Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs

This record is admittedly quite lovely and "Layla" is as good as people say. Unfortunately, it doesn't get a higher score cause we don't condone known long-standing racist and anti-vax rhetoric in this house. Also, some of the songs drag themselves to the finish line and I can't shake the irony that there are more authentic blues projects I could be celebrating instead.

Fun! Widdly widdly. Favourite song; Tell the Truth

apt name but why did I have to listen to over an hour of the assorted love songs before getting to Layla? Suspect I would have appreciated this more if I played guitar as Clapton is absolutely tearing it up throughout but it's a 2/5 from me

First Listen Favorites: Layla Bell Bottom Blues Little Wing Honorable Mentions: Key To The Highway I Am Yours Have You Ever Loved A Woman?

Bell Bottom Blues Layla

Another one of those albums that defined the template for generic adult contemporary rock. Actually, that's "rock" because a guitar doesn't make something rock. Very, very noodly in quite a lot of places.Layla is obviously a banger, but even that isn't devoid of noodling - on the piano instead of the guitar (which does join the noodling before long, though), which makes for a nice change on this album.

Complicated. I have a lot of nostalgic love for this record but on this listen I couldn’t wait for it to end. A bit masturbatory at times and the track list is too long. A lot of fat to be trimmed. Doesn’t change the fact that there’s so many great songs on this record.

Even though it’s near the end we’ll deal with the title track first - great for three minutes and then, what is that? Ditch the pointless dirge. Kind of sums up the album as a real mixed bag - some proper jams and nice covers but also some stodgy songwriting that serves no purpose on a record that should never have been 76 minutes long.

Garbage for more than one reason.

Eric Clapton sucks, this whole album is really weird, and I just didn't really care for it anyway. Bleh

Great blue with some top notch guitar work by Mr. Clapton. It's too bad that Layla is so deep in this album because it is truly the best song, but the others are enjoyable. There's a good range of emotion across the album from standard slow and sad blues to more upbeat and happy tunes. There are things I would change about this album, like stretching out Layla to include additional rounds of chorus and verse at the expense of the protracted instrumental section towards the end, as well as improving the focus of the guitar playing in Little Wing (why cover the greatest guitar player of all time if you aren't going to at least attempt to challenge their guitar?). Overall, this is a great album with some excellent music, but it leans heavily on Layla to make up for some of the less memorable tracks.

I think on another day this would have wound me up and got a lower score. But it worked for me today. Even if it’s still too long.

Omg something with Eric Clapton that I don’t hate….

I actually cant remember but I think goof

Layla is really good. The rest of the album is really really meh. I did like Why does love got to be so sad. Claptons a weirdo.

Some of the tracks are insanely good and some of them are kind of a sleepwalk.

album put me to sleep

Too long. Just. So. Long.

1hr 7 minutes fret wankery... and Layla

This album is a touch long but it’s awesome. Great vocals. Great drums. Great guitars. I need it! Length keeps it from a solid 5 but it’s a 4.5 easy. Fuck if we round up.

5/9

Way too long… oh and fuck Eric Clapton! Never forget that part!

I too would doodle on a guitar for an entire album in order to steal George Harrison’s wife

2 listens and two and half hours of my life given to what essentially feels like a massive jam session. All the jam was brought along with the marmalade and the chocolate spread- probably for when he went and shagged his best mates wife! Worst track- hard to pick one as I didn’t look at track titles often but ‘tell the truth’ for the fact that’s what he’s done in the album which is fucking appalling’ Best track- ‘Layla’ was awesome but I personally enjoyed ‘have you ever loved a woman’ for its honesty. 7.5/10

Derek and the Dominoes - Layla The most heartfelt collection of songs about unrequited love ever put together? Probably. But in the sheer desperation there is also, beauty, invention, amazing musicianship and a bunch of groove. The almost constant running duel of guitars between Clapton and Duane Allman results in them pushing each other so far out of their relative comfort zones. Allman playing notes of the scale as he reaches for some kind of musical stratosphere. Clapton never wrote a set of songs as great as these again. He never played as well as this again. Best Track - Could be almost any but the chorus of Bell Bottom Blues catches in my throat every time with emotional resonance "Do you wanna see me crawl across the floor to you? Do you wanna hear me beg you to t as me me back?" 😥 We've all been there. Worst Track - maybe Key to the Highway. But even then.... 10/10

Not really bothering with a full review for this one - other than the title track it didn't do anything for me. And Clapton sucks.

Crazy. I had no idea going into this. None. I started to listen and I thought “I should like this, but I don’t. What’s going on?” So I go to the album and look at it closer. The date tracks. This period’s appropriation of the blues as if they had discovered El Dorado generally chaps my hide. I grew up with the REAL blues. Mississippi Delta, Chicago, Muscle Shoals. My stepfather was a Jazz head. So just like John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, I just don’t jive with this… British dishwater. But then… lo and behold, here’s old Eric Clapton again! Just like on that other project. You can’t hide from ME Eric! I don’t care about your controversial political views and all the other reasons people think they strongly dislike you. I know I do by your music. Here, there, Cream, don’t care. I don’t know you’re involved with the project and I just don’t like it. I believe it’s an issue of soul. Not sure you have one, because your playing is SOULLESS. 2 Boolean: yeah, whatever

Great blues album with amazing layers of production. The real standout is the guitar playing

Layla does unfortunately blow the rest of this album out of the water.

Listened before? Yes Epic guitar album. More underwhelming than I remembered.

Extra point for Layla itself

Nothing extraordinary and Litle Wing was not a patch on Hendrix

Maybe it’s because I lowk hate Eric Clapton even if he is a really good guitarist but I’m sorry I just couldn’t get into this album. I mean like I do like the songs individually for the most part, and there are classics in there, but lord, I know I’d never listen to this album again. It kinda felt like pulling teeth to listen to it because it felt all too similar (for the most part). Two stars because while this is harsh, I’m sure listening to songs apart from one another would raise the ranking. But as a whole album? No thank you.

I find Clapton to be so insanely boring. Layla is obviously the best track on this, and the catchy riff on that song isnt even written by Clapton. More than any other blues guitarist, Clapton just seems the most "checking the boxes" instead of having any feeling at all, couple that with him being a genuinely awful person and his whole disco just falls flat for me.

No matter what form you give me Clapton it won't change my opinion of his music. So many want to convince you he's good and I just don't get it. On top of that, he's a POS. Over an hour is the insult to injury. Music was tolerable at best. Hoping this is the last of anything from this guy.

Eric Clapton is massively overrated. Yeah, he's technically a great guitar player but there is no heart or soul to his playing. I find it so incredibly boring. Also, he's a racist anti-vaxx lunatic. No thank you.

pior que não vejo o que os outros vêem nesse álbum. Pra mim, é no máximo legalzinho, mesmo Layla é só ok. Já tentei ouvi antes e minha opinião não mudou de antes para agora. Talvez daqui alguns anos. Eu enxergo que key to the highaway é bom e talvez até o ponto alto do álbum. Reescutei e não é que a segunda metade é bem boa. A partir de key to the highway fica bem ótimo. reescutando uma 3° vez, é um álbum bem perfeito

LAYYYYYYYLAAAAAA YOU GOT ME ON MY KNEES Good blues the rest of the album but it is crazy Clapton isn’t even the best guitarist on his own band’s album

Layla alone might make this a masterpiece. Add the great Little Wing cover, Have You Ever Loved, Bell Bottom Blues and Love So Sad and you’ve got one of the best albums on here

This has a lot of classics on it. I’d give it 3.5 stars if I could. It doesn’t do enough for me to deserve a 4, but three doesn’t feel fair either

It's ok

Layla: 3 minutes of desperation followed by 4 minutes of overindulgence. The rest of the album? Is guitar an emotion? Because that's the only feeling I get.

