Derek And The Dominos
“Hey, George…you might want to listen to this.” – Clarkness (imitating innumerable hundreds)
“Patti Harrison is hot!” – Al
“Patti Harrison is an absolute fucking schnauzer of a woman.” – Capn Marvel
Albums Reviewed:
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
After seeing supergroups Cream and Blind Faith implode in front of him, and with neither of them having produced music as good as the combined reputations of the participants would have indicated, Eric Clapton hijacked the keyboard player and rhythm section from Delaney and Bonnie (a band famous for who they knew more than what they played) for a project so devoid of self-conscious star power the fact that Eric Clapton was in the group wasn’t even heavily advertised. After touring together for a few months, the band produced the greatest album Eric Clapton has ever put his name to and one of the greatest classic rock records of all time. They broke up before they recorded another album, at which point Clapton went into drug-addled seclusion for three years and emerged, musically, as a neutered shadow of his former shelf.
I thus like to treat Layla as Clapton’s final guitar-hero wad before cocaine and Patti Harrison teamed up to turn him from Pedro Martinez into Tim Wakefield. But what a wad it was, and it only took crippling depression and desperation for him to make something so good. Everyone knows the story of Eric’s desperate, unrequited love for Patti Harrison and his nearly unmanageable guilt for feeling such a way about his best friend’s wife, but no one can honestly say they understand the depths of Clapton’s personal hell until they listen to Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. I purposely refrain from discussing the emotional issues too much in my review of that album, and I’ll do the same here, but I will say that never before and never since has anyone let their private, unfulfilled, unrequited passion be so starkly evident and omnipresent in their music. It’s flabbergasting. It feels like you’re reading someone’s highly private diary, the kind you might keep under lock and key way back in the corner of your closet, only set to some of the best and most passionate rock music ever recorded. Layla would be a great album without the lyrics and the back-story. Their addition makes it less an album and more an emotional experience.
Then, of course, there’s the collaborator factor. First, keyboardist, backup vocalist, and co-songwriter Bobby Whitlock is probably the best collaborator Clapton ever worked with (in terms of chemistry and understanding), and the originals on this album are as much by him as they are by Clapton. The closing “Thorn Tree in the Garden,” moreover, is all Whitlock, and I can’t think of a better way the band could have followed “Layla” and closed the album. Second, lest anyone forget, Duane Allman joined the band during the sessions and is featured dueling with Clapton on the majority of the album’s tracks. I shouldn’t have to tell you how awesome this is. Add to all this the superb and impressively versatile rhythm section of bassist Carl Radle and drummer Jim Gordon and you have just about the perfect storm for rock brilliance: Clapton at his peak, with talented and sympathetic collaborators, and an emotional situation in his life so devastating and confusing it couldn’t help but spur him on to even higher levels of composition and playing.
Too bad they
didn’t stay together. Clapton and
Whitlock had a spat and that was that, with Clapton (as previously mentioned)
immediately spiraling into drug hell and Whitlock putting out a few solo albums
no one bought before retiring to a farm in
From left to right in your picture above are Clapton (who you probably recognize), Whitlock, Gordon, and Radle (all three of whom you probably don’t).
And, onto the reviews!
Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)
Rating: 10
Best Song: “Keep On
Growing”
Yet another album I downloaded and listened to due in great deal to Capn Marvel’s ejaculatory review and about which I completely agree with every single point he makes. This is album is brilliant. And the sad thing is I don’t think its brilliance is acknowledged to anywhere near the degree it should be. First of all, there’s the Clapton thing. He’s been a middle-of-the-road whitebread soft rock schmuck for so long now (or, failing that, making tribute albums to Robert Johnson or something else that would make Joe Classic Rock Radio Listener go “what the hell?”) people forget how fucking amazing a guitar player he was back in the day when he was really letting loose. Sure, there’s Cream, and they’re still a big deal, and they’re good and all, but it’s not like people are gonna listen to “Sunshine of Your Love” and think “wow, Clapton is one of the greatest guitar players of all-time!” And when he gets to let loose and solo with Cream, this is in the context of a twenty-minute wank session where Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker are soloing just as much, if not more, than he is, and Clapton (even though he’s the only guy who’s not, you know, in the rhythm section) has to keep one eye on making sure everything doesn’t fall apart in a giant, masturbatory mess. I may be wrong about this, but I think all the stuff he did between Cream and his solo career has sort of faded away in the public’s consciousness (and hell, I’m guilty, too; who the fuck are Delaney and Bonnie?). Really, how many people who aren’t serious classic rock buffs know what Blind Faith was? And how many people think “Layla” was just by “Eric Clapton?”
