This is an album that was in my parents’ record collection, but another where they’d managed to knacker it. Not only, as I recall, was the sleeve water-damaged and crinkly, but the LP itself must have experienced some high temperature as it was warped such that the track speed tended to be highly variable. This was most noticeable on the slow track Let It Grow.
Thus I may have listened to some of it at least once – I recognised the opening track Motherless Children – but repeat listening was more of an ordeal than an enjoyable experience. Which is a shame because I liked a lot of Clapton’s work at the time (this would have been about the time August was released). I find him less compelling these days, and his appeal is diminished quite a lot by his political opinions (not least his huge racist outburst on stage in 1976 – ironic, given that probably the biggest track on here is a cover of Bob Marley’s I Shot The Sheriff).
Even more ironic given that Clapton is known for playing the blues (covering the Willie Dixon/Elmore James track I Can’t Hold Out and Robert Johnson’s Steady Rollin’ Man), as well as the gospel tune Motherless Children. Does Clapton add anything substantial to these? There’s some good slide guitar on Motherless Children. Beyond that, they’re all competent covers but don’t take the tunes anywhere that they weren’t already.
So I’m troubled here. Can I hold a man accountable for comments made when extremely drunk, nearly fifty years ago? We’ve had difficult people on the list before, and probably will do so again. Judging it just on the music alone, it’s a solid album – maybe not the most exciting, falling into the well-produced radio-friendly rock category of things (the track Please Be With Me could even be a CSNY track). Given that this album is one recorded after struggling with heroin addiction, its impressive for all that, and I think it's probably his best solo work.
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