Eric Clapton Easy Now Girl and a Guy on the Beach

By 1967, Eric Clapton's reputation as one of the hottest young guitarists on the British blues scene was such that when somebody spray-painted "Clapton is God" on the Islington Underground station, it stuck. And Clapton definitely lived up to the billing as the former Yardbird who'd already cycled through John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, moved from Cream to Blind Faith, Delaney and Bonnie and Friends and Derek and the Dominos before launching a solo career in 1970 with a self-titled gem of an album.

Here's a look at the best of the songs that even now continue to define his legacy. It starts with Derek and the Dominos because the songs on "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" are more of a piece with his solo career than his previous work. And this way, you get "Layla."

20. "Bad Boy"

Clapton's vocal here is self-assured enough to put across the line, "I'll be your box of matches, baby, when you need a light" and make it sound like poetry. The wah-guitar intro is classic, it ends in a dueling guitar lead and that horn part is a nice touch. From "Eric Clapton" (1970).

19. "Double Trouble"

The most Claptonesque track on "No Reason to Cry," an album he recorded with the members of the Band, Bob Dylan and Ron Wood, this smoldering blues is an Otis Rush song and Clapton clearly knows his way around this territory. His soulful reading of the lyrics makes the most of lines as defeated as, "Some of this generation is millionaires and I can't even keep decent clothes to wear." But his guitar does all the heavy crying. From "No Reason to Cry" (1976).

18. "Blues Power"

It may have seemed a little disingenuous for Eric Clapton to begin a song in 1970 with a statement as ridiculous as "I bet you didn't think I knew how to rock and roll." Dude, we knew you when you were in Cream, OK? At least he follows through with a record that proves he knows exactly how to rock and roll with a spirited vocal and scrappy guitar leads. It's meant to be a good time and it is, no more, no less. From "Eric Clapton" (1970).

17. "Tell the Truth" (live)

A Clapton-Bobby Whitlock co-write, "Tell the Truth" was amazing when Derek and the Dominos did it on "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs." But I'm going with the live recording from late 1974 at the Hammersmith Odean, included as a bonus track when "461 Ocean Boulevard" was reissued. Why? Because it manages to take a great song even higher, a rousing rendition with powerful vocals and some really nice guitar work. From the reissue of "461 Ocean Boulevard" (1974).

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16. "Lonesome and a Long Way From Home"

That opening riff is total Crosby, Stills & Nash. The horns that greet it aren't. And the call-and-response between Clapton and those gospel-flavored backing vocals? That's pure Clapton circa 1970, as is the slinky wah-guitar lead. And it's nice to hear him slip into falsetto on occasion. That's a trick he should have used more often. One could argue that the vibe is little up for someone claiming to have never been so lonesome and a long way from home. But it's that upbeat vibe that ultimately makes it what it is. From "Eric Clapton" (1970).

15. "Motherless Children"

The opening track on Clapton's second album, it set the tone with a twangy country-rock guitar riff before taking flight on a stinging slide-guitar break, all before he grabs the mike more than a minute in to sing about motherless children and how they have a hard time when mother is dead, Lord. It's a blues traditional and Clapton definitely takes it more into the rock realm without losing sight of its roots. From "461 Ocean Boulevard" (1974).

14. "The Sky is Crying"

Coming hot on the "461 Ocean Boulevard," "There's One in Every Crowd" was seen as something of a letdown. And it sold accordingly. But this version of Elmore James' "The Sky is Crying" made up for the disappointment. The vibe here is ominous, chilling, funereal, not far removed from the sort of thing Dylan was chasing decades later on "Time Out Mind," but bluesier and bleaker. Clapton's vocal here is a masterpiece of understatement, setting the tone with a crackling whisper of "The sky is crying; look at the tears rolling down the streets." Even when the clouds appear to part, if just a little, on the key change, the sunshine doesn't do a damn thing to improve his misery. And that is a beautiful thing. From "There's One in Every Crowd" (1975).

13. "I Shot the Sheriff"

This song hit No. 1 onBillboard's Hot 100, taking reggae to the U.S. masses at a time when most Americans had no idea who Bob Marley was. This was the '70s, when people weren't as likely to be freaked out by a pop hit sung from the perspective of a man who comes right out and says he shot the sheriff. Clapton's vocal, by the way, is brilliant, an understated, conversational account of shooting Sheriff John Brown down in self-defense. Marley purists might not like this version, but it's pretty faithful, and if Clapton's intention were anything less than respectful, you certainly wouldn't know it from the sound of this recording. From "461 Ocean Boulevard" (1974).

12. "Give Me Strength"

This understated meditation from his second solo album eases in with a lengthy slide-guitar-and-organ part, which sets the tone for Clapton's world-weary vocal to take over with a prayer of "Dear Lord, give me strength to carry on." And it sustains that mood for the duration, underscoring Clapton's aching vocal with more gently weeping slide guitar while the organ captures everything that's good about funeral music in a church. From "461 Ocean Boulevard" (1974).

11. "After Midnight"

A spirited J.J. Cale song, "After Midnight" was Clapton's first single, announcing the launch of his solo career with a No. 18 entry on theBillboard Hot 100. And it's held up pretty well, despite that awful version Clapton re-recorded for a beer commercial. The gospel backing vocals testifying at the end of most lines is a nice touch, but what elevates this single to its spot on this list is that searing blues-guitar break. From "Eric Clapton" (1970).