A nice bluesy album, but a little long for my taste. Nothing to complain about, but I was ready to be done with it before it was over. Layla and Bell Bottom Blues were standout tracks.

Classic album from the 70s, with Layla leading the charge.

Deze kennen we wel :)

Goood guitarr

This was a great early Eric Clapton record that I hadn't heard all the way through, although I knew "Layla," and it remains the heavy hitter on this album. Overall, very good!

Clapton just sounds so terribly impressed with himself. It’s exhausting.

Layla on tämän levy tunnetuin biisi. Ainakin minulle. Klassikko levy tämäkin

sick. absolutely SICK. never heard such tantalizing guitar riffs in my life. Loved the blues on Key to the Highway. The songs are long but WOW they're good. 8/10

Another brilliant record from the artist with more appearances on this list than any other..... Jim Gordon. To learn more about Jim Gordon, visit your local library, Wikipedia, or listen to M.O.D.'s classic Thrash song, "Jim Gordon".

Somehow I didn't hate this.

Another classic I had heard before! I was actually not as impressed as I thought- compared to Cream albums ive had, this album was way more blues heavy, and the songs all sounded similar. Layla is of course an amazing hit, as is Bell Bottom Blues. Overall- still a good album. Probably a 3.5 to 4 out of 5

I didn't know this album was a thing. I love it. Fuck Crapton though.

Ugh, Clapton. No.

Eh

Layla is just sensational. It's like 2 different songs and each are better than the rest of the album, and the rest of the album is good.

I enjoyed this to start with, I like the nostalgic sound of that very 70s guitar sound. I managed to listen to this whole album and noted the guitar prominence without once realizing that this was Eric Clapton, lol. Once I got further into the album I felt like it sounded very samey and it was dragging for me. I did prefer the sound of the the slower more soulful songs. Just okay for me.

Didn’t love it. Lots of reallly stretched out blues tracks with long Eric Clapton guitar solos. Got more bored/annoyed with it as I went. A few nice moments but not for me

Clapton is one of the greatest guitarists of all time. This is a decent bluesy album. I’m taking a star from him for just butchering Little Wing.

In which, Eric, tired of the constant scrutiny associated with being one of the greatest guitarists of his generation, poses as Derek, the leader of a fictional band and one of the greatest guitarists of his generation

This album gives off very Boomer vibes. I would say it sounds older than it actually is. I can't see how they can justify this album being an hour and 15 minutes long. It just drags, and it feels very bloated at the points. I would say on the whole, I feel very neutral if not bored b this album. I think really, the only song of merit is 'Layla' and even then I've never been a huge fan of that song. Fav Track: Layla

Layla is an incredible sounding song, but the rest of the album doesn't measure up. Clapton is such a strange artist to review. His playing is superb and it all sounds right but I can't help but feel when he plays the blues part of me doesn't believe his sorrow. Or maybe I believe the sorry is more warranted than the misery being showcased. Great song. Okay album. Great guitarist. Shitty dude

The instrumentals are solid, the audio engineering is good, the vocals are lacking. There is a confidence in performing and love of the music that comes through. It just feels a bit disingenuous. "I Am Yours" was the first track that caught my attention. "Anyday" is fine, but goes too long. Goes on far too long, often not doing much and had me losing interest at times. There is a better album in here, someone just needed to rope these guys in and chop it all down.

This is a fantastic album. Layla is the true gem of a song, but most of the other tracks are terrific, and this version of Little Wing has always been my favorite, from the first time I heard it. This album isn't tight, precise, or carefully honed -- it just spilled onto the tape from every bit of body, heart, and soul of the guys playing.

With this album Eric Clapton found his way back to the blues after the long psychedelic jams of Cream and Blind Faith and his therapeutic stint with Delaney and Bonnie. Layla and other assorted lovesongs was recorded in Miami Criteria Studios with producer Tom Dowd at the helm. The band was formed with Bobby Whitlock on keys, Carl Raddle on bass and Jim Gordon on drums. Clapton had met Whitlock on George Harrisson's All things must pass sessions. After seeing the Allman Brothers Band live, Clapton invited Duane Allman for the sessions as well. Together they created a new standard for modern blues guitar with this album. Fueled by enormous amounts of alcohol, drugs and despair about his love for Harrison's wife Patti Boyd they burned though a set of origials and blues classics with an intensity Clapton never reached again. Impossible to call for the highlights because they all are, with Nobody knows you when you're down and out being my absolute favorite. On release the album stayed a bit unnoticed (Who is this Derek?) but steadily gained its praise and acclaim.

Never got in to Eric but like Derek for some reason. Bell Bottom Blues is a fantastic song!

Did enjoy this! Played it on a long drive so that nice.... Layla is great and I didnt know the ending was played in goodfellas (I enjoyed that) plus bellbottom blues, I am yours and thorn tree in the garden all stand outs! Great album.

I like Cream, but not listened to Derek and The Dominoes other than Layla. Used to dance to it with a plastic dinosaur when my dad put it on. True story. Very Bluesy. Liked it. Layla's obviously standout but Key To The Highway Bell Bottom Blues and others were v.good. 3.5

Love this one, sounds a bit cluttered at times but still a classic

Mucho blues y el toca muy bonito la guitarra pero tampoco tiene nada que encante. Buen cover de little wing 🙌🙌

I'll be returning to this album a lot. I've heard the songs on it, but not the full album. It was really good

An ambitious album filled with rockin blues songs with a touch of soul/gospel. Great guitar work from Allman n Clapton. A very tight band and of course the wonderful homage to the title track.

it's not bad but not my thing

Decent.

Really great guitar and good vocals too. Pretty sure I have the blues though so maybe I'm biased. 7/10

Obviously great stuff here.

First half of the album I liked - second half got a little too jammy / Grateful Dead-y for my liking (aside from little wing & Layla). Patty Boyd was that bitch apparently.

Layla is by far the best track on here (but it is one of the catchiest songs ever). There were some other good songs but it was mostly quite uninteresting, especially for how long it is. The album name sums it up pretty well

I’ve always believed Eric Clapton did his finest work as part of a band rather than as a solo artist. The Yardbirds, Cream, and Blind Faith were all excellent, but Derek and the Dominos marked his true peak. It’s a real shame he and Duane Allman never recorded more music together. This album has remained one of my favorites for over 55 years.

Nice bit of blues

I actually rlly like some parts of this, 3.5

Decent but it’s over an hour and it all just sounds the same. Would happily have on in the background

Really good all around mich better than I remember as a kid. Probably can enjoy and understand better the music

A steady psych rock/blues record. Me like

Give me a Jimi Hendrix album!! It's ok but not enough soul. The instrumental are pure and strong I never heard of this group but it was a good listen.

Bell bottom blues may be the most perfect song ever??? Lots of gems here even though white guy blues isn’t really for me

Really enjoyed this! Will be listening again! Eric Clapton is an asshole, but his music is incredible! If you know the story for the title track... Poor Geege. Anyway, this is groovy and rocky and very high quality throughout. Only thing that puts me off is the constant noodling. Some songs would benefit greatly from being shorter.