That brings me to the second factor obscuring this album’s brilliance: the whole “Layla” issue. Assuming people even know that “Layla” is by “Derek and Dominos,” and “Derek and the Dominos” was a project Clapton was in with a bunch of guys you’ve probably never heard of (and Duane Allman), the unique (to say the least) circumstances surrounding the album are so easy to talk about that I wouldn’t even blame anyone who completely forgot to talk about the album itself. “Oh, it’s blues rock with a lot of guitar solos and stuff. But back to Patti Boyd and George Harrison. Man, that’s so interesting!” This is an easy trap. And if someone does fall into this trap, even if they go onto praise the music to the hilt, it’s always in terms of how much “emotion” there is in the vocals and guitar solos and how it’s almost disturbing to hear a man pouring his heart out so blatantly and so publicly like this. That’s not to say this isn’t right, of course (it is…and I could probably go on forever about it), but it obscures the fact that, not even counting the obvious emotional baggage that went into this album and made it an even more amazing listen than it would have been otherwise, this is so far and away, musically, the best thing Eric Clapton ever did it’s not even worth discussing. The songwriting (due mostly to the Clapton-Whitlock partnership that, unfortunately, didn’t last beyond this album), playing, production, everything, is at such a flabbergastingly high level that the circumstances surrounding the album, their manifestation in Eric’s impassioned vocals and sometimes jawdroppingly honest lyrics (My favorite is “You just love that woman so much it's a shame and a sin, but all the time you know she belongs to your very best friend” from “Have You Ever Loved a Woman.” It’s tough to get more explicit than that. I continue to be fascinated by the thought of what exactly George did the first time he listened to this album), and the extra dimension they add to the record’s enjoyment is almost not fair. It’s too much goodness for one record.
This album is so good that “Layla,” placed at the end and meant to be the crushing emotional climax, to me is almost an afterthought (and it’s not like I don’t love “Layla.” I do. It’s just that this album doesn’t even need it). Eric’s focus is so laser-sharp, and this might be the only album he ever made where both his songwriting (again, thanks largely in part to Bobby Whitlock) and his guitar playing are both at their absolute apex. The rhythm section, as commented on by Capn Marvel, is absolutely fantastic, and Jim Gordon’s drumming especially is both rock-solid and endlessly imaginative (for instance, the fills on “Keep on Growing” just about make the song). Whitlock doesn’t seem to do all that much on the keyboard, but (beyond his welcome songwriting input), he is just about perfect as the second vocalist (and lead vocalist on the excellent closing coda “Thorn Tree in the Garden”). The band is at home in any style they want, from driving hard rock to loping blues to soft balladry to whatever. And then, in addition to all this musical goodness, and in addition to the whole Patti Boyd unrequited love thing, Duane Allman is on second guitar! At the peak of his powers! And trust me when I say he’s a perfect match for Clapton, and the way they duel each other means this album gives me some of the best guitar-related musical highs any album has ever given me. Just ridiculous. It’s one of those rare albums where its seventy-seven minutes don’t even seem long enough.
Moving onto specific songs, my three favorites all come right in a row at the start, which is amazing because, apparently, Allman wasn’t even present at the sessions when they were recorded (which means, yes, the only guy playing guitar on “Keep on Growing” is Eric Clapton. That’s all just him. Are you fucking kidding me?). “I Looked Away” has a wonderful melody, superb drumming, books along at a nice, yet relaxed pace, has some of the most gorgeous guitar playing you’ll ever hear, finds Whitlock providing maybe his best backup vocals on the album (“love ANOTHER MAN’S WOMAN, baby!”)…and yet, hell, it’s only an intro. “Bell Bottom Blues” is one of the most emotionally devastating songs I’ve ever heard in my life (and sure, I’m now allowing myself to fall into the same trap I just spent six million words discussing, but there’s no way to fully discuss “Bell Bottom Blues” without referring to the fact that it makes “Layla” seem happy and content by comparison), and “Keep on Growing” (my personal favorite on the album) might be one of the best straight hard guitar rock songs ever recorded. The balance between the incredibly catchy main riff, those fills I was talking about (seriously, listen to those things, how Gordon always ends them by snapping off a snare hit and allowing a brief pause before everyone else kicks back in; it’s a subtle thing, but what would the song be without that little drum trick? See, these are the things drummers think about), and the multiple (brilliant) guitar solos is, just…come on, I know I said this before, but how is this song the work of one guitarist? Listen to that! That sounds like five damn people! Before I discovered that Allman didn’t actually play on it, I would always point to this as exhibit A of why the Clapton/Allman partnership was so awesome. Now that I know it’s just Clapton, it becomes exhibit A of why it’s really not fair how good Eric Clapton is at playing the guitar.
While a few songs in the middle and towards the end don’t absolutely kill me (“Tell the Truth,” “Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?”, “It’s Too Late”), there’s no track on this album that falls below even “very good,” and the range of the band might be the most surprising thing about the album (like how they go from “Keep on Growing” to the lilting, desperate “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” to the gentle, gorgeous “I Am Yours” without missing a beat). The fact that they cover Hendrix’s “Little Wing” but don’t actually sing the chorus (and instead just let Eric and Duane wail on their guitars) is beyond awesome. “Layla,” again, doesn’t even need to be here. Every time I get to the end and it comes on I have this “Oh, I totally forgot ‘Layla’ was on this album too!” moment (also – fun fact I betcha didn’t know: Jim Gordon wrote the piano coda). It’s such an experience even without it. God, this album is great.
