Mott the Dog
Refined by Meow the Cat
No Cream, No Stars
Eric Clapton is, no doubt about it, one of the finest
musicians of his lifetime. Having been a founder member of The Yardbirds
(when he left the Yardbirds in March 1965, due to the band swerving off
towards pop music leaving little room for Clapton’s love of the blues,
the only person able to fill his boots was Jeff Beck, and then Jimmy
Page). Eric Clapton then moved onto John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers,
recording the seminal ‘Bluesbreakers’ album (1966) before again
moving on. John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers are still going strong
today with their leader as youthful as ever in his seventies. But they
have never been as successful as when Clapton was in the ranks, even
though Clapton himself was followed by such luminary guitarist’s as
Peter Green, Mick Taylor, and Robin Trower.
Cream
was Clapton’s next project - a power trio formed with bassist/vocalist
Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. Cream lasted two and a half years,
during which time they recorded three timeless classic albums including
the double album Wheels Of Fire (1968), which was a worldwide number
one, and forced their record label Atlantic to invent the Platinum album
for delivering a million dollars in sales for one album.
Record executives cried the day the Cream money
making machine broke up, but alas they did, mainly due to the personnel
feelings between the rhythm sections. Eric Clapton simply moved on to
Blind Faith, comprising Steve Winwood (ex Spencer Davis Group and
Traffic), Ric Grech (ex Family) and Cream drummer Ginger Baker. Blind
Faith only maintained Eric Clapton’s interest for one album, the self
titled Blind Faith (1969), and one year, before splitting the band to
join friends Delaney and Bonnie on the road as a session player.
Sick of the spotlight, Eric Clapton then hid himself
in Derek and the Dominos, taking the musicians from the Delaney and
Bonnie Band. Derek and the Dominos released the wonderful double album,
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. By this time Eric Clapton was well
down the road of rock ‘n’ roll excess, and the band folded in
disarray.
Eric Clapton then lived the life of a virtual recluse
for the next three years, only being lured out twice to perform at the
Concert for Refugee Children from Bangladesh, organized by his friend
George Harrison in 1971, and by Peter Townshend of The Who fame who was
attempting to get his old friend out of the house. It worked because in
1974 Eric Clapton re-introduced himself to the public with a fine solo
album, 461 Ocean Boulevard, and a new band, actually Bob Seger’s old
band, plus former sidekick Carl Radle from the Domino days. The motto of
the story would obviously seem, if you have a good band to support you,
do not show it to Eric!
Eric Clapton remained a solo artist for the next
thirty years before getting Cream back together for some more concerts
in 2005. During this time Clapton has remained at the top of the rock
‘n’ roll tree, proving himself to be a fine all round bloke making
many charity appearances for the like of Live Aid, The Princes Trust
Concerts, etc.
Producing many fine albums with an always changing
line up of suitable musicians, along with legendary concert appearances,
many of which have been recorded and released, EC Was Here (1975), Just
One Night (1980), 24 Nights (1991) and the acoustic smash hit Unplugged
(1992).
But his studio work became tamer and tamer as time
went by, as Eric Clapton himself began to look more like a bank manager
than the bank robber of yore. I personally lost interest in his studio
output after the rather lack lustre Slowhand (1977) with the inclusion
of such songs as Wonderful Tonight and May You Never. A little too much
middle of the road for imagined true rock ‘n’ rollers.
Of course Eric Clapton did completely redeem himself
in the Nineties and Noughties with some splendid blues studio albums,
such as From The Cradle (1994), Riding with the King (2000), a
collaboration with B.B. King, and Me and Mr Johnson (2004), an album of
covers from the songbook of Robert Johnson. But the studio albums that
have appeared in the last decade of Clapton’s own compositions, and
selected covers, have been a little weak, Pilgrim (1998) and Reptile
(2001) being the culprits.
In 2005 Eric Clapton recreated a lot of interest in
rock ‘n’ roll circles by getting Cream back together, and performing
some of the best concerts by a power trio in many an age. The CD and DVD
releases of these concerts provide the proof of that pudding.
Mott the Dog thought it would be worth seeing what
Eric Clapton was up to these days in the studio, as Clapton goes into
his seventh decade, on the back of those rockin’ Cream concerts. On
first listening to Back Home released at the end of August 2005, I
thought I was listening to a very poor Michael Bolton album, except that
Michael Bolton has a lot better voice, selects better songs, is better
produced, to be honest is far more rock ‘n’ roll, and to my dismay
uses the electric guitar a lot more.
I am more than happy for musical artists to
diversify, as long as what they do is at least worthwhile. Back Home
isn’t. I am sorry Mr. Clapton but what happened to your guitar? Only
once or twice in the conclusion to a couple of numbers can a lead guitar
be heard and then well down in the mix, usually submerged beneath flimsy
backing vocals and sweeping string sections.
The album limps in with the first of songs co-written
between Eric Clapton and Simon Climie, aptly titled So Tired, it barely
limps out of your speakers. The best thing that can be said about So
Tired is that it delays second song Say What You Will from starting for
more than four and a half minutes. Stevie Wonder’s I’m Going Left
simply just lies down without making the slightest effort.
Unbelievably the next cover version is an old
Platter’s song, Love Don’t Love Nobody. This is where the strings
and lush backing vocals start in earnest. It is hard to believe that
this song was recorded by Eric Clapton - the man who’s guitar powered
along songs such as I’m So Glad and Badge.
First single off the album is the Clapton/Climie
Revolution, which is a foolish attempt at re-doing the Bob Marley song I
Shot The Sheriff, which Eric Clapton had a number one hit with in The
United States in 1974. Singing revolution time and time again over a
reggae beat does not make a protest song.
The George Harrison song Love Comes To Everybody is
so laid back as to be vertical. The only attempt at blues/rock is a song
called Lost and Found, which collapses around its own riff, and when it
does struggle to get going is abruptly cut off. Unfortunately from here
the album goes dramatically downhill, which is quite an achievement in
itself.
Reprise / Duck Records should know better than
releasing this rubbish, even if it does have a big name to promote it
with. This only dupes the unsuspecting paying public. Eric Clapton has
also surrounded himself with gifted musicians who also should have known
better than lending their names to this. If you want something from Eric
Clapton to take back home, stick to the Cream Reunion shows.
Some of the Musicians
who did this are:
Eric Clapton: Vocals, and presumably some guitar somewhere
John Mayer: Guitars
Billy Preston: Keyboards
Andy Fairweather Lowe: Guitars, Vocals
Steve Winwood: Synthesizer
Chris Stainton: Fender Rhodes
Pino Paladino: Bass
Abraham Laboriel jnr: Drums
Plus Eric Clapton’s regular backing band whom I am sure would rather
not be
mentioned
Song Titles
So Tired
Say What You Will
I’m Going Left
Love Don’t Love Nobody
Revolution
Love Comes To Everyone
Lost And Found
Piece Of My Heart
One Day
One Track Mind
Run Home To MeBack Home
The
Los Angeles Police Department, known throughout the world by its acronym
LAPD, is the setting for this new thriller from Michael Connelly (ISBN
0-75286-457-2, Orion Publishing, 2005), one of America’s prolific writers.
“The Closers” is his 16th novel, of which “The Narrows” is probably
one of his best known works.
Mott’s CD review: Eric Clapton