Latest Release
- OCT 4, 2024
- 14 Songs
- The Cream of Clapton · 1970
- Slowhand · 1977
- Slowhand · 1977
- Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton · 1996
- Backless · 1978
- Slowhand · 1977
- 461 Ocean Boulevard · 1974
- Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton · 1992
- Eric Clapton · 1970
- August · 1986
Essential Albums
- Clapton had a hand in writing nearly every track on this laidback LP, a collection devoted more to subtle grooves than raw power. On the title track, the rhythm section locks into a tight, flowing beat as Clapton uses a soft falsetto to croon lyrics that suggest both romantic and religious devotion. And though Bob Dylan penned "Born In Time," Clapton treats the tune as if it were his own, carefully sculpting a bass-heavy soundscape as humid as the night the song describes.
- Journeyman saw Clapton closing out the ‘80s with one of his biggest-sounding albums yet, surrounding his fiery guitar playing with rich, dynamic production reminiscent of Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound. Opener "Pretending" swirls with horns, piano, and gritty vocals, but they all fall away when he goes for a sharp, distorted solo. The drums on "Run So Far"—a collaboration with George Harrison—come loaded with reverb and make a perfect vehicle for the tune's light, twangy melody.
- Eric Clapton’s skills as a guitarist and songwriter came together on this 1977 album. Even the covers, such as J.J. Cale’s hypnotic blues-blast “Cocaine” and John Martyn’s gentle “May You Never,” are soulful and well-sketched. His unhurried guitar playing is subtly persuasive and restrained, especially on the country-influenced “Lay Down Sally,” the melancholic lover’s ballad “Wonderful Tonight,” and blues burner “Mean Old Frisco.” More, Clapton’s singing conveys wide-ranging emotions—from sadness on the telling “We’re All the Way” to contrition on the Dylanesque “Next Time You See Her.”
- Upon leaving the often rough and tumble sound of Cream, Eric Clapton embraced a more laid-back style encompassing elements of soul, acoustic blues and country music. Though he might still conjure emotionally wracked moments — think Layla — Clapton’s self-titled solo debut set the template for much of his future work. Though reveling in the sheer musicality of the R&B-drenched Delaney and Bonnie band, which provided much of its backing group, Eric Clapton’s quiet also tapped into the guitarist’s pain and yearning. (Play the lovely “Let It Rain” the next time you’re in a restless mood.) Surely his command of the music, though, lent some comfort. That feeling shines through the party-every-day “Bottle of Red Wine,” the updated old-timey statement of “Lovin’ You Lovin’ Me” and the “Foxey Lady”-gone-mellow “Bad Boy.”
- 2016
Artist Playlists
- “Clapton is God” wasn't just a street-art campaign.
- The guitarist's fluid blues style and stinging rock lead breaks still echo today.
- If playing live is the ultimate test, this guitar great passes with flying colors.
- Acoustic and electric interpretations of American blues.
- Hear the artists that inspired this guitar god to pick up his axe.
Compilations
More To Hear
- How Bob Marley helped the guitar god bounce back.
About Eric Clapton
In the mid-60s, the words “Clapton is God” became a familiar spray-painted sight around London, but throughout his career, the artist born Eric Patrick Clapton in 1945 has carried himself with the humility of a mere mortal. After all, this was a guy who left British Invasion trailblazers The Yardbirds in 1965 because he felt they were becoming too commercial. Never one for the outsized theatrics of peers like Jimi Hendrix or Jimmy Page, Clapton favored a more graceful style that mainlined the pain and longing at the heart of the blues. Since the late '60s, however, that purism has been balanced by a trendsetting savvy: With Cream, Clapton drafted the blueprints for psych rock and heavy metal; as a solo artist in the ‘70s, he imported reggae into the mainstream by covering Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff” and shaped the arena-rock canon with his tough-as-nails take on JJ Cale’s “Cocaine.” But while several of his biggest hits have been reinterpretations, Clapton has channeled his own struggles into unforgettable moments of emotional bloodletting. Hiding behind the alias of Derek and the Dominoes, he exorcised his guilt over falling for his best friend George Harrison’s wife, Patti, through the immortal classic-rock warhorse “Layla,” while decades later, he grieved the death of his four-year-old son Conor in the 1991 acoustic elegy “Tears in Heaven.” The latter song—and his Grammy-dominating MTV Unplugged set from the same era—heralded Clapton’s elder statesman phase, during which he has reasserted his dedication to the blues through Robert Johnson tribute albums and collaborations with BB King, while crossing over to the adult-contemporary charts via the Babyface-produced hymn “Change the World.” But Clapton’s multifaceted legacy lives on through modern-day guitar heroes like John Mayer and Gary Clark Jr., who likewise wield their serious chops in service of soulful, straight-from-the-heart pop.
- HOMETOWN
- London, England
- GENRE
- Rock