It’s they named this album the way they did. It’s like they were writing songs and realized “Wait. We’ve written one good song.” Well, I’m going to be a bit nicer and say there’s two good songs on this album, because Bell Bottom Blues is pretty good too. But most of this album is samey guitar stuff, and it’s too long considering how little variety there is.

Obviously Layla is the highlight of the album. The assorted songs is aight

<3

One of the greatest rock songs of all time and some other stuff too. Title was spot on

Good album for blues guitarists. I'm not sure actual blues fans would listen to this, and is no little pop appeal these days.

Nah I’m good, thanks

Eric Clapton and Duane Allman; the best guitar duo ever!!

Boring bluesy dad-rock. “Layla” is worth hearing and the guitar-playing is very good on many of the songs. But Clayton’s voice can’t handle a lot of what he’s trying to do (I know from “Unplugged” that it eventually will). I think he’s going for a kind of soulful rasp but it just sounds weak and untrained. Not easy to listen to. This is not something I’ll ever put on again.

Such a great album. I was maybe 11 or 12 when I started listening to Eric Clapton (this would have been 1979 or 80). I remember what a revelation it was (at that age anyway) to discover that "Derek" was "Eric". Such a silly thing, but the album has that memory and emotional attachment for me. I have listened to it regularly over the years and it never gets old. The rest of the band is so good. Its appearance here prompted me to go look them up and I was reminded of how many great bands they played in or with. I knew that Duane Allman was on the album, and Wikipedia says he "contributed guitar" but doesn't he also sing on "Anyday"? Or am I just imagining that? Doesn't matter. It's 5 stars for a great one-album band.

Outstanding guitar playing, vocals & lyrics are top notch for the most part though sometimes forgettable. Couple tracks drag longer than needed but at no points is it ever boring 9/10

6.5/10 I Looked Away 7/10 Bell Bottom Blues 8/10 Keep On Growing 6/10 Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out 6/10 I Am Yours 5.5/10 Anyday 6/10 Key to the Highway 6.5/10 classic blues sound Tell the Truth 4/10 sounds average but goes on too long Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad? 5.5/10 Have You Ever Loved a Woman 7/10 another good blues song Little Wing 6.5/10 pretty good It's Too Late 5/10 didnt really stand out much Layla 8.8/10 one of the greats. Thorn Tree in the Garden 5/10 ok i guess

Journalist Dave Marsh: "there are few moments in the repertoire of recorded rock where a singer or writer has reached so deeply into himself that the effect of hearing them is akin to witnessing a murder, or a suicide...to me, 'Layla' is the greatest of them."

So close…

Would easily be a 5 star album if Clapton's rock persona wasn't such a complicated POS.

an awful lot of blues guitar, if that's your thing. otherwise ok, nothing standout spectacular.

Super enjoyable

It really delivered on its promise of being Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. Ultimately that is how we remember it, an album unapologetically propping itself up on one song. Good song though

Layla is a certified banger, but it never bodes well when your album is basically named "[good song] and other various bullshit," which is kinda what this album ends up sounding like. There's nothing wrong with anything going on in any of these songs, they're perfectly pleasant sounds to have on in the background, but I just don't care about most of them.

Layla almost saved this album for me but even that song was way longer than I realized. Overall it was a very boring listen with occasional good songs and riffs but mostly forgettable

Jesus Christ this was boring. I tried going into it with an open mind - depsite my misgivings about Eric Calpton - but it was just the most soulless "blues" imaginable. Shite.

A classic I've never heard until now! The lore surrounding this album is legendary, and I had a ton of fun diving into the many different affairs, coincidences, and jam sessions that resulted in this beast of a southern-rock opus. This is one of the most solid blues-rock albums I've ever heard, but I definitely found the double-disc runtime to be gratuitous. For listeners in 1970, however, this was definitely a purchase worth making. There definitely is something magical in the air here with what Clapton and his Dominos were able to conjure. Duane Allman is a clear star, and this record serves as an incredible testament to his prolific and collaborative brilliance. Too long, but phenomenal blues-rock. Fav Tracks: I Looked Away, Bell Bottom Blues, Keep On Growing, I Am Yours, Anyday, Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?, Layla Least Fav: Key to the Highway Score: 7.5

edpectacular sobretodo layla

Actually 3.5 Good album The only remarkable songs in my opinion are Layla and Thorn Tree in the Garden. Listening to all songs one after the other one feels like guitar-guitar and 'I love a woman oh oh', but probably you'd solve the problem by listening to the songs singularly. Wonderful guitar performances, sadly that isn't enough to make the songs feel even slightly interesting. Lyrics could have been better

Clapton did to the blues what vegans did to meat. They wanted it bad enough to invent a worse version of it.

I had to listen to this is daily chunks so it took me about 5 days. I don't think Claptons music is for me, but I understand why it's on this list, so it gets a 3. I just found the whole experience of listening to be very tedious and I couldn't wait for it to be over so I could move on.

Eh, no thanks.

siento que es un álbum muy rutero yankee, también podría ser un clásico que una madre pone de fondo para hacer cosas en la casa. es agradable de escuchar pero siento que se disfruta mejor estando ocupado

4 stars.

It's the week of three-star albums: I like the beginning and there is a lot of good music on here, but I lose interest. Might be me, though. Solid album, maybe it is worth 4 stars, but I'll stick with 3 because of Clapton being a not so nice person.

Clapton’s guitar playing on this is absurdly good. My only complaint is it’s too long, this wasn’t interesting enough to be a double album. Fantastic though, somewhere between a 4 and 5 but I’m rounding down

Like me some Eric Clapton

Nothing really special

Great music. Three stars...

Listening session: august 4th/5th, while drinking coffee after work Listened to before: heard one song before Thoughts: nice guitar work but the album feels a bit like a big ego trip Favourite tracks: Anyday, Little Wing & Layla

As far as white guy blues goes, this is up there. But still, not really something that I want to listen to often. I Looked Away and Layla are great songs though. Would probably give a 3.5 if I could.

Great album, love every song on it

These: Ohne "Layla" würde das Album hier vermutlich nicht auftauchen. Das Ganze ist für mich eher eine Jam-Platte, was dem Supergroup-Charakter auch gerecht wird. Ein wenig vermisse ich schon die Riff- und vor allem Song-orientieren Sachen von Cream (von denen ich hier auch noch 3 Platten in dieser Liste erwarte). Außerdem kann man infrage stellen, ob man das jetzt unbedingt auf Doppel-LP-Länge ausdehnen musste. Man merkt den Herren aber den Spaß an der Sache an, rein musikalisch ist das wirklich ein Hörgenuss, wirklich schlechte Songs lassen sich hier auch nicht finden und gerade die Interpretation von bekannten Blues/R&B-Klassikern gelingt ihnen hier sehr gut. Ich würde sogar soweit gehen, dass mir deren Version von "Little Wing" deutlich besser gefällt als das Jimi Hendrix-Original. Und mit "Bell Bottom Blues", "Anyday" und "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?" haben sie auch ein paar catchige Ohrwürmer auf die LP geschmuggelt. Und was braucht man zu "Layla" noch sagen: ein zeitloser Klassiker, ein Riff für die Ewigkeit, die Hintergrundgeschichte macht den Song noch spannender und dann noch das wunderschöne Piano-Outro, was länger dauert als der Song an sich. Ja, für die Dinner-Party ist die Unplugged-Version schon besser geeignet, aber dieses Feuer und diese Energie gibt es eben nur hier.

