Eric Clapton
Crossroads

We are in the mid-1980s and for Eric Clapton it's a time to take stock. His personal life runs parallel to his artistic career, with album releases (the innovative - but commercial - "Behind The Sun" released in March 1985) alternating with personal vicissitudes: the separation from Pattie Boyd and the consequent split in 1988 that brought him into the arms of Montserrat (UK) studios manager Yvonne Khan Kelly (with whom he secretly had a daughter named Ruth in 1985), while the summer of 1986 sees him again becoming a parent to Conor (son with showgirl Lory Del Santo), reserving the end of that same year for the release of the controversial "August," which not only brought newfound popularity but also became Clapton's best-selling album to date.

The four CDs of the "Crossroads" box set arrive at the perfect time, the moment when the brilliant Eric decides to take stock of his three decades of artistic journey, finding in the emerging compact disc format an incentive for the dissemination of high-quality recordings, rewarding long-time fans and encouraging the market of newcomers. A faithful and extensive mirror of a career that starts from a Surrey village, which he soon escapes, channeling his personal will to emerge in the challenging universe of music, where triumphs and failures are always lurking just around the corner.

His band is the Roosters (with Paul Jones and Brian Jones), and it's immediately great blues, then moving to Casey Jones and the Engineers and finally to The Yardbirds. And the first CD starts precisely with Keith Relf's group, digging up "Boom Boom" and "Honey In Your Hips," examples of spontaneous blues rock played with feeling and passion. If "For Your Love" (the band's first single) is clearly of a beat imprint, perhaps representing the band's most commercial aspect, the rousing instrumental "Got To Hurry" (which manager Gomesky stole from Clapton ...) reflects what runs in the blood of the five Englishmen. Just two months after leaving the Yardbirds in April 1965, an irrefutable call came from John Mayall. It's with the Bluesbreakers that Clapton boards the train of notoriety, as shown by tracks like "Lonely Years" and "Hideaway," which are a heartfelt reinterpretation of a journey along the Mississippi shores, where survival and oppression seem destined to coexist forever. The talent clad in electricity is called "Steppin' Out," while "Ramblin' On My Mind," in its pleasantly sluggish gait, reveals pure suffering, complicity, and genuineness. During his time with John Mayall, Clapton meets the amazing drummer Ginger Baker and the gifted bassist and singer Jack Bruce, with whom he would form Cream. Introducing this supergroup is the succession of "Wrapping Paper" and "I Feel Free," which in their brevity, clarify the personalized form of rock, jazz, and blues they act as messengers for, leaving the smoothness of "Spoonful" to reveal the perfect instrumental coexistence among the three musicians. The charming atmosphere of "Strange Brew" (with a strong pop inclination) introduces us to "Disraeli Gears," which will properly sanction the verb of Cream, also due to the primordial hard rock of "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" and that winning riff that makes "Sunshine Of Your Love" immortal.

From the experience with one supergroup to another and gathering what survived of Cream, namely Ginger Baker, the friendship with Steve Winwood (Traffic), and bassist Rich Grech (ex Family), gave birth to Blind Faith. Authors of an exquisite blend of blues rock and british blues, they brought to light their only and excellent self-titled album, of which "Presence Of The Lord," "Can't Find My Way Home," and "Sleeping In The Ground" summarize the undeniable value. From live performances of Blind Faith springs a spontaneous friendship between Clapton and the support band Delaney and Friends, collaboration here solely documented by the overpowering "Comin' Home." Enriching the catalogue of collaborations is the experience with Derek and the Dominos, whose significance, besides being assured by the worthy "Tell The Truth" and "Key To The Highway," is also the chance to delight with "Mean Old World" the ears of those who listen, and of the magical and fruitful collaboration that existed between the inexhaustible Eric and Duane Allman, primarily supported by an endless and mutual admiration.

The solo career is retraced in detail from the self-titled debut (excellent "Blues Power," "Let It Rain" and the restyling of "After Midnight"), passing through the undisputed quality of "461 Ocean Boulevard," which finds in the slide of "Motherless Children" and the reggae of "I Shot The Sheriff" (Bob Marley) the right boost to ensure presence on Billboard. The calmness and reflection induced by "The Sky Is Crying" or "Better Make It Through Today" make "There's One In Every Crowd" (1975) a transitional album, while the flexibility of the notes in "Double Trouble" and the gentle "Sign Language" (... penned by Dylan) make the fourth installment "No Reason To Cry" seem like a prelude to a newfound normality for the artist.

In 1977, despite alcohol replacing drugs, Clapton releases "Slowhand" (in honor of the speed of his solos but also a play on words for slow handclap which means slow clap ...), an impactful album that's pleasant and engaging, through masterpieces like "Wonderful Tonight" or the country air felt in "Lay Down Sally," and yet another tribute to the Tulsa sound king (also "After Midnight" came from J.J. Cale's hands) with "Cocaine," whose groovy riff is already part of history. The end of the 1970s brings "Backless" (November 1978) to record stores, Clapton's most relaxed album up to that point, which allows the uninterrupted - still gathering delusional crowds at shows - cycle of recording-publishing album-tour. After the release of the good live album "Just One Night" (1980), the awareness prevails that attempting a "Slowhand pt. II" isn't easy, allowing Another Ticket (1981) to favor atmospheric yet soft pieces, of which "I Can't Stand It" is a clear example. "Money And Cigarettes" (1983) is, in its own way, a rebirth, and despite rock'n'roll appearing here only with "The Shape You're In," there's immediate reason to reconsider upon hearing the missed single "She's Waiting" from the composite and rhythmic "Behind The Sun" (1985), with the sunny "Miss You" (from "August" - 1986 -) closing out the musical journey through the solo albums of (as Clapton himself used to describe) an itinerant day laborer turned leader.

Nearly five hours of music in which one can traverse and savor a true artistic highway, laying bare a career characterized by some deviations, which never betrayed the growth identity that rendered Eric Clapton the undisputed icon we all know. An indispensable and comprehensive box set for those wanting to avoid getting caught in a discography resembling an intricate web, wishing to be enveloped by a musician who, in a straightforward and simple manner, has managed to absorb more from the blues than many of its inventors themselves have.