10. "Bottle of Red Wine"

A rollicking celebration of rock and roll excess, it kicked off side two of his solo debut with Clapton demanding his lover to "get up" and "get your man a bottle of red wine" because "I can't get up out of bed with this crazy feeling in my head." He asks more nicely later, even saying please. There's also a really nice, if compact, guitar lead that gets underway with a flurry of triplets and only gets better from there. From "Eric Clapton" (1970).

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9. "Slunky"

The instrumental that welcomes you into his solo debut is a horn-driven rocker that sounds more like the sort of thing you would have heard on a record of that vintage by his Plastic Ono Bandmate, the late John Lennon. And as much as it appears to have been written as a vehicle for Bobby Keys' sax work, Clapton definitely wins the spotlight over with his gritty playing on the back half. From "Eric Clapton" (1970).

8. "Easy Now"

An understated acoustic-guitar-driven highlight of Clapton's self-titled debut, it would have sounded right at home on Crosby, Stills & Nash's self-titled debut as well, especially given the lyrical thrust, if you will. "Please remember that I want you to come too," he advises his partner as they're making love against the wall. Hey, the sexual revolution was a thing then. And the melody is one of Clapton's prettiest, regardless of whether you hear those lyrics and think, "How romantic" or, "I need a shower." From "Eric Clapton" (1970).

7. "I Looked Away"

The opening track on Derek and the Dominos' only proper album, "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs," this country-flavored ballad sets the tone for the album of heartache that follows with, "She took my hand and tried to make me understand that she would always be there/But I looked away and she ran away from me today/I'm such a lonely man." The ache in Clapton's vocal track is nicley underscored by melancholy blues guitar fills reminiscent of Robbie Robertson's work with Dylan and the Band. The twin-guitar harmony after the bridge is a brilliant departure, and it ends in a wailing guitar lead from Clapton that seems to pick up where the heartache in that vocal left off. From "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" (1970).

6. "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out"

The tone on that opening lick alone would be enough to earn this heartbreaking Jimmy Cox ballad, as done by Derek and the Dominos, a place of honor on this list. And that's before you toss in Clapton's wounded vocal, pouring his heart out while setting the scene with a cautionary tale from 1923. "Once I lived the life of a millionaire/Spent all my money/I just did not care/Took all my friends out for a good time/Bought bootleg whiskey, champagne and wine." It also boasts one of the saddest solos ever, searing slide guitar and just the right amount of church in Bobby Whitlock's organ sound. From "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" (1970).

5. "Little Wing"

Derek and the Dominos transform this tender ballad by the Jimi Hendrix Experience into something more dramatic, more emotional and more majestic. Do I miss the glockenspeil of the Hendrix original? Of course. But Clapton's clearly chasing something different here, from that bombastic opening salvo to the melancholy melody he plays on his guitar coming out of that opening salvo, the perfect setup for his soulful reading of the psychedelic lyrics. But he hits his stride here on the epic (some would argue God-like) solo where it really does begin to feel a little like the sky is crying. From "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" (1970).

4. "Let it Grow"

The Beatlesque highlight of "461 Ocean Boulevard," this haunting ballad eases in with him practically whispering a line about him "standing at the crossroads, trying to read the signs to tell me which way I should go to find the answer." There's some nice acoustic slide, and it boasts a descending guitar riff that sounds like George Harrison rewriting "Stairway to Heaven." In a good way. There's a certain point where it just starts repeating that progression as it builds to a majestic climax for what seems like an eternity but leaves you wishing it had gone on even longer. Not an easy task. From "461 Ocean Boulevard" (1974).

3. "Let it Rain"

That call-and-response between the opening guitar riff and Carl Radle's bassline (equal parts John Entwistle and Paul McCartney) sets the tone for one of Clapton's most majestic rockers. The solo Beatles vibe of the instrumental bridge is a brilliant departure. Clapton squeezes out some nice expressive lines when it gets to the jam. And for being very of-the-era, the lyrics offer moments as intriguing as this: "My life was like a desert flower burning in the sun/Until I found the way to love, it's harder said than done." That'sharder said than done. Nice twist. From "Eric Clapton" (1970).

2. "Layla"

Everything about this song is undeniable, from the opening riff to Clapton's anguished pleas to those melodic lines that underscore the verses to Duane Allman's slide work and Jim Gordon's unexpected stroke of genius — the piano coda. Clapton based this tortured love song on his feelings for Pattie Boyd Harrison, whose husband, George, had been close friends with Clapton for several years. He brought him in to play guitar on the White Album, right? Why Layla? Clapton took the name from "Layla and Majnoun," a Persian tale of a man driven mad by his love of an unavailable woman. Boyd has said that Clapton played her the song at a party, confessing his love to her, and then her husband, that same night. It peaked at No. 10 onBillboard's Hot 100. From "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" (1970).

1. "Bell Bottom Blues"

As tortured as the title track but prettier, theother emotional highlight of "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" features Clapton pleading, "Do you want to see me crawl across the floor to you?/Do you want to hear me beg you to take me back? I'd gladly do it because I don't want to fade away" with a real sense of urgency and anguish. It's one of rock's most devastating ballads, thanks in large part to the feeling Clapton pours into that vocal, somehow managing to mirror that emotion in one of the most inspired leads he's ever played. Released as a single, it peaked at No. 91 onBillboard'sHot 100 when originally issued but climbed higher when reissued two years later, hitting No. 78. From "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" (1970).

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Source: https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/08/30/eric-clapton-his-20-best-songs/89349530/

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