Eric Clapton
	Produced & Arranged by Delaney Bramlett
	Released on July 1970
	US CHART POSITION #13 . . . UK CHART POSITION #17
	Find it at GEMM
RS-1-3008 cover [high resolution photo]

T he opening instrumental “Slunky” is the weakest track on here; the closing “Let It Rain” the strongest. It’s not that Eric Clapton has it backwards, he just doesn’t much mind what kind of impression he makes. So much was expected of Clapton’s solo debut that you almost have to admire this offhand offering. Fresh from his tour with Bonnie and Delaney Bramlett, Clapton quietly steps from their shadows to make his own statement with their support. The resulting record is really more of a collaboration between Clapton and The Bramletts, so folk-rock, blues and rock get swirled together. In here somewhere is half an Eric Clapton album: catchy throwaways (“Easy Now,” “Lovin’ You Lovin’ Me”), spot-on blues (“After Midnight,” “Bad Boy”), and a worthy successor to “Badge” and “Layla” in “Let It Rain.” Over time, a handful of tracks here have become fine representatives of Clapton’s solo success: “Let It Rain,” “After Midnight” (which seems to set the tone for the album’s potential to break out) and “Blues Power” (cowritten with Leon Russell). Yet the album itself is not representative of Clapton’s solo appeal, instead serving as a transitional record while Clapton adjusted from axeman extraordinaire to solo star. Clapton’s previous gigs were larger than life, so it’s surprising to find his debut hampered by his own humility, but that’s part of the EC mystique. The Bramlett half of the omelette is serviceable but steeped in the folk/rock of the times (e.g., The Band), so it’s not likely to appeal to fans of psychedelic blues rock or the blues guitar showcases for which Clapton was heretofore known. Though he might have been a reluctant astronaut, Clapton’s luminous presence will attract many to buy this album, even if it’s not the proper launching of a new star.

RS-1-3008 back cover

TRACK LISTING

1. SLUNKY    (Eric Clapton/Bonnie Bramlett)    3:40
2. BAD BOY    (Eric Clapton/Bonnie Bramlett)    4:17
3. LONESOME AND A LONG WAY FROM HOME    (Bonnie Bramlett/Leon Russell)    4:00
4. AFTER MIDNIGHT    (John J. Cale)    3:15
5. EASY NOW    (Eric Clapton)    2:55
6. BLUES POWER    (Eric Clapton/Leon Russell)    3:15
7. BOTTLE OF RED WINE    (Eric Clapton/Bonnie Bramlett)    3:10
8. LOVIN' YOU LOVIN' ME    (Eric Clapton/Bonnie Bramlett)    3:35
9. I'VE TOLD YOU FOR THE LAST TIME    (Bonnie Bramlett/Steve Cropper)    2:30
10. DON'T KNOW WHY    (Eric Clapton/Bonnie Bramlett)    3:20
11. LET IT RAIN    (Eric Clapton/Bonnie Bramlett)    5:00

CREDITS

ERIC CLAPTON -- guitar & lead vocal
BONNIE BRAMLETT -- vocals
DELANEY BRAMLETT -- rhythm guitar & vocals
RITA COOLIDGE -- vocals
JIM GORDON -- drums
BOB KEYS -- sax
JIM PRICE -- trumpet
CARL RADLE -- bass
LEON RUSSELL -- piano
JOHN SIMON -- piano
STEPHEN STILLS --
BOB WHITLOCK -- organ & vocals
J.J. Allison -- vocals (crickets)
Sonny Curtis -- vocals (crickets)
Bill Halverson -- engineer
Barry Feinstein & Tom Wilkes (for Camouflage Productions) -- photography & album design

For more discographies visit...

© 2005 Connolly & Company. All rights reserved.