461 Ocean Boulevard

Picked up in the second half of the album

I rather like Clapton's bluesy kind of sound, so I dig it

Honestly, I really enjoyed this, it's a pretty great album. But also Fuck Eric Clapton.

Classic Clapton

See, I thought this was pretty good.

3+/5

Cruisy Eric

Alsof je ontwaakt uit een heroineverslaving moet 461 Ocean Boulevard een beetje inkomen. Nu heeft het solowerk van Clapton nooit echt een plekje in mijn hart veroverd, op 461 Ocean Boulevard begint het echt als slappe hap. Misschien is I Shot the Sheriff wel het keerpunt in de plaat. Iets in het nummer is irritant (vrouwenkoortje?), maar toch vibed het nummer wel lekker. Het tweede deel van de plaat blijkt sterker, hoe vaak zie je dat? I Can't Hold Out begint met een ZZ-top intro maar blijkt een kleiner introverter nummer. Best mooi. Please Be With Me lijkt een afgezaagd americana folknummertje te nummer, maar vind ik vervolgens toch stiekem best mooi. Vooral door de harmonieën. Let It Grow is dan weer wat Beatlesque. Mainline Florida vind ik een toffe afsluiter. Clapton doet geen hele ingewikkelde dingen waardoor het vaak een hit or miss is. Hij lijkt op 461 Ocean Boulevard zijn solo-niveau gedurende de plaat te vinden. Niet verwacht. 7/10 Highlights Please Be With Me Mainline Florida

Album was fine. Liked the Bob cover, though I prefer the original. This is in Clapton’s prime. 3/5 Might listen again

Who really wants an album of covers by a racist, hypocritical, over-rated hack? Let It Grow is lovely (even if it is, ironically, a shameless, schmalzified Stairway to Heaven rip off), but the rest is either unnecessary, or just shit. Willie And The Hand Jive? Really? Having said that, the three closing tracks - Let It Grow, Steady Rollin' Man and Mainline Florida - are excellent and raise the album. It's only to a 3, but then it is also a covers album with some really shit decisions on it.

Again the question. who is responsible for this 1001 - list? There are much better Clapton - albums out there.

This album was okay. I didn’t get into it until halfway when I heard I Shot The Sheriff. Not too much to say about it. It sounded fine, nothing bad on the ears. Standouts: I Shot The Sheriff, Please Be With Me, and Let It Grow.

Nice

this is definitely an album you throw on the turntable in the background of a game of cards while sipping whiskey or g&t, and sometimes that's all you need from a record

Tämä LP on niin "perus", että tuntuu epäilyttävällä nauttia siitä niinkin paljon kuin nautin. Artisti lähestyy materiaaliaan yllättävällä pehmeydellä, mikä palvelee lopputulosta. Ilahduttavaa kitarointia myös (erityisesti avausraidalla).

👎🏻

A pleasant listen. It has that understated delivery similar to George Harrison's late stuff for the Beatles (Let It be). The guitar playing is sublime. It doesn't really rock. Let It Grow, however, sounds like a very decent Beatles homage. I Shot the Sheriff is nice - because Bob Marley is a genius! (The original is better, in my opinion.) I do find it hard to get past Clapton's dickheadish personal persona - the massive domestic violence, affairs and racist rants - albeit fuelled by addiction to various substances. ...But it's a nice album.

Average. Chill out album

Clapton gonna Clapton.

Clapton is boring. Always has bored me. This album is no different. Although I will say the song Let it Grow is interesting. Not bad. Just boring record.

Honestly pretty meh . No feelings or even a slither of emotion was invoked and a pretty boring listen.

Ok

I'll review the music not the person, Clapton has been an asshole his whole life not just in the last few years. That being said I do dig the laid back country style blues sound even though it's a bit too "clean". It's a fun album to listen to but it's not mind blowing or anything. It's a 3.5 album.

Setting aside that Clapton is a dick, he’s a pretty great guitar player and singer. This is an ok record with some good playing. Not a fan of I Shot the Sheriff. Leave that to Marley.

Slower paced then i was expecting. Fine, I just don't think i'll listen to it again.

Used a private session on Spotify, I have learned this is important to not mess with recommendation engine for Spotify. And now I feel compelled to report on it, there will never be an album that gets five stars if I deem a private session necessary. Anyway, about a decade or so I read a headline in the Onion that said "Eric Clapton's next album will be a blues inspired rock". I am paraphrasing, but I don't know if I ever laughed as hard as anything from The Onion. It still makes me smile. Kudos for Eric for covering a reggae song, instead of just blues standards.

My fave Clapton album

Hate is a strong word. But that isy general feeling about Eric Clapton. This album - I don't hate it as purely as other Eric Clapton albums. Progress. I would say that this album has - at times - good vibes. It's like a better version of the Band. Still - it never really hurts out like his purported heroes. But decent vibes. Sometimes.

Very surprised 461 made this list. This was an album I already had 4 songs saved off. However, I would say it’s far from Claptons best (solo and otherwise) This album was fresh off the heels of Clapton’s heroin addiction, and I am guessing that’s partially why it’s on this list. We get a lot of reggae fusion here, even a wailers cover that I really enjoy. To me though, Clapton seems to have definitely lost a step. This seems so safe and tame for a Clapton album- even when stepping into elements of other genres. Honestly Slowhand is the only solo album that should be here. Bring me more Cream, Derek & the dominoes, and Yardbirds. Clapton still fucking slaps.

no hate but this was one of them where a song came up that stood out, and then I see it was the spotify auto play after it ended. solid but we'll go 3

Insipid. It's a shame because his guitar is great, but it's either toned down and 'clean' or else way down in the mix and the dr ums often overpower, especially in 'Motherless children'. There's just no sense of excitement at all.

Some good, some bad. Great guitar, mediocre vocals. It’s eric Clapton….

It's ok- chill and Bluesy jive. I dislike the the tendency to retrospectively jump on things people said 50 years ago (however distasteful).

Before listening: I should be able to get thru a Clapton album, right? After listening: Yes, LOL. I was easily able to listen to this entire album because it's actual MUSIC and not just horrible, head-splitting noise! Was never a "fan" of Clapton but I do enjoy the tunes when I hear them.

Verging on the Grateful Dead with some grooves here. This is Clapton and his best (for me). He is somehow skirting outside of the white dude blues and finding magic elsewhere. The Bob Marley cover was ambitious, but he pulls it off pretty well.

This album sounded pretty good but it seemed like half of it was covers. More credit should be given to the original artists. Clapton is a talented artist and his guitar work is pretty nice here but it’s nothing more than an average album with blues and reggae covers. 6.5/10

Buen disco de Eric Clapton. No obstante es mejor guirarista que compositor

Good.