Clapton ist zwar ein kompletter Vollidiot, aber das hat mir trotzdem musikalisch gut gefallen, auch wenn ich mir nicht sicher bin, ob es nicht 2-3 Songs weniger auch getan hätten. Gerade Anyday hat wir wirklich gut gefallen.

Zwischendurch gefühlt die QotSA der 70er. Ich finde die erste Hälfte deutlich stärker, aber am Ende reicht es mir für schwache 4 Sterne.

Man merkt, dass das hier eigentlich nur ein Spaßprojekt von Musikern war die einfach nochmal kleine Clubs spielen wollten und bisschen jammen und zocken. Da das aber alles hervorragende Musiker sind ist das Zuhören wirklich ein Genuss. Daneben springt noch ein Hit wie Layla raus dessen Outro ich ja fast schöner finde als das ikonische Riff. Starke 4.

I wish this wasn't so long. When it was good, it was phenomenal. The guitar work alone is divine for my ears. I really enjoyed the first three songs the most. They felt like the perfect welcome to the world of rock. Favorite Tracks: I Looked Away Bell Bottom Blues Keep On Growing Little Wing

Layla, You've Got Me On My Knees 1001 Albums Generator 319 (8/3/2026) Balls to the wall, fun as hell blues rock that's much more rock than blues (just how I like it). And then that piano line in Layla starts playing. How can a man not feel a wave of emotion when that hits? Putting the title track that late into an album this long is a bold move, but it hits as the climax of the album. Duane Allman's contributions on this album are unbelievable. I also really love the cover of Jimi's Little Wing. It's a good album, even if there are a couple of songs I could do without. 4/5. Favs: Bell Bottom Blues Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad? Layla Least Fav: Key To The Highway

It’s fine? Layla is clearly the standout track and I only now realize I’ve heard it EVERYWHERE. There are some other good songs, mostly for instrumentation since I find love songs to be… corny 90% of the time. Not really something I’d listen to again, although I’m shocked it commercially failed at time of release.

J'ai adoré, surtout la reprise de Little Wing et Layla. Un peu long dans l'ensemble ça aurait pu faire 20 minutes de moins mais ça reste un pur plaisir. Les guitares sont juste divines (logique)

Wow c'était insupportable, pourtant c'est pas nul mais vraiment j'étais à bout en l'écoutant. ça méritera peut etre une autre écoute plus tard mais la c'est biiiiiiiig no

70s rock, heavy on the guitar and bass. Not my cuppa, got that raggedy Clapton feel to it. 2/5

I was enjoying this. Then it went on for another hour. Also, Clapton is a cunt, so taking off a star for that.

Good

damn, i miss her, saved 1/14

This rocks but it's sooooo long! 3.5

Grupo formado por Eric Clapton, entretenido, blues rock bueno.

Pretty. Didn’t save any songs but would use as a background

I know the song Layla, not heard any other part of this. Opening tracks do not appeal, shallow lyrics (man-baby whining) are really offputting. Music burbles on. I kinda like the idea that Clapton wanted to play songs, in a band, rather than just have his guitar playing as the focus, but the band music isn't that interesting: the bits with Allman are better than those without but still meander; there are vocal harmonies, but the voices aren't well-blended; track 7 is a weak jam, only justifiable if someone thought the guitar soloes were great (I don't); cover of Little Wing is tedious; overall this record if played by a local band down the pub would have good points but get boring. Even the song Layla doesn't sound that good. Meanwhile I looked at some reviews here, many v negative about Clapton, so I read a bit about his life and political views, seems to have been quite messed up. Also, this whole thing being so overblown (ie a double album not single) cuts across any respect I might otherwise feel for any elements: it's Pretty Poor, 3/10. (Slightly more listenable than a 2/10, but I would never choose to put it on.)

Really like Bell bottom blues, great guitar work, the sound is pretty cohesive and rich/deep. I am yours sounds a lot like a beatles song. Idk amazing record, amazing guitar and melodies.

🥱 Great last track though

Decent stuff but it’s a bit generic. Some of the songs are blues-heavy and I think that’s the saving grace. Other songs sound kinda like a late 50s school dance. It’s alright overall. 2.6/5.0

This was - by some distance - my favourite of the various Clapton-related records on here. It was fun! And that's something that he so often doesn't bother with, in the pursuit of showing everyone what a good guitarist he is. It starts particularly strongly, and although it does flag, the rush of Layla brings you back up to speed nicely. Maybe Layla, by the way, is the greatest example of what's wrong with Clapton, because his solo version of it is remorselessly boring and pleased with itself, and it's only with the Dominos that he can let it rip.

Apart from being a racist, Clapton's also incredibly racist.

Mostly harmless. Unsure why Layla decided to be a blueprint for 80s sitcom themes in its last act.

The songs felt too long

Sorry, not my taste.

Clapton is at his best when playing traditional blues. Not everything hit its mark but it’s still a good album.

I so didn't want to like this album, Clapton being the douchebag that he has become, but there were too many songs I remember that blew me away 35+ years ago when I first heard Key To the Highway, for example. I love this album. No apologies for that.

Didn't know much about these recognised Layla from Clapton and it is one of the best rock songs of all time. However it is surrounded in Blues tracks some of which are tedious. Now I love blues normally but this is long drawn out self indulgence I was bored waiting for Layla. This is a 30 mins album stretched out to 1hr 16 mins and it's painful at times. I give it 2 for Layla

Layla bangs, and some of the guitar playing was great in other songs too. Probably close to a 3/5 but I am going to go 3.75/5 for seeing people complaining in the reviews about some "anti-vax" bullshi

Little wing adaption and Layla are bangers.

Clapton is the least interesting thing anojt this album. What a band. Thw drums are beautiful, and the bass right there with th. Pity the drummer went mad. Pity the whole band were likely a drug fueled mess and it didnt go past 1 album. They would have been phenomenal live. Keyboardist apparently said they could play completely off their heads and still be the best band on the planet. Overall i think the album suffers from different writers and is. Little uneven as a result. All amazing players but it doesnt quite hang together. A second or third album would have just gotten better and better.

echt slecht is dit niet, maar toch ook niet echt goed, met toch wel enkele serieuze stinkers... maar ook pareltjes

Frick man. I listened to this album in the completely wrong headspace. Boring chords. Screeching guitar solos. Nothing vocals. Best: Thorn tree in the garden Worst: Layla (Frick this song)

Woah, you can totally just add reviews for people. Like, I am Bretton putting a review for Wesley. That's wild.

Fav: Bell Bottom Blues, Layla L: Why Does Love Got to be so Sad 4 I liked most of it and loved some of it. Have you ever loved a woman is really funny considering how Eric Clapton’s life turned out.

This was a great listen while driving home along the Bear River. Great sound, great songwriting. Favs: Bell Bottom Blues, Layla Leasts: none 3.5/5

The music is great. Layla is obviously a masterpiece, and the rest of the assorted tunes are strong, too.

