Customer Reviews

Cream of Eric Clapton

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This is someone else's (and we do not know who) selection of what they think is the Cream of Clapton. It may be used as a beginning album or just a synopsis for those that just want to have a Clapton sample in their library.

Bottom line all these songs are on original albums and if you just happen to like this combination then there are no ringers or odd songs in there to just fill space/time.

Claptons career has waxed and waned over the years and therefore buying his entire back catalogue would be an act of the purest faith. Or masochism. Therefore a useful catch all release such as this is the perfect format to listen to music touched by Claptons undeniable six string skills.

And this album that covers things from the beginning up to circa '86 is a pretty fair stab at collecting as large a number of great rock `n' roll moments as possible onto one disc. The real dilemna is the simple fact that Claptons skill has usually outshone any vehicle he could find for it and while the can make a guitar sit up and whistle you any tune you'd care to name he has precious little to say. And no real idea of what idiom to use to say it. Not to mention that the couple of megahits that have made his name, well a chunk of them weren't anything to do with him in the writing department.

However all that's not to deny the pleasure of hearing Layla warble out of your speakers to open up this album even though the high pitched squeeling noise of the guitar solo and epilogue section of the song does grate after about 0.5 seconds. Badge and I Feel Free from the Cream years are nice enough rock `n' roll tunes and of course the monolithic structure that is Sunshine of Your Love is indeed a towering achievement. A song that has been covered a zillion times but rarely sounded as good as when Clapton is twanging the strings.

Further into the album we get Cream rockers like Crossroads, an open homage to Robert Johnson as far as I'm concerned and Clapton scores serious points in my book for being honest about his influences. Which is fitting as he has certainly gotten a lot of respect and namechecking from guitarists that followed him. In addition the Cream rockers Strange Brew and White Room, excellent prototype hard rock, really seals the deal and makes the first half of this album very strong indeed both as an outright pleasure and also from a historical perspective.

It's when we move into the solo years that some of the material on this album starts to falter. While Claptons version of JJ Cales Cocaine has gone down in musical folklore as the definitive version and ditto for his take on Marleys I Shot the Sherriff, it's harder to be as enthused about tunes such as Behind the Mask. Or Forever Man. Or Let It Grow. Or Promises. Or I've Got A Rock `n' Roll Heart. You get the picture? There are to be sure a number of gems here. Lay Down Sally is a fun and funky rockabilly song with nice vocal harmonies. Wonderful Tonight is a beautiful ballad style number - and that's coming from a guy who rarely likes the stuff. On the flipside, Dylans Knockin' On Heavens Door, gimme a break. A poor version of the tune and my guess is he did it perhaps hoping to repeat the success he had with I Shot the Sherriff given both songs seem to have gotten the same treatment. In one case it worked a treat, on the other it's underwhelming.

And the fact that so many of these songs aren't penned by Clapton is an issue for me. Where's the beef? Writing half an album every few years just doesn't cut it for me. Clapton was an early rock `n' roller hero of mine but as I've gotten older I've wanted more from my heroes. Some sense of a personal voice and Clapton doesn't seem to have it - in the same vein as so many other great guitarists he seems to have a very shallow personal creative well.

This album is enjoyable and a useful career retrospective up to `86. And given how poor so many of his albums through the 90's were it's not likely we're missing much by the early stopping point on this collection. But despite my respect for his abilities I'd have to say that your probably better off downloading the half dozen salient tracks here. Or just buy the Cream reunion stuff......the original and still the best.....