This day, August 16th, marks a half-century since the album was first released, a compilation of rock, blues, R&B, country, and a tinge of gospel. The album charted #17 in the US and #14 in the UK. Clapton’s solo debut, recorded between late 1969 and early 1970, was the result of a relationship that Clapton struck with American husband-and-wife songwriting team Delaney & Bonnie Bramlett, whose infectious rock/R&B/country music paved the way for ‘many late ’60s rock musicians splintering off in other musical directions. It was a relationship that would forever change the course of Clapton’s career.
Prior to his involvement with Delaney & Bonnie, Clapton was hailed as one of the greatest rock guitarists on the planet. Several years ago, Rolling Stone published its greatest 100 rock guitarists of all time, with Clapton taking the #2 spot, right behind Jimi Hendrix. The piece featured other notable guitarists who wrote reviews of their honored ax mates and their impact on the rock music scene.
In Clapton’s case, it was ’80s guitar shredder Eddie Van Halen who gave his perspective on Clapton’s contribution. In the review, Van Halen lauded Clapton’s guitar prowess before hitching his wagon with Delaney & Bonnie, who Van Halen implicitly blamed for transforming Clapton from a reigning guitar virtuoso into a shadow of his former self. Fans of his former bands Cream, Blind Faith, the Bluesbreakers, and the Yardbirds were probably wondering, like Van Halen, why Clapton would undergo a complete metamorphosis. But Clapton has continually changed his musical style, and physical appearances, throughout much of his career, so it’s not all that surprising that he had chosen a new direction, one that allowed him to explore other musical genres and to avoid a one-dimensional classification that has doomed many artists then and now.
It should be noted that Clapton was facing an identity crisis during this period, and he needed folks like Delaney & Bonnie for inspiration and, maybe, a bit of therapy. The relationship with Delaney & Bonnie couldn’t have come at a better time, as Clapton was musically adrift after the failed outing of the short-lived supergroup Blind Faith and the rancorous breakup of rock power trio Cream.
At that time, Clapton joined Delaney & Bonnie’s worldwide tour which featured the likes of his next band called Derek & The Dominos ( Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle and Jim Gordon). Other members of the entourage included former Traffic guitarist Dave Mason (another Brit who became a successful solo artist), singer Rita Coolidge, saxophonist Bobby Keys, who later became “the sixth member” of the Rolling Stones, and former Beatle George Harrison, who used a pseudonym during his stint with the band. During the tour, Clapton preferred to take the role of a sideman rather than being the center of attention, though other people thought differently. For example, the record company that issued an album of the D&B tour was called “Delaney & Bonnie featuring Eric Clapton”. I guess the record company’s suits thought highlighting Clapton’s name on the album would ring up more sales.
At the urging of Delaney, Clapton went into the studio and recorded his first solo album with all of the musicians listed above — except Harrison — and few others, including pianist/songwriter Leon Russell and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Stills, who just formed a band with David Crosby and Graham Nash (check out Clapton’s scorching solo on “Go Back Home” on Stills’ first solo album, which also featured Hendrix on another album cut).
Clapton was greatly influenced by Delaney, who restored Clapton’s already fragile confidence that was totally shattered from the demise of his last band. In his autobiography “Clapton”, he wrote: “I was lost in Blind Faith. I was the man in the hallway who has closed the door behind him while another one is opening.” Delaney & Bonnie not only swung that door wide open for Clapton, but they found a new home for him that laid the foundation of a long and fruitful musical journey.
If you listen closely to Clapton’s solo album, you’ll hear his vocals closely mimicking Delaney’s down-home, mountain-man singing style. In an interview years later, Clapton said he was happy with the album but thought his voice sounded too young and high.
Russell also encouraged Clapton to sing more and to tighten up his guitar solos. During his tenure with Cream, Clapton was renowned for playing extended face-melting, distortion-filled guitar solos with bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker laying down a driving rhythm section. Later on, however, Clapton grew tired of just being a guitar god. He pined to be a singer-songwriter following in the steps of Bob Dylan, The Band, Delaney & Bonnie, George Harrison, and other rock singer contemporaries.
In reviewing this album, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Slowhand’s guitar style or tone. During the D&B era, Clapton traded in his trusty Gibson for a Fender Stratocaster, which Jeff Beck once described as “a workingman’s guitar.” Since then, the Strat has been Clapton’s instrument of choice. In many of the songs on his solo album, Clapton set the toggle switch on an out-of-phase position, giving the guitar’s sound a bright, clear-as-a-bell tone, allowing listeners to hear almost every note. Clapton used this style again on his Derek & The Dominoes’ Layla masterpiece and, sparingly, on his ’74 comeback album “461 Ocean Boulevard.”
Other rock guitarists have copied that sound, most notably the late Lynyrd Skynard guitarist Ed King on the band’s smash hit “Sweet Home Alabama”. Listen carefully to both the lead solo on that song and Clapton’s solo on “Let It Rain” and you’ll hear a distinct similarity.
Speaking of “Let It Rain”, let’s get on with a review of that tune and the other songs Clapton recorded in his first outing as a solo artist (Note: songs listed below are not in chronological order that appeared on the album):
“Slunky”— This instrumental jam opens up with a blaring saxophone with Clapton accompanying it with short but incendiary fills. Then the sax goes quiet and Clapton blasts off with an echo-enhanced guitar solo that’s part blues, part rock, and part otherwordly. The only time that I’ve heard him use this same effect was on the spacey jam “Out of the Blue” recorded on George Harrison’s first solo album “All Thing Must Pass”. It was indeed a memorable time for guitar-driven rock songs.