I would have thought this was a five star album as I thought I listened to it before but I probably just skimmed through. There are two very good songs on here that I have listened to a lot and a fair amount of alright tracks. I wasn't the biggest fan of the blues tracks as I wouldn't say this is a blues album and the genres are a little over the place. Still, its an essential listen and ends with Layla.

How does this album manage to progressively get better and better? I wasn’t sure what to expect but damn this is a phenomenal showcase of strong musicians giving their all

I always thought clapton was overrated as a guitarist and this has not changed my mind. Very average songwriting and even Layla goes on far too long.

Let's ignore the fact that Clapton is an irredeemable wrong 'un and just focus on the music. There's a lot of good stuff here, but that doesn't change the fact that there's too much stuff here. If this album had been trimmed back to around 40 minutes it would benefit massively. There's some great tracks in here, with Layla being the obvious standout. The Little Wing cover is pretty trite, unfortunately. Sits somewhere between a three and four, but could've been much better with some ruthless trimming. And fuck Clapton.

Lots of awesome stuff packed in here.

Eurgh Clapton I’m not sure where it comes from exactly but I’ve always had an aversion to Eric Clapton. His face or voice or whatever just winds me up. That said, this is pretty good. Nice to be pushed outside of my comfort zone. Nobody knows you when you’re down and out is exceptional.

Yes I know the song Layla. Yes it’s great. But man I usually find Clapton boring. On the other hand Duane Allman is my goat. Glad I finally listened to the whole thing and I liked it a lot. Prefer just the Allmans by a wide margin, but some good stuff here. Would be a 4 but I’m taking away a star for Eric stealing Pattie.

Assorted basic blues rock.

I hate that I love this album. Clapton was better with Cream and Delaney and Bonnie, but this is the album I heard every day after high school in my boyfriend's bedroom, along with Dylan, Stones, Dead, Zappa, Jefferson Airplane, Joplin, Hendrix, Who, Allman Bros. and so many other great musicians. Thanks to Tom, for all the concerts we went to, every weekend. Clapton is a dick but this album heavily nostalgic for me, connected to many memories that linger.

Additional star for the definitive Layla cover but otherwise over indulgent and over long

I don’t think this needs to be on this list. Layla could be on a 1001 songs you need to hear before you die list…but idk I think there’s a lot of the same flavor of 70s rock on this album.

brilliant

There is plenty of excellent guitar on this record, but really only a few decent songs. Layla itself is a pretty good summation of the album as a whole -- some really good moments, but then just sort of meanders for more than half its runtime. It's fine, but I would have liked it better if it was less than half as long.

Why is this one so long? Usually albums from this era are only over an hour if it incudes released tracks on a special edition, but this is the original album length. Several okay songs, one really good song.

Song reviews: …I looked away: straight away I love it, it sets a nice vibe, instantly put me in a good mood. Reminds me of the beach. I love how the vocals aren’t “basic” and I can feel the emotion. Tambourine is a nice touch. Drums and guitar is really good. Got a catchy chorus. I love the last keyboard chord. 5/5 Bell bottom blues: Is there anything this band can’t do, a completely different vibe to first song but succeeds just as well. It’s the type of music that’s always nice to listen to consistently throughout the song. I love the little guitar touches. “ I don’t wanna fade away” will be stuck in my head. 5/5 Keep on growing: guitar ate that intro, bass is sexy and percussion amazing. I love the rhythms. Instrumentals are mvps. Makes me feel like I’m on a road trip in America. The outro is peak. 5/5 Nobody knows when you’re down and out: I can hear the pain in the guitar. Vocals aren’t nice. Sorta reminds me of a very specific movie song vibe. Keyboard is nice. It’s the type of song I’d listen to laying down and just melt into the floor. Ending was satisfying. 5/5 I am yours: I immediately love it. Bongos is great. Vocals wasn’t what I was expecting and not sure if I like it. Shaker is great. Not exciting but still great. 4/5 Anyday: not what I was expecting and I love it. Guitar is beautiful. Vocals adds something to the musicality of the piece which is great. One of my favs. 5/5 Layla: not what I was expecting. I really like it still. It’s really groovy. I love how it slows down and the piano. Feels like a breath of fresh air. 4.6/5 This isn’t my go to genre or type of music but it was done incredibly well.

As per tradition, deducting one star for being a knob … so a solid 2 stars from me.

I get it - Clapton can play guitar. But I don't love this album. If I want blues I'll go to the source - this just feels like a pale imitation. Layla is catchy but doesn't really redeem this album for me.

Annoyingly I seem to have a different project on my PC as to here as it seemed to generate loads of songs here. I pause after I get a new song to ensure I listen. So this album. I have said to myself I'll try and have no pre-conceptions and for context I am bad with my phone my digital wellbeing is shit. I have said I'll try to actively listen for all the records as 1001 best records of all time. I want to give them a chance so I said I'll try to listen to the songs and not be on my phone. I dunno if its that or that I was out walking after a long day but I found myself not actively listening. Maybe thats my flaw to work on. Not a problem when I am reading. I would say the album is a cracker and probaly the one I've enjoyed the most. I knew I'd like it. The slides into the high vocals and guitar solos etc all fantastic. I will defo come back and listen again. I thought in the first half an hour it would be 5 out of 5 but for now. 4.5 out of 5 Okay you can't give half stars, more 5 than 4

Blues, Blues y Blues. ¿Blues?

You get tired of the constant noodling after a little while, but damn there are some good pop songs on there. It's probably closer to a 4 than it is to a 3, but my heart says that it cannot be. I'm sorry Eric.

Did it have some outstanding moments that redefined blues rock? Yes. Absolutely. Did it also have a lot of just good blues that wasn’t particularly groundbreaking for the era. Also yes. But this groups filler could easily best any other contemporary’s magnum opus. Highlights are Bell Bottom Blues, Layla and Why Does Love Feel So Sad?.

I don't know what is more rancid, this album or making the joke "More like 'Layla And Other Ass Love Songs', am I right?". Yes, I think this album is just boring and super bland blues rock with an unnecessary long runtime. There were maybe some moments I found better than the average, those being the more upbeat ones like "Keep On Growing", "Anyday", "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?", but even these ones I can't say I truly love or like them. Notice that I didn't mention "Layla". Being the second to last song, at that point I'm so tired that it doesn't do anything for me, specially when it is seven minutes and half of it is piano without the riff that makes it a decent song to begin with. In addition, I don't get the hype for Eric Clapton. Maybe nowadays the praise for the man is not as notable as in the past, but still, I think it is super mediocre guitarist. Only thing he does that I can say interested me is the riff of "Layla". All the 1000 solos feel like worthless filling (to me). Ultimately, not the worst blues rock release I've ever heard, as at least there are some moments that aren't really tiring.

Looking at the scathing reviews, I thought I'd be walking into a collection of mediocre fluff, but in reality a good amount of these tunes are very solid. I guess that comes with the general disdain people have for Eric Clapton as a person, and so they feel the need to virtue signal because god forbid they ever appreciate music made by /ICKY WEIRODS/!!!

destaque para as faixas: I Looked Away Key to The Highway Tell The Truth Layla

This is one of the 75 bands that Eric Clapton formed in the late 60s to play blues and steal other people's wives. Enjoy!