Not his best and he isn't the best

3/5

This album is so laid back that it's horizontal - though what would you expect from someone in the depths of heroin addiction? It's a tad cheesey at times and what with it being so laid back, the tempo doesn't really change throughout the entire album. It's pretty inoffensive - unlike Clapton; he's a dog of a bloke. Best Tracks: Motherless Children; Please Be With Me; Mainline Florida

Not a big fan of Clapton. This one is on the better side for me.

its really 2.5 stars but eh

3.4/5 listened 3x. It's good but not great.

I liked the Bluesbreakers album, I liked the Cream album. This is bland in comparison. I think I understand what he was doing, updating traditional blues for early 70s tastes rather than churning out retro blues rock. The Elmore James cover works well, he takes a rough and sleazy blues number and makes it sound just like some guy talking on the phone. Favourite songs: Motherless Children, I Can’t Hold Out, Please Be With Me, Steady Rollin Man

Hot on the frets out of the gate with Motherless Child. Fine enough, but doesn't really get me going. Give Me Strength brings things back to the ground with some crisp acoustic underpinned by droning organ work. Some fine blues work, but still nothing revolutionary. Ya know, I really struggle to care too much about Clapton. By all accounts he is a storied guitarist and has a ton of respect in the industry, but I just find his music to generally fall somewhere just above a resting heartbeat. Clearly he is talented, but this just doesn't do much to get me going. This is the softest of soft 3s for me.

Er🤢 👏 ton

Some pretty straight up rock and roll with some excellent guitar playing. Will never hate listening to Clapton but will never really seek him out. That version of I Shot the Sheriff is awesome.

Det var bra

Started me off with a little jig

Ugh. I know this album is widely lauded but I found it a bit monotonous. I also hate Eric Clapton.

Meh. Didn't feel too strongly one way or the other about this. In fact my wife absolutely loathes "I Shot the Sheriff" and that honestly has rubbed off on me a bit. So I don't really care for that track.

Clapton war in meiner Jugend einer dieser Gitarrenhelden für mich. Cream Live und endlose Gitarrensoli. Heute nur noch schwer zu ertragen und daher Daumen hoch für 461 Ocean Boulevard bei der er sich sehr zurücknimmt, was der Musik zugute kommt.

uneventful. 3/5

Well, Clapton is always pretty good, isn't he? This is a nice blues album, nothing terrible, nothing outstanding either.

Highlights: Let It Grow and Mainline Florida

461 Ocean Boulevard by Eric Clapton features everything you'd expect from a Clapton record. I Shot The Sheriff became a hit but this is a cover. I feel that, considering Clapton is one of the best guitar players ever, this album is a bit lacking in that regard. The songs are fun and are a real american road trip vibe, but the album is not the most experimental or guitar-heavy. 3/5

Always happy to expand my knowledge of Clapton. This was fun, and with the album cover felt like a sort of California Dreamin type album.

Better than I expected, this is a nice album from Clapton. At least one cover in "I Shot the Sheriff," and it's pretty good, but given that we've had three Bob Marley albums on here, I don't need it. Not going to go out of my way to learn whether there are other covers on here, but the style is nice, flipping around in rock and blues territory. Pretty good album. Favorite tracks: Motherless Children, I Can't Hold Out, Mainline Florida. Album art: I take it that's Eric by the tree, in front of some beach house. Pretty bland cover, but I don't mind it, it serves its purpose and fits the vibe. 3.5/5

What a pleasant album from a super unpleasant man! It doesn't have much going for it but it doesn't need much, just some cool guitars and melodies. Too bad for the man behind the music but this was genuinely nice and chill.

I do like a bit of Eric but this is ok not ground breaking...although it probably was at the time...

Ok so I didn't know much about Clapton but had a read and damn he sucks. But the album...it's pretty good. I like the Bob Marley cover and the rest of the album was good. He's certainly a good guitar player. Standouts: Steady Rollin' Man and Mainline Florida.

Not bad by any stretch, and it's clear how Clapton influenced numerous artists across multiple genres, but I found this album to be only ok.

- Enjoyed "Please Be With Me" and "Let It Grow," even if the latter sounds cheesy with Clapton's vocals. - Nothing on this is offensive...it is all pretty standard Clapton fair. Too bad that he is a monumental POS.

Good album. Great guitar as you would expect, surprisingly good vocals. Some classic tunes. Good blues riffs.

3.3/5 Best Track: I Shot the Sheriff

Possibly my favorite of any Clapton album with the exception of Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. That said, my least favorite song is perhaps the most popular: “I Shot the Sheriff”. IMO not one of Bob Marley’s good songs, and Clapton’s lame cover is even worse. I think the album overall compared to many other Clapton (or Cream, etc.) albums is because these are mostly faster-paced rock-and-roll covers of blues songs rather than the slower-paced blues-rock tracks on albums like Fresh Cream or Blues Breakers.

Its a Clapton Album, and its old.

Good

Good in parts

enjoyable, soft vocals and good strummin'

Pretty decent, I liked "Give Me Strength" and "Get Ready" the most.

Soldes Album von Eric mit nachdenklichen Songs - geschrieben nach einer Lebenskrise - Es verbindet Rock, Folk und Blues Elemente. Schönster Song war für mich „Let it Grow“ und am interessantesten war das Bob Marley Cover „I Shot the Sheriff..“

01) Motherless Children - 8,0 02) Give Me Strength - 7,0 03) Willie and the Hand Jive - 7,5 04) Get Ready - 7,0 05) I Shot the Sheriff - 9,0 06) I Can't Hold Out - 7,0 07) Please Be with Me - 7,0 08) Let It Grow - 7,5 09) Steady Rollin' Man - 7,0 10) Mainline Florida - 7,0 TOTAL: 7,40 (74/100) It seems to me that every album recorded between 1967 and 1977 is so essential that it has to be on this list. And they sound just the same when you listen to them day after day. This is my 128th album and I had 42 albums from that period. At least half of them really aren't something I should listen to before I die. Is this one? Well, it's a nice album, but he's an a**hole so I don't enjoy it as much as I probably should. Half of the songs are covers.

Some great songs. Unfortunately I cannot seperate the music from the musician here... And I do not like him as a person.

5.5/10 Starts of really boring, but weirdly gets better towards the end. Highlights: Let it Grow I Shot the Sheriff Mainline Florida Steady Rollin Man

A few good songs but I really found Clapton's voice to be boring. Totally subjective lack of interest.

underwhelming

It's a really weird album. A reggae style Clapton album. Sub-par cover of 'I shot the sheriff' and otherwise was very forgettable. Something different but probably should've stuck with what he knows.

