Eric Clapton (album)

Eric Clapton
Studio album by Eric Clapton
Released	August 1970
Recorded	November 1969 – March 1970
Genre	Rock · blues · blues rock
Length	35:11
Label	Atco · Polydor
Producer	Tom Dowd • Delaney Bramlett
Eric Clapton chronology
— Eric Clapton (1970) 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974)461 Ocean Boulevard1974
Singles from Eric Clapton
"After Midnight" Released: October 1970 "Blues Power" Released: 1970 "Let It Rain" Released: 1972

Eric Clapton is the eponymous debut studio 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 decided to record his own album 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 and has his Fender Stratocaster Brownie electric guitar with him.

Recording

Clapton recorded some tracks in November 1969 at Londons Olympic Studios and went on to record more songs in 1970 which was divided into to sessions; one in January 1970 at the Village Recorders Studio in West Lost Angeles and a second session in March the same year at the 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. 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

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Robert Christgau	B

AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine awards the release 4.5 of five possible stars and recalls that on the album 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 finished his review 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." Music critic Robert Christgau rates the album with the "B" mark and notes: "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".

Track listings

Side One
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Slunky"	Delaney Bramlett · Bonnie Bramlett · Eric Clapton	3:34
2.	"Bad Boy"	D. Bramlett · B. Bramlett · Clapton	3:34
3.	"Lonesome and a Long Way from Home"	D. Bramlett · 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"	D. Bramlett · B. Bramlett · Clapton	3:19
3.	"Told You For the Last Time"	D. Bramlett · B. Bramlett · Steve Cropper	2:30
4.	"Don't Know Why"	D. Bramlett · B. Bramlett · Clapton	3:10
5.	"Let It Rain"	D. Bramlett · 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, vocals
• Leon Russell – piano
• Bobby Whitlock – organ, vocals
• John Simon – piano

• Carl Radle – bass
• Jim Gordon – drums
• Jim Price – trumpet
• Bobby Keys – saxophone
• Tex Johnson – percussion

• Bonnie Bramlett – vocals
• Rita Coolidge – vocals
• Sonny Curtis – vocals
• Jerry Allison – vocals
• Stephen Stills – vocals, guitar

Charts positions

Weekly charts

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

References

External links

• Eric Clapton at Discogs