Even tho I adore the Song "Layla" I have to say that I am not so fond of the screechy guitars throughout the other tracks on this album.

it's pretty bluesy y'all sounds like eric clapton had an achy and/or breaky heart these songs is long layla especially has an entire back half that feels like a second song bolted on 💥bell bottom blues 💥anyday 💥key to the highway (good but loooooong) 💥why does love got to be so sad? 💥little wing 💥layla

Eric Clapton bad, some of these songs good 3 1/2

fav songs: i looked away blues, boring 30/100

Nothing I can add to this discussion. This music is like LMFAO. Extremely popular with a group that were alive for a very specific time at a very specific age and a whole new generation enjoys it ironically.

Layla is a 5/5. The rest of this is meh.

Eric är jätteduktig på gitarr ja, men detta är alldeles för gubbigfierad blues.. det blir så tråkigt

It’s me, it’s not the music, but it’s Eric Clapton - so I hate everything about him , his history and his politics, so… I listened but still a 1

Eric Clapton is one of the most loathsome individuals in the history of music.

Masters of the 3 minute pop songs these are not…. Every song overstayed its welcome by some way.

Musically tolerable but Clapton was an absolute piece of s- to partners, to people from abroad, opposed the fox hunting ban, collaborated on an anti-lockdown single with Van Morrison... Yep, I've listened to enough of that

New to me and a fully unlistenable one star. Possibly the record that has sounded most like I feared it would but it is hard to make that judgement with all the records that have sounded about as unpleasant as this one. Tom.

It might be long, but it makes up for it in having a kick-ass band. There's Layla obviously, but peep Keep On Growing, Little Wing, Any Day and Bell Bottom Blues as well. Thanks Duane (8/10, 4/5 on this scale)

Enjoyed it.

Eric Clapton: “Stop Britain from becoming a black colony. Get the foreigners out. Get the wogs out. Get the coons out. Keep Britain white. I used to be into dope, now I’m into racism. It’s much heavier, man. Fucking wogs, man. Fucking Saudis taking over London. Bastard wogs. Britain is becoming overcrowded and Enoch will stop it and send them all back.” The speech went on considerably longer. “Do we have any foreigners in the audience tonight?” he said, confrontationally. “If so, please put up your hands. So where are you? Well, wherever you are, I think you should all just leave. Not just leave the hall, leave our country. I don’t want you here, in the room or in my country.”

buenas liras

Clapton is a dickhead, but there are some classics on here.

I regret to inform you that, despite Clapton being a huge piece of shit, this absolutely rips. The secret sauce is Duane Allman's slide guitar. One star off because the last track is aaaaaaaaaasssss.

layla is a banger

A bit of a wank guitar fest in places but that’s kind of the point.

Surprising interpretation of Jimi Hendrix's Little Wing. Layla reminds me of FM radio when I was growing up as well as the scene from Goodfellas.....

Good classic Rock/ Blues sound. A solid 4 for me - very enjoyable!

Listened to on my Bose AE2 Soundlink Headphones. You know, it was interesting getting this album after two recent albums in this project, those being "Talkin Timbuktu" and "Led Zeppelin II", because I found it to take the aspects of those works that I found myself disappointed in and show just how much they can work with the right sound. In the former's case, I thought it was too jam-band sounding, and in the latter's I thought it's appeals and laments of love were a little unconvincing on the whole. Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs somehow takes a near hour and a half long album of jam-band sounding music, with lyrics almost purely dedicated to love sought and lost, and comes out excellent regardless. I think what really worked for me was the sound of the music in general, having this classic rock born-of-the-blues backbone yet with the energy and firepower of those late 60s rockers, and the vocal delivery just coming through a lot more honest than Robert Plant's work on Zeppelin II. Bobby Whitlock and Eric Clapton don't necessarily have the vocal chops of Plant, but sometimes you don't need that to really deliver something great. For as much as the album spits out tune after tune of love song staged in the canon of whatever rock n roll handbook you could find, the Dominos really know how to pull out some great riffs and songwriting that keep this thing sounding great. The title track remains essential, with a legendary riff and a stunning instrumental back half that blows me away every time. Musical excellence through and through. What was a great joy on this first time listen through this album (my only familiarity prior to this was that title track Layla) was that the Dominos somehow found a way to follow up, and dare I say top, that very special track, with the closer Thorn Tree In the Garden, a beautiful acoustic tune from Bobby Whitlock that had me entranced, for it's sorrow soaked lyrics painted upon this velvety-smooth instrumental. Other highlights were the cover of Little Wing from Jimi Hendrix, which gave the iconic track a whole new vibe and style that does it justice, and the hard rockin Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad, with it's blistering speed just amping me up. I don't know if I'm fully convinced of this album's mastery yet, for it still feels a little bloated to me with how familiar the ground remains throughout, but it is a great piece of classic rock regardless.

Enough with the Clapton already. Didn’t this record already come up?!

I wish this had a different title. Layla itself is one of those overplayed, overexposed, overrated songs that's more iconic than it actually is 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥. I don't think I'd ever even listened to the whole track as I had no idea it was still playing after the strange breakdown halfway through where it essentially becomes a different song and peters out anticlimactically. There are a number of great blues rock numbers here that I could listen to all day, worth far more than just being 'other assorted love songs', and you end up waiting for Layla, as if it's somehow the main event or centrepiece. But it's stuck right at the end, after most of the fun has already been had. This trick works with Good Vibrations, Bohemian Rhapsody and A Day In The Life, but somehow it falls flat here. I feel like Layla needs to sit first on this album, and then let the superior deep cuts take over. Come for Layla, stay for Keep On Growing, Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out, and Little Wing. And finally, no decent review of this double album would be complete without the old adage, '𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘓𝘗.'

Funky

bell bottom blues underrated. this went on far too long and then i learned about eric clapton from the reviews sooo yeah. boo

As a kid growing up discovering music from friends and the radio, i had no idea of what the blues were or sounded like. So FM radio led me to Layla and eventually this record. Its okay.. no shortage of wanking however. There's better and there's worse.

Great guitar work. Also a lot of passion behind the vocals.

It wad okay.

2026.07.08.

Good blues but not exceptional

Eric Clapton plays the guitar very well on this record, but he plays it too much like Eric Clapton. The songs are simple. They are made for everyone to understand, and because they are made for everyone, they belong to no one. A man should not make his sorrow smooth just so it is easy to swallow. It is a long record. Some of it is heavy and good, but most of it is just pretty. A man can listen to it, but it will not keep him warm in the night.

A few good songs, some nice guitar playing but to play the blues is to live the blues.

pretty cool! some of the blues songs were a little boring, but the guitars were always great and the band is tight. i will revisit

Groovy

Old school.bluesy rag time rock....I like it but don't love any of it

"Layla" by itself justifies the existence of this album, but I think it would also be a strong release if that song weren't a part of it. "Bell Bottom Blues" is a great track.