“Bad Boy” — “I’m just a bad boy a long, long way from home. But I ain’t got nobody to bury me when I’m dead and gone., ” sang Clapton on this cut. Was Clapton singing about having a devilish good time with his new home and friends in America, but feeling a sense of remorse about leaving his old life back in his native England? Who knows, but its funky beat with Clapton using a toned-down, fuzz-free wah-wah pedal makes this D&B-influenced song a special treat.
“Lonesome and Long Way From Home” –– Clapton, once again, is telling a story about being miles away from his UK home, and perhaps, of an unwanted reputation that was bestowed upon him as part of the UK’s holy rock guitar trinity (Beck/Clapton/Page). This tune is probably the best rendition of one of Delaney & Bonnie’s songs, complete with a rousing horn section (kudos to Keys and trumpeter Jim Price), second-to-none backup vocals and cracker-jack accompaniment from his future Dominoes. Clapton breaks in the middle of a song with a screeching but melodic guitar solo. Years later, Grateful Dead co-founder, singer, guitarist Jerry Garcia recorded his own version of this song with his spinoff band, JGB (check it out). Garcia, in fact, recorded other Clapton gems like “Lay Down Sally”, The Dominoes “It’s Too Late”, and a slower version of Clapton’s take on “After Midnight”.
“Lovin’ You and Lovin Me”/I’ve Told You For The Last Time” — I lumped these two songs together because they clearly represent the first time that Clapton veered into country rock music, which would be prevalent in his other ’70s album releases. These songs also show that Clapton was into recording love songs before he laid down any tracks for his classic “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs”.
“Easy Now” — What can I say about this song other than Clapton nailed it. Just him, an acoustic guitar, and Bonnie Bramlett joining him on the refrains. Other than Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home”, Clapton’s recorded music was plugged in for his studio and live performances. This is a hauntingly beautiful love song, perhaps directed at Layla (aka George Harrison’s then-wife and UK model Patti Boyd). During one of the performances for his ’74 comeback tour, he opened with this song. When he finished, the audience gave him a standing ovation.
“After Midnight“–Clapton turned J.J. Cale’s slow bluesy song into a funky uptempo rocker. The song opens with Whitlock’s majestic organ intro and then goes into overdrive with Clapton’s vocals reaching into a higher register, accompanied by Delaney & Bonnie and others on backup vocals. On the guitar, Clapton whips into short bursts of stinging lead lines. This song and others on this album mark an important progression in his career, where he becomes economical with his guitar playing or using the guitar to complement his voice instead of the opposite. In Cream, he played second banana to Jack Bruce on lead vocals (although Clapton’s pipes did shine on “Crossroads” and “Badge”) and the lead vocal duties were left to Steve Winwood in Blind Faith. “After Midnight” was a big hit for Clapton back then which received a fair amount of FM airplay. It was also the beginning of moving beyond an extraordinary guitarist to being a damn good singer who still could blow people away with his guitar work.
“I Don’t Know Why” — Another D&B-influenced tune, a slow, gospel-inspired song that builds to a crescendo with The Rev. Slowhand leading his rock version of a church choir. Check out You Tube, and watch the old video of Clapton and the entire D&B entourage perform this song. Interestingly, Clapton dons a pair of dark shades while singing this song. Not sure if it was because of the bright stage lights or a confidence issue, but he did a star-turn for this performance. There’s an alternative version of this song on a reissue of the album, with Delaney Bramlett singing the lead with Clapton on guitar. Personally, I like the original version better, but the alternative one has Clapton jamming away that will almost certainly bring a smile.
“Bottle of Red Wine”--A drinking song if there ever was one. Clapton’s vocals perfectly compliment this loose and bouncy tune about drinking heavily and waking up with a head-crushing hangover. When he’s not singing, Clapton’s fluid guitar riffs fill in quite nicely
“Blues Power”–This song is representative of Clapton at his best-powerful and confident vocals and guitar work that reinforces his legendary status in the pantheons of rock ‘n roll. But let’s not neglect Leon Russell’s piano that helps take the song to a whole different level.
“Let it Rain”– This classic still receives a fair amount of radio airplay, and Clapton will occasionally play it on tour. And for good reason: it has held up nicely against the test of time. There’s a little mystery about the first lead guitar part in the song. I’ve read how Clapton used a different guitar and configured his amp settings in a certain way that achieved the soft, fluid-like tone. But I’ve also heard it was Stephen Stills who contributed this leadwork. And, if you listen closely, it does bear some semblance to Stills’ work with Buffalo Springfield. But it’s the second lead guitar part that is pure Clapton. As soon as Russell finishes his hand sweep of the piano keys, Clapton clears the deck with a fiery burst of notes up and down the fretboard. At times, it sounds as if Clapton is using bluegrass-style picking –with each note given rich and powerful clarity. This is very similar to the lead lines on “Sweet Home Alabama” (see above). On a side note, the song was originally entitled “She Rides” which appears on the reissued album. That version is pretty much the same musically but it does have different lyrics in parts of the song. It’s not clear why Clapton changed it to the “Let it Rain” version but he (or his producer) made the right decision.
In retrospect, Clapton’s debut solo album set the stage for greater things to come in this legendary rocker’s career. But, more importantly, the album’s success made all the difference in the world for Clapton, giving him the strength and conviction to grow as an artist after undergoing a period of disillusionment with his former bands. For Clapton, he embraced the closing lyric in “Blues Power” to move forward and never look back: just keep on keeping on.
