for those in your life who are musically challenged.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars COMPLETE CLAPTON ISN'T GOD, BUT IT AIN'T BAD ! (Slowhand's life in music has been quite a journey), May 19, 2008

By 

ol' nuff n' den sum (the Virginia coast, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Clapton (Audio CD)

Eric Clapton is well known as one of the greatest guitarists in the history of rock music, and I won't argue with that. His career as a blues-rock guitarist has been both innovative and astonishing ("Clapton is God" graffitti was a popular underground tribute to the guitarist in London in the mid-1960s). He's also an excellent singer and songwriter, and has played a major role in some of rock music's greatest songs. The man is a legend, and I've been somewhat more than a casual fan over the years and consider his Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs to be one of my all-time favorite albums.

Complete Clapton (2007) is a 2-disc greatest hits collection that was released as a companion to Clapton: The Autobiography (with the same black and red cover). Other than his early days with The Yardbirds and John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Complete Clapton spans Eric's entire career, beginning with five songs from Cream and ending with Ride The River from 2006's The Road to Escondido with J.J. Cale.

I don't have any problem at all with the song selection here. Sure, I could find something to complain about if I really wanted to, but what's the point? It is what it is, and I think it covers the highlights of Clapton's career as well as it needs to. And what a career it has been! Sunshine Of Your Love, White Room, Crossroads, After Midnight, Layla, I Shot The Sheriff, Cocaine, Wonderful Tonight, Forever Man, Pretending, Bad Love, Tears In Heaven, Layla (unplugged) and much more!

Some reviewers are noting that that this collection duplicates The Cream of Clapton and Clapton Chronicles - The Best of Eric Clapton, but with this you get a few songs that both of those put together don't offer including Lay Down Sally, Sweet Home Chicago, If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day, Motherless Child and Riding With The King (w/B.B. King). And Complete Clapton is packaged in a slim swing-gate jewel case, making it more compact than two separate CDs.

The liner notes are really great, too, with information on each song including a list of the musicians and what instruments they played, an interesting essay on Eric Clapton and some great photos. If you're a casual fan or a true Eric Clapton fan who just wants to fill in some of the gaps in your your EC collection, Complete Clapton will work just fine. It's an enjoyable way to go back in time and follow the journey of a true guitar legend. And maybe your own journey as well...

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect 2 CD Compilation, April 29, 2008

By 

jansley "jim ansley" (Vernon, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Clapton (Audio CD)

I don't own any Clapton except "Derek and the Dominoes" and the "Best of Cream" so songs 1-5 and 9-10 on CD1 duplicate what I have, but this 2 CD set is perfect for me who doesn't like Slowhand enough to invest in his solo CDs. CD1 is 79:49! and CD2 is 76:16. All the great stuff is here including the original "Layla" from 1970 and the unplugged version from 1992. The other ballads "Bell Bottom Blues", "Wonderful Tonight" and "Tears In Heaven" (studio version) are here as are the sweeping epics such as "Presence of the Lord," "Let It Rain" and "Let It Grow." The Clapton I don't like because they bore me such as "Lay Down Sally," "Cocaine," "I Shot the Sheriff," and "Promises" are also here, but how can these not be included? This to me was his worst period and yet these songs are probably what he is best known for. CD1 closes strong with "I Can't Stand It" and CD2 has some great stuff, especially "Forever Man" and the very catchy cover of "Motherless Child." And I love "Riding With the King" with B.B. King and the great covers of Robert Johnson blues tunes "Sweet Home Chicago" and "If I Had Possession..." These 2 songs just kick! And by the way, the 5 Cream songs on CD1 are the best 5 they did. The bass and piano on "Badge" are superb and the all-too-brief guitar solo on this song rings out with beautiful clarity.

For those who complain about re-issues and duplication, you have to ask yourself this: Given the limitation of a 2 CD package, what would you put on to represent the career of a musical icon like Clapton? This CD fulfills that and surpasses, especially with the remastering and length of each CD, any other previous collection of similar or smaller size. It's pointless to compare this to a larger boxed set. So, if you only need 2 CDs of Clapton, then get this. I would have called it "Clapton Collection" because only 2 CD's for this guy could never be "complete" but who cares about the title? Plus, they didn't muck it up by including a lot of live or demo versions. You get the real studio stuff at full lengths, plus 2 live classics from the unplugged album.

This is THE perfect 2 CD compilation.