Separate the art from the artist Claptons career sadly got worse the longer it went on, thankfully this album comes early on. Maybe if you’re not a fan of extended guitar solos this isn’t for you, but as a guitarist it’s a joy to hear Clappers and Duane duelling away on Key to the Highway and Nobody Wants You. He’s also trying his songwriting out here and there, with mixed results, but overall it’s a great album for a rock or blues fan. A word also for the title track. I’d give the album at least 4 for that coda alone. A monumental track that stands alone here in some ways, one of of those magic pieces caught on tape. 5/5

Eric Clapton is a piece of shit and he didn’t even write the riff to his best song It gets 3 because I really like Bell Bottom Blues

Sixty-five minutes of derivative woman-done-me-wrong blooz then Layla then a warmup to Tears in Heaven and scene. Fuck Clapton.

lol i couldn't focus on this and DNF. maybe i'll get back to it but it's not really compelling. Just really really long. Rock songs don't need to be 9 mins long when there isn't a plot

some great songs! most just all right

Favorite song: bell bottom blues and Layla

eh

The song Layla is such a towering work on this that it's hard to think of it as more than "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs that No-One Cares About" Some of the others - Bell Bottom Blues, Keep on Growing, Anyday, Why Does Love Got to be so Sad? - come pretty close to Layla's brilliance and I am Yours and Thorn Tree in the Garden are at least interesting near misses. But the covers are unnecessary. When you've got Hendrix's Little Wing do you need Clapton's? Bessie Smith's Nobody Loves You When You're Down and Out and Freddy King's Have You Ever Loved a Woman are not improved upon. And let's face it Keys to the Highway in one form or another is such a standard, but Bill Broonzy or Little Walter make other versions unneeded. If you cut the covers and trimmed the jams this would make a fine dingle album, but there's quite a bit of bloat here.

Didn't listen to the whole album and I don't care since I learned he's racist.

While I do enjoy Clayton’s guitar work, I find this album drags in many places. I can appreciate long groove sections as much as the next guy, but it feels like some fat could have been trimmed off on this one. It makes for a long listen. 3/5.

5/10

Favorite songs: Bell Bottom Blues, Anyday, Little Wing, Layla

Très cool, j’en attendais pas autant et j’ai été servis. Album de l’année assez love avec quelques musiques surprenantes. Les solos de guitare sont mortels et changent entièrement le son. HM à Layla wow le track de fou

Classic for a reason.

3.5 Some great bits but the album (and a lot of the songs on it) just dragged on too much. Another that could have massively benefitted from a little restraint

Besides the typical soullessness of another Eric Clapton project, there are actually a couple great songs on this album… And only 1 hour and 15 minutes of garbage to sift through to get to them :) Fav tracks: Bell Bottom Blues, Layla. Great songs! Bad album.

i'm sure some albums merit being 80 minutes long but i'm not as sure this is one of them. imo it got samey and old not even halfway through. fav: layla

Longo. Algumas músicas são boas, mas a maioria é ok

When the last boomer dies, this album will be forgotten forever. Which is a shame, because it's fucking terrific.

Just not a fan… first album I couldn’t finish. As someone who is traditionally a fan of rock, this really bored the shit out of me.

3.5/5

Favorite track(s): Bell Bottom Blues, Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?, Layla Clapton is a hack player like usual but Jim Gordon and Duane Allman hold it down.

very good album! big fan of the blend of rock, soul and gospel, sound-wise. Layla was definitely a highlight because i got excited when i recognized the intro for it. not a 5-star solely because it's not exactly my taste, but still incredibly good.

I really like some of the songs, others fall off a bit, overall a nice sound that's up my alley, plus I love duane allman in anything

I enjoyed this. Very strong opening but kinda lost its way a little on the middle. A strong 3.5

Blues-rock marathon with some pretty great jams but a tad overlong. If you're only gonna listen to one Clapton album in your life, make it this one.

Some legendary songs, but the rest is just OK. Too long.

Bello

*listened before the project* To be honest, Layla is a very stupid song to me

took me like 8 days to get through this

Eric Clapton is painfully lame but this is not his worst output. Mind you, it's not Cream, Blind Faith or The Yardbirds but it's a decent mix of blues, classic r&b and soulful vocals. I would not call this an essential album but it does the job. I would still urge you to go to the originals electric bluesmen from the 60s, where Clapton got it all from. Way better.

I did find it pretty boring and stereotypical, but some songs were really nice, obviously, starting with Layla.

Layla is a certified banger. I was also happy to find Have you Ever Lover A Woman with its bluesy solos, pretty good stuff. The downsides are that it's a bit long with some songs feeling like they're dragging and the Little Wing cover just no doing it for me, just gave me blueballs to go listen to the real deal.

Laylas good innit

10 stars

giving it a 3 and moving on or whatever that other review said. (man this is masturbatory but Layla does slap)

I liked this idk

I don't really like Clapton. Despite that I enjoyed this more than I expected - Bell Bottomed Blues/ Anyday my favourites. Less keen on Layla. The album is too long as there is tendency to bloat each song with 3 mins of guitar wankery. Had they kept it tighter would have enjoyed more.

Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs I don’t think I’ve listened to this in full before. Layla is rightly part of the rock canon, a brilliantly yearning and anguished blues-rock belter with that stunning piano part. Elsewhere there are some good songs: I Looked Away, Bell Bottom Blues, Keep on Growing, Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad, their version of Little Wing and Thorn Tree in the Garden and the Delaney & Bonnie (and of course Duane Allman) influence is clear in the shuffling, rootsy, country-blues feel of some of it. However it also has many of the things that I sometimes struggle with with Clapton, a kind of extremely skilled sheen of dullness. The interplay with Duane Allman is lovely and fluid, and his slide playing is great, but even Clapton’s excellent playing in that context I don’t often find very appealing. I also find that, aside from Layla, his vocals are particularly inexpressive - obviously it’s not his fault he doesn’t have the strongest voice, but I’m just not that keen on his rather affected gruffness and bluesy mannerisms. And it also sounds very samey for a 76 minute double album, and about halfway through Keys to the Highway you wonder if this is ever going to end, especially when it’s followed by Tell the Truth. Fortunately Why Does Love Got to Be So Bad gives a welcome shot of energy and tempo, and Little Wing’s superb intro/motif brings a welcome edge of drama and variation. And I wish there were more songs like Thorn Tree in the Garden, with its wistful, Traffic-esque folky blues standing out against the bluesy morass. It’s between a 2 and a 3. As great as Layla and Bell Bottom Blues are, and as good as I Looked Away, Keep on Growing and Thorn Tree in the Garden are, I don’t know if they are enough to make me want to slog through the rest of it, as outside those songs it I do find it kind of boring. But then Layla really is one of rock's great songs. But ultimately I don’t think I want to listen to the whole thing again. 🎸🎸 Playlist submission: Layla

A Clapton sweet spot. It's less Cream's psychedlia, and more the warm tones of BB King/JJ Cale. The guitar playing serves the songs as opposed to much of EC's later career where the solos are often the point, and become replicable blues riffing. The solos on 'Why Does Love' are absolutely smokin'; reminds me a bit of Lynnrd Skynnrd such is the pace. The Clapton Whitlock partnership keeps bearing delicious fruit(s). 'Bell Bottom Blues' is perfection. The chugging 'Keep on Growing' (incredible bassline), the commanding 'Anyday', or the blazing 'Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?'. Despite the lazy blues bits, thankfully small in number, there is winner after winner here. The band is sensational. It's soaked in whiskey and tears. Perhaps depressingly for him given this was '72, I think it must be EC's greatest accomplishment.

It was good.

bangers

The absolute yearning manifesto. Too bad Eric Clapton abused the very same woman he is talking about. The musics are really good.

I have no patience for love songs.

