Eric Clapton (album)

Untitled

Eric Clapton is the debut solo album from British rock musician Eric Clapton, released in August 1970 under Atco and Polydor Records.

Background and artwork

After being successful with bands including The Yardbirds, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Cream and Blind Faith, Clapton recorded an album under his own name in late 1969 and early 1970. The album cover shows Clapton sitting in a room which is going to be decorated and in which a ladder, a chair and some carpets are placed. Clapton holds a cigarette in his right hand and has his Fender Stratocaster Brownie electric guitar with him.

Recording

Clapton recorded some tracks in November 1969 at London's Olympic Studios and went on to record more songs in 1970 which was divided into two sessions; one in January 1970 at the Village Recorders Studio in West Los Angeles and a second session in March the same year at Island Studios in London. A large amount of musicians that worked with Clapton on the album had been working with the band Delaney & Bonnie, which previously backed the Blind Faith gigs. The musicians included the core of Derek & the Dominoes, including co-creator and co-songwriter Bobby Whitlock, but sans slide guitarist Duane Allman. Bobby Whitlock can be heard on Let It Rain, a pre-Dominoes type song.

The song "Let it Rain" had originally been recorded with different lyrics as "She Rides". Three mixes of the album were done, one by Delaney Bramlett, one by Tom Dowd and one by Clapton himself. The Dowd mix was the one used for the original release. Bramlett's mix is included in the Deluxe Edition released on CD in 2006.

In an interview from 2006, promoting The Road to Escondido, Clapton recalled that he was very happy making this album and was pleased with the results of the recording sessions, but also noted that "the only thing [he] didn't like about the album is [his] voice", because it sounds so "high" and "young", which Clapton disliked, because he "always wanted to sound like an old guy".

Critical reception

Robert Christgau in a contemporary review rated the album with the "B" mark and noted: "I blame a conceptual error, rather than Clapton's uncertain singing, for the overall thinness. As a sideman, Clapton slipped into producer Delaney Bramlett's downhome bliss as easily as he did into Cream's blues dreamscape, but as a solo artist he can't simulate Delaney's optimism".

In a retrospective review for AllMusic Stephen Thomas Erlewine feels that Clapton "sounds more laid-back and straightforward than any of the guitarist's previous recordings. There are still elements of blues and rock & roll, but they're hidden beneath layers of gospel, R&B, country, and pop flourishes. And the pop element of the record is the strongest of the album's many elements". Erlewine finishes his summary by stating "it's encouraging to hear him grow and become a more fully rounded musician, but too often the album needs the spark that some long guitar solos would have given it. In short, it needs a little more of Clapton's personality."

Track listings

Side One

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Slunky"	Bonnie Bramlett · Eric Clapton	3:34
2.	"Bad Boy"	B. Bramlett · Clapton	3:34
3.	"Lonesome and a Long Way from Home"	B. Bramlett · Leon Russell	3:29
4.	"After Midnight"	J. J. Cale	2:51
5.	"Easy Now"	Clapton	2:57
6.	"Blues Power"	Clapton · Russell	3:09
Total length:			17:56

Side Two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Bottle of Red Wine"	Clapton	3:06
2.	"Lovin' You Lovin' Me"	B. Bramlett · Clapton	3:19
3.	"Told You For the Last Time"	B. Bramlett · Steve Cropper	2:30
4.	"Don't Know Why"	B. Bramlett · Clapton	3:10
5.	"Let It Rain"	B. Bramlett · Clapton	5:02
Total length:			17:11

2006 Deluxe Edition – The Tom Dowd Mix

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Slunky"	3:33
2.	"Bad Boy"	3:33
3.	"Lonesome and a Long Way From Home"	3:29
4.	"After Midnight"	2:51
5.	"Easy Now"	2:57
6.	"Blues Power"	3:08
7.	"Bottle of Red Wine"	3:06
8.	"Lovin' You, Lovin' Me"	3:19
9.	"Told You For the Last Time"	2:30
10.	"Don't Know Why"	3:10
11.	"Let It Rain"	5:02
12.	"Blues In 'A'"	10:25
13.	"Teasin'"	2:14
14.	"She Rides"	5:08
Total length:		54:41

2006 Deluxe Edition – The Delaney Bramlett Mix

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Slunky"	3:33
2.	"Bad Boy"	3:41
3.	"Easy Now"	2:57
4.	"After Midnight"	3:17
5.	"Blues Power"	3:19
6.	"Bottle of Red Wine"	3:06
7.	"Lovin' You, Lovin' Me"	4:03
8.	"Lonesome and a Long Way From Home"	3:48
9.	"Don't Know Why"	3:43
10.	"Let It Rain"	5:03
11.	"Don't Know Why"	5:12
12.	"I've Told You For the Last Time"	6:46
13.	"Comin' Home"	3:14
14.	"Groupie"	2:48
Total length:		54:50

2010 Rarities Edition – Essential Collector's Tracks

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Slunky"	3:34
2.	"Bad Boy"	3:41
3.	"Easy Now"	2:58
4.	"After Midnight"	3:17
5.	"Blues Power"	3:19
6.	"Bottle of Red Wine"	3:07
7.	"Lovin' You, Lovin' Me"	4:04
8.	"Lonesome and a Long Way From Home"	3:48
9.	"Don't Know Why"	3:44
10.	"Let It Rain"	5:03
11.	"Don't Know Why"	5:12
12.	"I've Told You For the Last Time"	6:47
13.	"Blues In 'A'"	10:26
14.	"She Rides"	5:09
Total length:		74:15

Personnel

• Eric Clapton – lead guitar, lead vocals
• Delaney Bramlett – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Stephen Stills – guitar, backing vocals
• Leon Russell – piano
• Bobby Whitlock – organ, backing vocals

• John Simon – piano
• Carl Radle – bass
• Jim Gordon – drums
• Jim Price – trumpet
• Bobby Keys – saxophone

• Tex Johnson – percussion
• Bonnie Bramlett – backing vocals
• Rita Coolidge – backing vocals
• Sonny Curtis – backing vocals
• Jerry Allison – backing vocals

Production

• Producer and Arranged by Delaney Bramlett
• Engineer – Bill Halverson
• Recorded at The Village Recorder (Los Angeles, CA).
• Album Design and Photography – Barry Feinstein and Tom Wilkes for Camoflauge Productions.
• Equipment – Bill Reed, Clark
• Road Manager – Bruce McCaskill

Weekly charts

Chart (1970)	Peak position
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)	17
UK Albums (OCC)	14
US Billboard 200	13

External links

• Eric Clapton at Discogs