I like all of the versions of Eric Clapton...the young rocker from Blind Faith and Cream; the solo, sober, sentimentalist that followed; and the blues player that paid hommage to his roots in Back to the Cradle and multiple Crossroads performances. Not sure what, but something is missing here for me and I doubt I'll ever listen to it again.

Not bad actually, better than I thought it would be

Pretty easy-going and listening album. I could see myself listening to this again. You would think that Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" wouldn't need to be remixed only 3 years after the original. Warren G's version is prettty good though!

A solids Three

solid entry

Only a few good songs. I shot the sherrif is worse than the original.

Zzzzz

Понимаю, что классика, но для меня скучновато. В целом, неплохо.

Some really decent tracks, just don't think entire albums of covers should be in this list.

boring

My opinion of Clapton - and this album - has shifted over the years. He was my idol in the mid-90s, but preferred the Cream/ Derek and The Dominos eras. After kicking heroin, it all seems a little half-arsed. But he clearly still had good taste. Early to the the party on the likes of Bob Marley and JJ Cale, nicked Joe Cocker and Leon Russell’s bands and spent the next 7 or 8 years ripping them off. The band kind of make this work though, the drummer and bass player in particular keep it laid back and funky, which suits his narcoleptic vocals. Motherless Children is a decent starter, kind of like Give Me Strength and Willie and the Hand Jive is passable pub rock. Get Ready I like, (again, the drumming makes it) but it feels like a less authentic JJ Cale track. After that it slips into dross, before finally rallying with Let It Grow. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not wonderful, but it feels very different to the rest of the album. The Lyrics are the worst kind of hippie shit, but love the guitar figure and the way it builds repetitively in the outro, like the weaker cousin of The Beatles’ She’s So Heavy. The last two are him playing to his strengths. They could be off -cuts from Layla (which I still think is a fucking awesome album). To sum up, a talented bloke who has largely shot his bolt, covering his tasteful record collection with a top notch band

461 Ocean Boulevard I’ve never quite been able to get into with Clapton despite liking Cream, Blind Faith and Derek & the Dominoes. Something about him and his music leaves me cold, not in a boring technically proficient way, or because of his Enoch Powell or Covid stuff, I just find it a bit empty. I read his autobiography from about 15 years ago and he comes across as pretty dull and devoid of personality and I think that is reflected in a lot of his music post Derek. Obviously its not necessary for someone to be a great person to make great music and there are plenty of artists I like who are questionable, but my sense of him is reflected in his music and I find it hard to shake that off. I’m not quite sure what I was expecting with this - probably a selection of tastefully made but ultimately soulless blues rock that feels a bit pointless. Having said that I did try to go into this with an open mind and I actually did enjoy it for the most part. Some of the slower ones do have that tasteful banality to them but things like Motherless Children and Willie and the Hand Jive have that rootsy, Delanie & Bonnie, JJ Cale feel. Let it Grow I enjoyed too. I can see myself listening to this again while working, maybe doing spreadsheets on a Tuesday afternoon. I expect that’s what Eric had in mind when he made it. A basic bitch ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Slide guitar

OK, not great. Few good songs... Sad to say the album cover is better than the album.

Not bad.

Very easy listening. Haven’t touched Clayton’s stuff yet and this feels like a great entry point. Will definitely begin going through his work. Rating: 3.5

Der frühe Eric, kann man sich gut anhören, bleibt aber mMn hinter der Musik seiner musikalischen Vorbilder zurück.

Great sounding folky 70's album with commercial success

It was okay, like a low 3. Wasn’t exactly my style or my taste but I enjoyed it enough as a background music.

I have never really been a big Clapton fan, so this one came as a surprise. I genuinely enjoyed this album. It feels relaxed and confident, with a warm, laid back groove running through it. The production is smooth without feeling over polished, and the songwriting is stronger than I expected. I Shot the Sheriff is the clear standout for me. It has a great feel to it and is easily the most memorable moment on the record. Beyond that, there are several solid tracks that make the album an easy and enjoyable listen from start to finish. It may not completely convert me into a die hard Clapton fan, but it definitely made me appreciate this period of his career far more. Favourite song: I Shot the Sheriff Least favourite: None that stood out negatively Album artwork: Simple and understated, fitting the relaxed tone of the music

It was fine, but I expected to enjoy it more.

Solid, not my thing

Always loved his style on the guitar but not a fan of his voice

This was an okay blues rock album from Eric Clapton. The only song that piqued my interest was a cover from Bob Marley and the Wailer's "I Shot the Sheriff". Although I prefer Bob Marley's version, this was not that bad. Still though, the rest of the album was uninteresting. I recommend at least a listen if you like this genre of music. Favorite Song(s): "I Shot the Sheriff"

Catchy blues grooves but a bit on the slow side at times for me. Still very solid. 7/10

Overall allt í lagi plata, en Let It Grow heldur henni algjörlega uppi. Eitt af uppáhalds.

Kinda nice to listen to but nothing ground-breaking here. Loses half a star for being 90% covers and another half a star for Clapton being a jackass.

Racist twit but decent music, though nothing spectacular

pretty catchy - not my favorite album but easy listening

Un álbum de blues/rock bastante regular. No es muy innovador, pero si destaca por sus interpretaciones casi perfectas, las cuales funcionan muy bien incluso en los covers seleccionados por el exmiembro de Cream. Como "disco de regreso", asumo que tiene un lugar importante en la historia musical británica, sin embargo, el trabajo con "Derek & The Dominoes" es mucho mejor.

Pretty average. Eric Clapton’s music is fine, not a great person though from what I hear. Bit forgettable of an album, but still technically good. 6.5/10 Top 3: 1. I Shot The Sheriff 2. Let It Grow 3. Please Be With Me

Bra blues rock. Let it grow är bra låt

Fairly middle of the road, easy background listening.

Not my cup of tea. But by no means a bad album.

While I respect Claptons laid back style in 461 Ocean Boulevard, and there are most certainly parts of the album I love, such as Motherless Children, and Steady Rollin' Man. The album in general, for me doesnt live up to the benchmarks set by Layla and Other Assorted Lovesongs, as well as the Cream Era Clapton. But that is a personal preference more than anything

Je m'attendais à pas aimer, et en fait il y a quelques bons titres : "Motherless child", ou le final de "Let it grow", sinon pas mal de blues un peu casse couille, "I shot the sheriff" osef. Sauf qu'apparemment c'est un con. Donc 3.

Kilka piosenek mi się podobało, ale to jest i nie jest mój wybór:)

I didn’t get into this album as much as I thought I would.