So when I was first suggested this album, Layla was the word of intrigue, and Derek was the word of repulsion. The cover art was mesmerizing on first glance, so I was more allured than nervous. On the first listen, the soundscape submerged me in a different ambiance that I kept following like a thread leading somewhere. I did not pay attention to any word uttered until "Have You Ever Loved A Woman?", then I thought: wait, there are lyrics? I was only hearing beautiful noises. I continued listening and stomping around Harlem. Grinning mindlessly at the sounds I like, but don't seem to understand. It hit me. Bell Bottom Blues is one of those songs that my heart knew before I ever listened to it. The lyrics started unraveling to my semi-attuned ears. I looked up the band members. The most famous one is this Eric Clapton guy. He is also the lead on vocals with background vocals by Bobby Whitlock. I was telling myself while listening: This Eric guy- from the lyrics I was able to retain- sounds more mature and less of a contrarian than the other young songwriters behind the great albums I was listening to throughout last week. He must have been in his mid-to-late thirties when he wrote this. Also, he has an old man's voice. I guess that's the name of the deal with guitarists as opposed to songwriters. Boy, was I wrong about everything. I should've known - no pun intended- that he was going to be a specific kind of character. Just out of my familiarity with the shenanigans - to put it lightly- of the other great guitarist, John Mayer, through being a fan of Taylor Swift growing up. While wrapping up my day and eating dinner last night, I watched a video about the album by a lovely creator named Abigail Devoe. She named it "Layla, The Album That Changed My Life｜Vinyl Monday: The Big One". By the looks of it, this album will change my life too. Thank you to the album generator for the recommendation, and thank you, Abigail, for the much-needed context.

Guitar blues rock at it's finest.

Easy to listen to. This one was pretty good

70er, für einmal gut! interessante versionen von songs, die weltruhm erlangten.

Ein gemütliches Album mit dem Hit Layla. Gefällt. Wusste nicht, dass Eric Clapton mitspielt, aber man hört es gut.

Why I remember only Layla :///. Every other song forgotten right after listening.

Eric Clapton sucks

bangers! i love layla, but i hate it too.

I actually really like guitar-heavy music, but this album didn't move me at all—apart from "Layla," there's really nothing special about it. I find the album very overrated.

Honestly so fucking good. I think Clapton is a wanker, now and then, but it's just pure blues rock badassery. Even if someone is writing songs about his friend's wife, the passion bleeds through.

I knew Layla but that's it. I still think that's a good song, but the iconic piano outro was stolen. You can find "Time" by Rita Coolidge on YouTube. She should have been credited and received royalties. The rest of this album was fine but honestly instantly forgettable.

overhyped

On the background not that bad! It’s varied enough and I like the production quality. Not the biggest fan of Layla, but the rest of the tracks are fine

A very nice album overall. There were some surprisingly pleasant tracks, (and some less memorable ones). Overall, an above average album.

dad rock, liked the second half of layla, pretty good, but I'm sure other albums do the same thing better

Definitely some classics here it's just a little too long

I loved it! Another album I was aware of but never listened to straight through. It was definitely longer than absolutely necessary but I enjoyed it all. I especially loved to tell the truth and why does love got to be so sad? They sounded like songs that should be more ubiquitous i was surprised I hadn't heard them before!

This is a good album of 70s blues rock by the band Derek and.. it has a standout track with a great riff and then piano break. Takes African American blues and on the whole rocks. Too long some sappy tracks but otherwise fine. But, and I may be breaking my, don’t be presentism rule. But, it’s generally now viewed as a Clapton thing, the legend, the over-rated,That is considered to be more important than he actually is, Clapton. This is seen as his best collection of songs here, least said about the puerile beige innocuous pop mush his solo career has been, that he’s been peddling to lawyers in love for their suburban dinner parties since. He seems to get all the credit here, but it was actually a band? written by and played by, though the undiagnosed MHealth of one of them and related behaviour and subsequent murder are their own story, but as said he get all the kudos, a lot of what works is established to be others contributions, either at the time or from older blues, ideas, songs, riffs - that work. Which also bleeds into the elephant in the room, tried but can’t ignore because it is so tied to the music, what kind of twat steals his whole stick from African Americans, has a big hit covering a Jamaican and then has the irony to be a complete racist. Does he have no shame? Looking at what the lyrical subject of Layla is, Guessing not. Him being part of the tin hat brigade later is just a great side note. The big song here Layla is a fine track, but that riff and piano aren’t Clapton, but that’s no longer the story. It’s good 70s blues rock, a bit too long, 3 Star But it’s Clapton, and I just can’t stand Clapton and what he is, the stain that is part of the music and effects viewing the music, which kind of breaks my own rule at the start, maybe?? but can’t win them all so 2 Star, because I just can’t not hear him.

Boring. And Layla

Long but I really enjoyed the listen and Layla is obv goated 4.5

Dirty Blues Clapton is my favorite Clapton, and there's a lot of that here -- plus, of course, "Layla." There's a corny, "soft balladeer" motif that pokes thru here, hinting at some of the cringiest impulses of 70s rock, and after "Layla" the high more are strong but not amazing, so I can't quite feel all in on this as much as I can appreciate it's strength as an album.

I got pretty into this in high school, then lost track of it for 25 years. This ripped.

Bien.

I once tried to give this a fair shake and an unbiased listen. Don't want to go through that again. Clapton isn't even the best guitarist in his own band.

Holy crap I didn't realize you could make an album sound like it was happening in the background while simultaneously playing directly in your ear. Songs were good though. Just listen to the MTV live.

I've heard Layla before and heard the name Derek and the Dominos before, but never pieced the two together before. They are bluesier than I thought they'd be.

At best this one was just okay. I spent most of the album wishing I was listening to something else unfortunately.

Layla is like one of the most songs ever made some other good hits but a lot of the stuff sounds the same

As an avid Beatles fan, I first became aware of Eric Clapton because of his guitar solo contribution to While My Guitar Gently Weeps from the White Album, and because of the infamous love triangle between him, George Harrison and Patti Boyd; who proved to be a muse for some of the greatest love songs that the two songwriters ever created; including Layla. Layla is the only track I was familiar with before today, so I was a bit surprised at how heavily rooted the rest of the album is in blues rock, rather than the straight-ahead rock found in Layla. The blues medium really showcases Clapton's improvisation prowess. And while I appreciate and enjoyed this on the album, I found myself about halfway through the album wanting to listen to something else. I feel like 2-3 of these songs on a playlist would be awesome, but an entire album gets a bit too homogeneous for me. And so I find it interesting that Layla, the clear runaway hit from this album is also the one song that sounds nothing like the rest.

Good Blues Rock and excellent work from Clapton. Hard to deny the quality even if the record can drag a bit. Nice Little Wing cover amongst the strongest part of the album, the back leg. 1 listen Favorite Tracks: Layla, Bell Bottom Blues

Expectation: -> I guess it's a love song Saturday. After listening: -> Took about a full 24 hours to realize Eric Clapton is on this, despite the classic gem Layla. There were some solid songs here for sure. Love some of the guitar. I found this an easy album to listen to, but a difficult one to track rank. Took over a day to start to recognize some of the individual songs by name. A solid effort but not one of the best rock & roll albums of all-time. Track ranking: Layla Have You Ever Growing Bell Bottom Looked Anyday Highway Late Truth So Sad Nobody Garden Wing Yours

I really liked this a lot. Most of the songs had me rockin and I had to look at what it was, then I remembered I was still listening to this. The super deluxe was like 30 songs, not sure if the original was as well. Obviously Layla is the standout here, but plenty of others were very good as well. Docked 1 star for Clapton being a dick