I could keep going for a lot longer, but this review is already far too long, so I’m gonna give it a rest. It’s tough to do classic guitar rock better than this, and the background only makes the music hit you that much harder. Just buy it. It’s amazing.
theidiot7769@aim.com writes:
Heh, after reading reviews of
this album from Starostin (who liked it, but totally missed the boat on a lot
of the album) and Jack Feeny, who stupidly dismissed it entirely, it's nice to
see someone else besides Cap'n Marvel in the WRC that appreciates this album as
much as it deserves.
I think the key factor of this album is the emotion and resonance of it
all, because if that aspect of it doesn't hit you like it hopefully should,
then it's understandable to dismiss a lot of it as just
generic virtuoso blues-wailing. Personally I often love generic blues
anyway, but to make it truly great you have to throw in something special, like
a lot of resonance or some really mind-blowing guitar work, and this album is easily
one of the most resonant in rock music and an easy choice (for me anyway) for
the most awesome guitar work throughout an album.
If there's one or two flaws I can point out, it's that sometimes the
blues-jamming does get to be a bit much (particularly on the second
half; I like both Tell the Truth and Little Wing, for example, but I would
probably prefer losing one of them to be quite honest) and I do have to be
in the right sort of mood for this album to fully "click" with me.
But that aside, man does this album rule.
As is obvious, the guitar work here is ridiculous. I too mistakenly thought
that "Keep On Growing" was a guitar duel between Eric and Duane, the
fact that it's just Eric is almost literally not believable. The man simply
seems possessed by his emotions on this album, to great affect. Just listen to
his vocals; before and after (from what I've heard anyway) he was
just your middle of the road "capable" singer like, say, George
Harrison. On this album, however, he's just fantastic, which passionate singing
and a great strained (in a good way) falsetto throughout.
The songwriting is ace as well. Besides the Stones at their peak it's rare for
me to find an album with 3 or 4 songs that would have a good chance
of cracking my Top 100, but this album manages it with "Keep On
Growing", "Layla", "Bell Bottom Blues", and
"Anyday", the last one in particular being an overlooked masterpiece.
This is an album I could probably go on for hours about, so I had better stop
before I start. But it's a no doubt 10/10, 15/15, 5-Star album, and one
of my personal favorites.
Live At The Fillmore (1994)
Rating: 8
Best Song: “Presence
Of The Lord”
Lovingly repackaged and fleshed out version of 1973’s rather shoddy In Concert album that shows the Dominos holding court at the Fillmore for thirteen songs and a shade over two hours (so yes, there’s a bit of jamming involved). Since this was taken from before Layla was recorded, we’re heavy on covers (“Key to the Highway,” “Nobody Knows You,” etc.) and songs from previous Clapton-related releases (“Crossroads,” “Let it Rain,” etc.) and light on some of the more amazing Clapton-Whitlock originals we’d later see on Layla (such as, well, “Layla,” but also my favorite “Keep on Growing” and a bunch of others). Also, since Duane never played a live show with the band, guess what you’re left with a lot of? Yup! Clapton soloing.
This obviously knocks out a lot of people before we get started. Clapton solos early and often on this baby, and of course he sounds great, but he also doesn’t give tons of variety in the kinds of stuff he’s throwing out there (which is understandable considering he’s the only guy soloing and this album lasts for two hours), which means that taking in all of this material in one two-hour sitting can be a bit draining, especially for those who haven’t listened to tons of heavy blues-rock wanking before. It never feels like Whitlock is really doing much of anything back there either, so yeah, it’s just Clapton and the rhythm section for extended periods, which means thank god Radle and Gordon are so freaking good. That’s the one ingredient that can make or break a live album full of extended solo wank sessions by the lead guitar player: even a Hendrix or a Clapton is gonna have moments where he’s not quite hitting on all cylinders through the course of a double album of this shit, but a top-shelf rhythm section and the full-on boogie lather backbeat they can produce can save the day during these moments. This does not necessarily mean I enjoy Jim Gordon’s six-minute drum solo during “Let it Rain.” It just means I enjoy his work when Clapton is performing his six-minute solos. Again, this often makes all the difference.
Some of my favorite moments are when Clapton actually sings for a bit because he actually sounds lovely and tender. I’m specifically thinking of the section mid-way through disc two when, after a heartbreaking performance of “Presence of the Lord,” the band launches into “Little Wing,” and the verses at the beginning are simply beautiful. Plenty of soloing and whatnot to keep the wank-lovers happy, but Layla is such an amazing album in some part because of the guitar-work, but in large part because of the songs, you know?
So, good live album here, though pretty much exactly what you might expect from this band. That Clapton can sure play some guitar…
Also, Geddy Lee has an irritating voice.