3/10, 30%

Great guitar from the smooth hand

Me gustó mucho más de lo que podía esperar

Motherless Children is great. Great guitar and drums all around. A few eh songs but overall really good. Ez 3.5

Ok but some of the songs are a bit long 3/5

Classic rock, nothing stood out much

3.5/5. Obligatory fuck Eric Clapton, he's a racist asshole and yet has the audacity to cover a well known Bob Marley song on this record.

C'est moyen

catastrophique reprise de bob marley

Brani Preferiti: - "Motherless Children" - "I Shot the Sheriff" - "Let It Grow" Note: Che dire, uno dei primi album in cui si inizia a formare lo stile di mr. Slowhand, un album rilassante di cui si può apprezzare una buona musica. Non ascolto spesso Clapton, ma questo disco nonostante possa essere apprezzato è molto distante da altri suoi album che creò anni più avanti.

Very nice, and “I Shot the Sheriff” is a superb cover song.

Self indulgent and guilty of cultural appropriation on a number of occasions, and yet I quite enjoyed it. Basically background music, aside from the reggae track, but not everything has to grab you and shake you!

ok i will admit up front that even though at the current place in time, i find eric clapton pretty morally reprehensible, particularly after the last handful of years, not to mention all of the questionable-at-best stuff he's done in his past. but i also was a HUGE cream fan in high school, so even though i dislike him, i do have a little bit of a soft spot for some of his music. that being said, this album is so blah. it starts off with a bang, with motherless children, as much of a facemelter as eric clapton has ever made, and then immediately gets sedated into the most mind numbing, boring, middle tempo bullshit you've ever heard, including two TERRIBLE non-blues covers - the most limp-dick cover of willie and the hand jive you will ever hear, and i shot the sheriff, which like, just listen to the original. don't go to eric clapton for reggae (to be fair, it is not even closest to the worst clapton reggae song i've ever heard - that award goes to his cover of knockin on heaven's door, which is abysmal). let it grow is the longest song on the album and it sounds like a carpenters song! lmfao. this album has no balls whatsoever keep in mind, this is his studio follow up to derek and the dominos! apparently this is his first album after kicking a heroin habit. i guess he also kicked making interesting music too. if you want to listen to good clapton, seek it elsewhere. this is not it.

Meh

Covers of black music, by a racist man, hard to give this a high vote. But ignoring that it does flow well and have a good chilled vibe. So probably does deserve to be on the list. If you can separate the art from artist.

It was fine, not his greatest guitar work or anything but also not him ranting about lockdowns and immigrants

kinda a weird vibe not a huge fan but i do like eric clapton

great guitar but overall not really great

I feel like those born in him however, I feel like this album wasn’t 100% clicking with me. if I had more time to fully absorb this album, or even maybe a larger collection, I could have actually really liked him but for now I’m above averagely satisfied!

6/10

Listenable but nothing that really jumps out at me

I can appreciate the artistry, I can understand how people think Clapton is one of the greats, I can even enjoy the album. But I'll never be that into the blues to spend a great amount of time on it. It was a good album, a good listen. I might even listen to it again. But it is covers so doesn't get the high marks.

It's some pretty unoffensive and fun blues rock, nothing too crazy going on here. The Bob Marley cover is great, if a little unchanged from the original. Vocals are solid, good guitar playing, there really isn't much to comment on. It's just solid, a solid 3.

Pre-listening thoughts: Hi! I'm back. I didn't even get through ten albums last year but I'm ready to rumble now that I have some routine in my life again. So. Eric Clapton is one of those artists that I am positive I have heard some of his songs/playing on songs but could I tell you what? No. So let's see. Post/during listening thoughts: Vocals are... fine at best. There is definitely a reason Eric Clapton is known primarily as a guitarist. Sometimes the backing vocals lean into Steely Dan territory (i.e. "I Shot the Sheriff"). Some of the more subdued, mellow tracks are actually really nice (i.e. "Please Be With Me", "I Can't Hold Out"). Outro on "Let It Grow" is kinda awesome but the rest of the song isn't a super standout. 12 bar blues spotted in Steady Rollin' Man (I hate knowing what 12 bar blues is cause now I catch it EVERYWHERE). It's a fine album but overall I think you can find better stuff from similar artists of the time (CSNY, Steely Dan, Eagles). 6.5/10. DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: Nah Fav tracks: I Shot the Sheriff, Please Be With Me Least favs: Give Me Strength, Willie and the Hand Jive

Clapton’s solo albums have always been slightly boring. So is this, but there are also good songs.

A little incohesive. It has it moments.

Solid rock. Apparently clapton is not the best person in real life, but that shouldn't impact this album.

Não achei uma sequência que sustenta o envolvimento, e o single/Hit da versão de I Shot the Sheriff se impõe.

i dunno, it was alright

Id never heard this album before and I want to start by saying I think Eric Clapton is one of the greatest guitarists of all time. He has a great sense for the blues and the album straight through is no skips, very consistently groovy. The fact he wrote and recorded it after a 3 year hiatus due to his heroin addiction, while incredibly sad, makes the blues-y sound and lyrics a little better. That all said, while it’s a good album, the unique skill that Clapton has doesn’t really get shown off on this album at all and it feels almost sterile enough to say that any other decent cool rock guitarist could’ve done it (tbh John Mayer probably would’ve done it even better). Maybe it’s just a 70’s groove thing, but it’s painful to know Clapton is talented enough to make the blues sound all his own (like Stevie Ray Vaughn after him) and just… doesn’t. Still a decent album though, just that I like Eric Clapton and this album was disappointing. And also “I Shot the Sheriff” is still a classic.

I was only loosely familiar with Clapton’s second solo album, and while it’s not his best work, I’m not disappointed either. The upbeat “Motherless Children” sounds more like “Lady Madonna” than an ode to a fallen mother. Clapton likens himself to Robert Johnson, and the Mississippi Delta twang and weary vocals of “Give Me Strength” validate his point. “Willie And The Hand Jive” sounds a bit too close to Dylan’s 1969 album Nashville Skyline to be an accident, and it lacks substance. I would say it’s unfortunate the best song on the record is a cover with “I Shot The Sheriff,” but I guess “Cocaine” isn’t a Clapton original either, and it may just be the best song on 1977’s Slowhand. Either way, the Bob Marley original is well executed, so I’m glad it’s here. I’d never heard “Please Be With Me” before, but it’s beautiful and refreshingly introspective. 461 Ocean Boulevard isn’t packed with smash hits, but it is classic Clapton. However, it’s nowhere near Slowhand and just isn’t memorable enough for me to give it more than three stars.

Jodå, plattan funkar.

Well played, well produced, but apart from a couple of standouts, this seemed mostly uninspired. The slow version of "Hand Jive" in particular seemed like a curious choice, and there were other moments that were competent, but flat. Of all the various albums in Clapton's catalog, this can't be one of the very best.

That was all right. Too many tepid mid-tempo numbers for my taste, but i liked it more than I expected to. Some nice slide playing by Eric. Stray thoughts: 1. Never realized before today that he copped the chords from Stairway for Let it Grow. Still a nice song, though. 2. Always been a fan of Motherless Children. 3. Hand Jive gave me serious Grateful Dead vibes. I'm still recovering. 4. And say what you will about his cover of I Shot the Sheriff, it helped spread the word about Bob Marley, so that's cool.

A far cry from the burst of sound created with Layla, this is a very soft rock album. I wouldn't be a fan of Clapton, he's got marmite vocals, but he is a very good musician, I just feel he could have let loose stronger on the guitar in some of the tracks, it was like he had been scolded by the producers to tame it down. Not a bad album in general though.

A mixed bag on this album, most of it was listenable, particularly liked 'Let It Grow'.

Absolutely mental that a massive bigot's biggest song is a cover of a Bob Marley song, which ironically helped reggae find a mass market. It happens to be the best song on this very middle-of-the-road album too. I also kind of liked the swelling ending of Let it Grow, but the meat of the song itself wasn't very interesting. Overall it was just an okay album that didn't grab my attention much. Favourite: I Shot the Sherriff

Cool stuff. Much preferable album to what most “guitar gods” come up with

Gillade please be with me! Ch7lled out

A nice enough sound by a very accomplished musician but too many covers for me to really care much.

Didn't hold my attention but it was nice enough

Clearly a great guitarist

Eric is a pretty great guitarist; that cannot be denied. "Layla" is a pretty fantastic composition. Beyond that, though, I've never been a fan of his music. Often relying on covers, only 30% of this album is made up of original songs. Those songs are okay, though not particularly notable. The covers here are a little better, but still feel a little aimless, and not more remarkable than the performances of a particularly good cover band. Now that I'm aware of how much of a racist Eric Clapton is, his aping of Bob Marley on his cover of "I Shot the Sherriff" is even borderline offensive. I guess I get the laid-back appeal of parts of this album, but Clapton just doesn't do much for me.

Jive turkey

AJ: I bet he did shoot the deputy. Fucking asshole. Politics aside… god dammit I’ve always loved Eric Clapton’s sound. Voice and guitar. Smooth operator. Not exactly a poet lyrically, but he sounds so good. Wouldn’t drink a beer with him, though. How can he have so many cool friends if what they say is true?

Very pleasant.

Estilo relajado, guitarra con influencias sureñas, buena voz. Algo melancólico y sin grandes sobresaltos. Le falta algo de chispa e intensidad

Fine.

Didn’t realize I Shot the Sheriff was on this album, but didn’t hold my attention

P chill

never heard this album before. really liked it. it’s a 3 but a solid 3

The record starts out with, "Motherless Children", which is a fine song. Then, a couple of mediocre songs... then, "I Shot the Sheriff" (classic). Then some more mediocre blues rock stuff.

I really liked the general vibe of the album but nothing stood out.

Ett erkännande: jag har aldrig riktigt lyssnat på Eric Clapton förut. Så det var kul att göra det nu. Albumet var väl bra men kanske inte något jag vanligtvis skulle sätta på. Han lät lite väl glad att vissa barn inte har en mamma i början… och ”Let It Grow” fick mig att tänka på Cat Stevens. Gillade de flesta låtar - fast vissa lät lite lika - och skulle kunna sätta på som kanske bakgrundsmusik.

Not his best work

S'alright. Just alright.

It’s good and Clapton is Clapton. Just nothing really special to me.

Great guitar work.. didn’t hear anything noteworthy but this could definitely use a relisten to fully appreciate.

Prefer some of his other stuff. The man is a fantastic guitar player. It’s a shame he’s also a massive twat.

Has some classic songs, but in general not my style

its cute, not more than that

White man's reggae. Eric got off the hard drugs and off the hard riffs. This is a pretty boring, albeit well made soft rock/blues album. It's pretty groovy and he is very good at playing guitar. I Shot the Sheriff is a great song, but just a cover. Let It Grow is a banger. In conclusion, fuck you, you racist anti-vaxxer fuckhead.

Some good grooves here, but I like Clapton with teeth. Best track: Let It Grow

Expected the worst, but got an OKish album. It adheres to the white-men-playing-the-Blues(tm) formula, with some Reggae sprinkled in. It's really nothing special to write home about, kind of par-for-the course 70s rock music without any revelatory musical ideas. I just didn't mind it it that much today. 3/5

wow not enough attention for my recent format. It was ok, nothing impressive really. 3

Recognize the talent, but never could get into his solo music. Cream was better. Hard to separate the man from the music now that hes such a douche

With his slide guitar and interesting solos, its one of the reasons why Clapton is such a renowned guitarist, it was a really enjoyable listen. This one critic's line sums up the entire album in my opinion "the climate comes out in Clapton's work, ten tracks ranging from bright blues rock to, well, 'Let It Grow'." Best: I Shot The Sherriff Worst: Let It Grow

Some smooth, mellow blues rock tunes and covers. Nothing especially exciting here (not sure why the guitarist was compared to divinity) but these chords can strike the right note in your soul under certain circumstances. Roll on.

Generic whitewashed blues.

I am not sure why this album was included on the list. It isn't really special in terms of songwriting and guitar, the two things Clapton is famous for. It turned around a bit with "Let It Grow" and "Mainline Florida", but those aren't done in a unique style; they sound like other British bands of the time.

Good

A Brit chasing that Cal-i-for-n-ia sound. Little outdated but some good licks nonetheless.

Hoping this is not the only Eric Clapton album

This was fine

its a decent album but there isn't much to standout which is a shame because the music is great just nothing fancy for listening.

Well, it's brief, which is good, and probably of the least tedious of Clapton's records so far. Not too memorable, but listenable, and best of all, short.

3.5/5. This was good. Pretty easy listening and enjoyable.

Fairly standard blues for the most part. As is nearly always the case with Clapton. (I am just evaluating the recording - not the person who made it - that way lies a horrible mess.) Obviously I shot the sheriff stands out, but that may just be familiarity - and the fact that it is not really blues.

Nice album. Enjoyed listening to it and the music that followed Also 'I Shot The Sherriff' on here?? Banger.

It was okay

pretty good a little boring idk if i will go back to

I really found this relaxing and nice to listen to

I wanted to like it, but aside from 3 standout tracks (I shot the Sheriff, Let it Grow and Mainline Florida), there really wasn’t much here for me to enjoy.

Ik mag die Eric wel.

Zeer onverwacht ben ik door deze generator Eric Clapton gaan waarderen.

Yeah, good in its day but clapton was so much more than the armani suits and brandy/coke habit. Obviously some stand out tracks but pointing towards shit era clapton

Not too bad, a bit pedestrian but listenable

After a string of highly successful and influential bands (Yardbirds, Bluebreakers, Cream, and Derek & The Dominos), Clapton emerges 3 years from a heroin addiction into his solo career. These tracks are coherent, with bluesier groovy tracks in the first half, and softer heartwarming songs in the latter. As always, Clapton displays his unique rusty vocal style and his outstanding versatile and controlled skillset as a guitarist. I don't think he does much to improve these songs or make them his own (leaving much of it forgettable), but they're all performed well. It's all very accessible, with a poppy sound that resulted in his famous Marley cover push reggae into the mainstream. Favorites: Motherless Children, I Shot the Sheriff, Please Be With Me, Let It Grow

What I expect from a Clapton album, melancholy with some driving, funky guitar riffs. Lyrically though, much of it doesn't leave an impact with me.

Ok

That's all very middle of the road. It's not horrible, it's not great, it's just enough. I'm so bored by this record that I here actually copied-and-pasted one of the best reviews about it I could find on the app. I'm pretty sure its author can understand why I did this, and so won't blame me for it. This record mostly comprises blues covers mixed with a few originals, and among the latter, only the "Let It Grow" ballad towards the end is worth it--it"s quite a moving song to be honest and helps the album reach a 3/5 grade here. Of course, there's also the famous "I Shot The Sheriff" cover, which didn't bring much personal input to Bob Marley's original version, as "efficient" as it is. Clapton always "played it safe" when he plundered black music, didn't he? That's one of the perks of being a conservative coward, whether musically (Clapton's "blues orthodoxy" during the sixties was a clear sign of the problems to come), or politically (should I really list the number of times the man just simply *got it wrong*, to use a polite understatement?)... So obviously, my assessment of *461 Ocean Boulevard* can't ignore the fact that its author is a twat today (and has often been one in the past as well). Maybe folks will stop wasting their time on his minor releases now, at least--minor releases such as this particular LP, which only has two or three highlights in it, and only one of them is a Clapton composition, to boot. If *really* you want to know about Clapton's impact on music history, only listen to the key albums he took part in where his name *does NOT appear on the cover* (or only in small characters). Projects such as Cream, Derek And The Dominos, Yardbirds or the one with John Mayall. Don't bother with the rest. It's not really worth it. Number of albums left to review: 701 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 148 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 70 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 82 (including this one)

Concise album and easy to listen. Good pop, blues and gentle rock. An enjoyable collection, but how did Eric get away with the Led Zep rip on Let It Grow? 3.5

Eh, bluesy and chill. Would be fun if you had some time on the beach and this was under your conversation Bob Marley's version of 'sheriff' is much better.

Eric Clapton est un maître, en n'en pas douter. J'aime les accents bluesy.

One of the more laidback classic rock albums on this list so far. A little bit country, a little bit bluesy, some Beatles influence and a dash of reggae (even before "I Shot the Sheriff," which is a solid cover). Easygoing, approachable and enjoyable.

Loved let it grow

Fine

75/100: This was pretty good, pretty much exclusively blues-y Clapton. This album includes "I Shot The Sheriff," so that immediately bumps it up a lot. I will say though that, while I really appreciate Eric Clapton's talent as a guitarist and even emphatically love many of his songs, in general I'm not a huge fan of his sound. His MTV unplugged album is fantastic. Most of his Derek and the Dominos work is also incredible. This album doesn't really do it for me. In fact, most of his solo albums don't really do it for me. He's also a shitty guy.

It was OK - nothing special

Nice grooves all the way through. Surprised by how much EC plays slide here. This certainly sounds like the EC that you hear for the next few decades. He seems to come into that sound here. Let it Grow? You can’t tell me that wasn’t inspired by George Harrison. Sounds so much like While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Overall production is excellent as well. Layered guitars with just enough overdrive, but clear and glassy sound.

...

For ‘God’ this is very average.

Super chill. Didn't expect to like this one!

Album was very pleasant to listen to, but at the same time quite forgettable. Great uninspired background music.

Eh. 55/112

Eclectic. Classic.

Didn't realise Eric Clapton is still a thing. Putting racism and general asshole-ness aside for a minute and looking at the music alone (assuming that's even possible), I'd say this album might have been nice, once upon a time, but is now past it. But, yeah, this would be a better place without Clapton in it.

I have listened to other work from Eric Clapton and various bands he has played in. Most of 461 Ocean Boulevard was new to me. Clapton includes some elements of Southern Rock, blues, and even a little nod to the hippie era ("Let it Grow") on this album. There are some songs that I could skip because the music (like Clapton) have taken on extra baggage over ther years (e.g. "Willie and the Hand Jive", "I Shot the Sheriff"). Some of that baggage is just me being too familiar with the music from other sources. I didn't dislike any tracks and I marked several tracks for the personal playlist ("Motherless Children", "Steady Rollin' Man", "I Can't Hold Out", "Mainline Florida" and "Let it Grow"). Overall, this album acheives an "okay".

eh. extremely mid, some song sound just like previous

Okay album. Not great though.

It’s Clapton

It was alright, not a huge fan but i see the appeal

ничего я не запомнила и после Википедии не была склонна...

Kinda solid kinda boring

I've never been particularly taken in by Clapton's works and I wasn't on this album either. I find the songwriting a little bit middle of the road. The guitar work and tones are great though, as you'd expect from Clapton. Not for me but I can see why someone might really like this album, I didn't have an unpleasant time listening to it. But I cant see a situation where I'll ever think "I could really go for an Eric Clapton album right now"

kitaratyöskentely... on se hienoa EI OLE. toistan EI OLE, yliarvostettu kitaristi. bing big ding kitara laulaa ei mitään ego SOITTOA. vaan pidättyväistä, mutta tarkkaa, ääni ei ole kaakossa täällä, ei aina tarvitse olla.... sen takia voi osittain olla tylsäkin monelle,,,on kelpo soolo albumi kuuluisalta anti vaksaajalta. let it grow saatanan KAUNIS biisi,,,, i shot the sheriff hyvä poppi jynkytys...

Ehh it's fine. Clapton has better songs but these were just fine middle of the road old British blues.

Good

Solid

9/14/2022

It was fine.

A random bunch of tunes performed well. Don't get the classic status.

Better than I was expecting, pretty strong as a complete album. Pity he’s an arsehole!

Clapton has better albums IMHO.

Some really good stuff but just not consistent. The guitars sound so clean and crisp and perfect. Favorite was probably Mainline Florida.

A good bit of classic rock. There really wasn't anything that stood out though.

Listenable but nothing really stood out to me. Favorite: Motherless Children

Nothing memorable other than I Shot The Sherriff.

Not bad. Never been a big fan of Eric Clapton, but not the worst

It was better than I thought it would be.

Mid

Hoeft niet herhaald te worden ofzo

Good songs, but the mix is not the best. Vocals are very low.

There is better Eric Clapton music. The album was alright. A couple of songs were recognizable. I don't think I will listen to it again. I will round up to a three.

Okay

Never been much a Clapton fan - just not my style of music though I can see why people appreciate it. Great cover of I Shot the Sheriff though. 6/10.

5/10. Not bad, not great.

Clapton the goat

3.8 - I much prefer this more laid back Eric Clapton to his earlier coked out “guitar god” projects. Some nice sunny day driving songs. Standouts: “Let it Grow”, “Motherless Children.”

3.5/5

Was very entertaining but not my cup of tea. Probably won’t be relistening anytime soon.

Good but not great.

Estuvo ok, supongo, pero no es la época de Eric Clapton que más recuerdo. “Había que estar ahí “ parece. En todo caso, después de una segunda escucha el disco va creciendo.

Nokkuð skemmtilegt

It was soft and ok. It didn't seem to hold me and I had to go back and restart from different places.

Good album that gives the feeling of the album title and cover. A nice rock album that sounds like a Florida day. A few standouts but mostly a standard listening experience. Motherless children - 3 Give me strength - 3 Willie - 3 Get ready - 3 I shot the sheriff - 4 I can’t hold out - 3 Please be with me - 4 Let it grow - 4 Steady rollin man - 3 Mainline Florida - 3 33/50 3/5

Nice one by EC. Legendarisk actually..

let it grow - genious

Clapton is cancelled. I’m going to use this space to bemoan the lack of Shania Twain on this list. Best selling country artist ever, radio staples that have somehow got better with age and a career arc for the ages. Show some god damn respect.

motherless children

Sick guitar licks and it had become easy to ignore how talented Clapton was in the 70s on how ridiculous his personal life is now.

It's fine. Let It Grow is good.

I love Eric Clapton but this album wasn’t as good as I’d come to expect from him.

It was OK, fairly bog standard bluesy rock.

Given the context I guess it's good to see a rising star on the rebound. Nothing really struck me on this album but my fave track would be Mainline Florida.

Eh, inoffensive enough, I suppose. Didn't really grab me. The "I Shot the Sheriff" cover seems pretty appropriative... Fave track - "Better Make It Through Today" had some atmospheric noodlings - two listens through and not many of the tracks stuck...

-I really like the drum groove carrying "Motherless Children." Overall it's guy a great riff that mixes between drums, guitar, and piano -"Get Ready" and "Willie And The Hand Jive" were interesting enough -"I Shot The Sheriff" is the best track in the album, although a lot of that is probably due to familiarity. But I like the multi-singer setup and just great riffs and catchiness overall. -Rest of the album is kind of boring blues-rock. Really "I Shit The Sheriff" stands out as great, "Motherless Children" is pretty good, and the rest is meh. I think it is getting 3 stars, surprisingly enough

Le mood est l’fun. C’est relaxe comme album dans l’ensemble. Ça groove aussi, et ce n’est pas un album de guitare (pas un trip d’égo). Autrement, ce n’est pas non-plus du jamais vu.

2e écoute de cet album pour moi dans le cadre de ce projet. Mon premier album d'Eric Clapton écouté au complet. Je ne suis habituellement pas un grand fan de blues rock, mais c'est quand même diversifié comme album. Ça groove pas mal au début. C'est l'album qui contient sa fameuse reprise de I Shot The Sheriff. Je vais me contredire ici puisqu'habituellement je dis que je préfère quand les reprises s'éloignent de la version originale pour être réappropriée dans le style de l'artiste. C'est en partie vrai ici puisque j'ai l'impression d'écouter une chanson d'Eric Clapton mais on reste proche de l'originale. Ça fonctionne et elle est somme toute agréable à écouter. Le drum sonne super bien sur cette pièce. J'aime bien aussi la pièce Let It Grow qui est très différente du reste de l'album. Je ne sais pas si c'est voulu ou un clin d'oeil, mais la mélodie de la fin de cette pièce est très proche de la mélodie de Stairway To Heaven. Une écoute somme toute agréable.

Enjoyed the blues like album. Many songs I hadn't heard before. Certainly featured some Clapton greats, but not too many.

kind of bluesy, kind of a country funk, Grateful Dead sound on some of it. Not bad but it wasn't earth shattering

I don't know anything about Eric Clapton nor this album other than the main popular song being used for an EPMD song. After giving it a spin and a cursory read, I can understand seeing this as a great comeback record after battling a heroin addiction. It's some mellow and sunny blues, rocking the simplicity of his lyricism and songwriting. Unfortunately even with that context I don't find myself returning to this than for the singles. It's not my thing but I won't complain if I heard songs from this album.

3.5/5 i'll have to relisten

Well I’ve herd cream but never his solo stuff… The album starts with motherless children which contains a lot of really good guitar work, Clapton’s singing is nice but he’s never been my favourite vocalist and the lyrics aren’t too great. Give me strength is nice good change in pace I like that it’s pretty short as well as it sounds like it could’ve easily dragged. Willie and the hand jive has good but slow kinda funky guitars, the lyrics really seem there just to fill up space but it’s still good. Get ready feels sonically like a part 2 to the last song and like that one the guitars are so nice, again the lyrics aren’t great and I’am not sure about the female voice on the song but it’s nice. I shot the sheriff is one of those songs everyone knows. I mean I know this version for sure but it’s apparently bob Marley’s song, which makes sense for the better lyrics. Also I remember marge Simpson singing it so that kinda worsened my view on the song. Starting off side b is I can’t hold out, it’s nice enough just a slow rock track to be fair nice but not a favourite. Then comes please be with me it’s really soft, the backing vocals work much nicer than on other songs. So yeah I like it. Let it grow is one of only two songs ( the other being give me strength) that Clapton actually fully wrote and it’s a shame there aren’t more originals because this is my favourite so far. Just a nice slow acoustic song with good lyrics! Then the penultimate track steady rollin’ man, I don’t mind it but it does go back to the nice everything but not great lyrics. Then now we’re at mainline Florida, the final track, it’s got nice guitars all through and the lyrics are good. Yeah this is really strong! There’s two flaws to the album and that’s: The fact he didn’t write most of the songs. And while I didn’t mention it on the review side two’s sequencing is a bit odd. Still nice overall!

Amazing !

After a multi-year heroin binge, Clapton weined off the drug and created a surprisingly life-affirming record. I picked up this years ago on vinyl (second-hand, don't worry) and thought it was an ok bluesy album, but one I never revisited, but after listening for this project I think I'll be going back to it much more often. Christgau spoke of the first half positively, but said that the second half slips slightly and I definitely agree with that - the first half is brilliant, relaxing and incredibly fun. I'm not sure what emotion I expected to have listening to this album, but relaxation and fun weren't two that instantly came to mind, yet those were the main two I felt listening to it. I've definitely come to appreciate this album more with age as a solid bluesy album that I will likely revisit as a late-night relaxation album - I just won't think about Clapton's views on black people or scientific virus curtailing measures.

3/5 25/04/22 Was a chill album, enjoyed listening to while doing some work and playing some games, i liked it

One to revisit I think. Enjoyable but it's not stuck with me.

3.25

Our first Clapton solo album, but to me the worst album with Clapton on it. His singing has improved, but more importantly, the songwriting is lukewarm and his guitar-tracks are not nearly as good/interesting here as they were with Derek & The Dominoes, John Mayall And The Bluesbreakers or with Cream. That's a sort of recurring theme of the album. It's all ok, but just not nearly as good as it could/should be. The songs seem sort of half-baked and simply aren't interesting, despite the band's obvious potential. The album gets better during the second half. Let It Grow and Steady Rollin' Man for example are quite good. But as a whole, the album is still rather disappointing. Also: I Shot The Sheriff is a super annoying song.

Solid deeper cut Clapton

Decent blues rock. "I Shot The Sheriff" cover is great.

I like Clapton as an artist (not so much as a person), but this was pretty mid. I think that he needs a strong co-leader to really bring his best ability out, because a lot of this is basic white guy blues. There’s still some shredding, and a couple of solid songs. I’d still rather listen to Cream instead, though. C

Feels sort of bland and tired. “Sheriff,” “Please Be With Me,” and “Let It Grow’ are all good. Other tracks are mellow and inoffensive, generic and background-y. Clapton is not a very good singer. 3.3 for 3.

A few really great songs, and a few too many languid bluesy type songs imo. Even though the album has a lethargic chill feel, it's extremely solid, and produced perfectly. I enjoyed it throughout. Not a bad moment. Favorite song was easily "Let it Grow". Also liked the last song, the first song and I Shot The Sheriff. And the vocals in "Please Be With Me" had that perfect 70s harmony feel Clapton's guitar mastery is indisputable, but I feel like there's only so much original songwriting you can do within the framework of slow blues rock. I'll be sure to return to this album my next lazy beach day.

Ma première écoute d'un album complet d'Eric Clapton. Je ne suis habituellement pas un grand fan de blues rock, mais c'est quand même diversifié comme album. Ça groove pas mal au début. C'est l'album qui contient sa fameuse reprise de I Shot The Sheriff. Je vais me contredire ici puisqu'habituellement je dis que je préfère quand les reprises s'éloignent de la version originale pour être réappropriée dans le style de l'artiste. C'est en partie vrai ici puisque j'ai l'impression d'écouter une chanson d'Eric Clapton mais on reste proche de l'originale. Ça fonctionne et elle est somme toute agréable à écouter. J'aime bien la pièce Let It Grow qui est très différente du reste de l'album. Je ne sais pas si c'est voulu ou un clin d'oeil, mais la mélodie de la fin de cette pièce est très proche de la mélodie de Stairway To Heaven. Une écoute somme toute agréable.

Great guitar but it feels he’s still trying to find wings as a songwriter. Blues motifs are strong but album feels uneven compared to contemporaries.

A cool mix of blues and reggae sounds. Clapton is one of the greats in rock n roll guitar history, but it’s cool to hear him with other genre sounds. Pretty easy listen!

When a white man touches the islands, he comes back a changed man. Sometimes the change is good, sometimes it's bad. In this case it's good, even if Clapton should leave Marley's work alone.

Solid, great guitars

Decent blues album but got into jam territory a bit too much

I've never been a big fan of Eric Clapton outside of about 1966-71, and while this album is an easy listen and breezes by smoothly enough, it didn't change my mind. The greatest hits compilation "Timepieces", which I've known for some years, had warded me off this album slightly as it features multiple cuts from "461" which I've never really cared for. I mean, nobody really needs to hear Clapton covering Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" (particularly, of course, when he would endorse Enoch Powell's racist policies on stage a couple of years later). "Willie And The Hand Jive" is fine, but just crawlingly insubstantial. "Let It Grow" (one of only two songs here Clapton wrote alone) might have a lovely melody, but it's always struck me as a knock-off "Stairway to Heaven", with corny lyrics plucked from a dying greetings card. As an opening track, then, "Motherless Children" caught me off-guard. A cover of Blind Willie Johnson's blues standard, it's lively, has some bite to it and showcases Clapton's brand of brittle, bluesy guitar-playing at its best. Clapton has nothing to prove as a guitarist by this point, which is maybe why there's surprisingly little blistering solo work. Instead, his playing takes a bit of a backseat in favour of the easy breezy vocals and songwriting. Normally that would be a great thing, but the issue is that these songs (or rather, Clapton's take on them) isn't particularly interesting. "Give Me Strength" and "I Can't Hold Out" are both plodding, staid blues numbers, complete with hammy organ. "Mainline Florida" is the very essence of washed-out, blue jeans dad rock. I do have to admit a liking to "Please Be With Me": it has a nice stripped back arrangement, foregrounding acoustic guitar and a lovely chorus of backing singers harmonising with Clapton's simple, unaffected vocal. "461 Ocean Boulevard" is a fine listen, but it's very tame. Clapton is in conservative mode here: he already sounds like an assured elder statesman of rock in the slow lane, even though it's 1974 and the glory days of Cream were just 4 years behind him. "Slowhand" would cement this reputation, but it's creeping in here. It says a lot when the heaviest, most head-bopping track has a name like "Steady Rollin' Man"... steady indeed.

Surfside beach blues tunes. The thing about Clapton is these songs are not locked to a blues traditionalist pattern and the ornamentation is more thoughtful. Still, the songs are that consistent mid tempo dad rock that is very mood dependent for me. I Shot The Sheriff is a great tune. the back side of this record is pretty dull.