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Rating:
Eric Clapton has over forty years of career under his belt, during which he has gained great popularity and an excellent reputation as a guitarist. His discography is immense: ranging from his time with the Yardbirds to that with the Cream of Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, with whom he laid the foundations of hard rock, to his involvement in Steve Winwood's Blind Faith, a successful experiment in white blues, up to his very long solo career. The solo career is the most debated period of the English guitarist, who has not been able to scratch as in the past, constantly oscillating between highs (few) and lows (many): he is often remembered for the celebrated live album "Unplugged", which on one hand rightly honors his technical skills but on the other highlights the lack of impact of his studio works.
"Slowhand", dated 1977, aligns perfectly with the aforementioned considerations: an album that can be appreciated in some parts but does not fully convince. It opens with the cover of "Cocaine” by J.J. Cale, a piece destined to become a classic of Mr. Slowhand’s live repertoire, revamped in a decidedly more rock arrangement. The second track is a second classic: "Wonderful Tonight", a romantic ballad that Clapton sings with a moved voice. The lively "Lay Down Sally", also destined to be endlessly reproduced in live performances, is the third classic of the album. The following "Next Time You See Her" is not particularly appreciated except for the engaging chorus while "We’re All The Way" passes quickly without leaving a mark. "The Core", enriched by the backing vocals of Yvonne Elliman, develops on a captivating riff but is extended to almost nine minutes, probably too many even for skillful hands like Clapton's, who navigates the long coda of the song at his best. The second cover of the album, "May You Never" by John Martyn, also presented in a rock arrangement, surely cannot compete with the original folk version. Both "Mean Old Frisco" and the instrumental "Peaches And Diesel" leave a bitter taste: irritating the first, flat the second.
In conclusion, the album deserves a solid enough rating, mainly for the first three tracks and "The Core", but it is penalized by some lackluster tracks.
Interesting, but not essential.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Cocaine (03:41)
If you wanna hang out you've got to take her out
Cocaine
If you wanna get down, down on the ground
Cocaine
She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie
Cocaine
If you got bad news, you wanna kick them blues
Cocaine
When your day is done and you wanna run
Cocaine
She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie
Cocaine
If your thing is gone and you wanna ride on
Cocaine
Don't forget this fact, you can't get it back
Cocaine
She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie
Cocaine
She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie
Cocaine
02 Wonderful Tonight (03:44)
It's late in the evening
She's wonderin' what clothes to wear
She puts on her make-up
And brushes her long blond hair
And then she asks me, "Do I look all right?"
And I say yes, you look wonderful tonight
We go to a party
And everyone turns to see
This beautiful lady
Walkin around with me
And then she asks me, "Do you feel all right?"
And I say yes, I feel wonderful tonight
I feel wonderful because I see the love light in your eyes
And the wonder of it all is that you just don't realize how much I love you
It's time to go home now
And I've got an achin' head
So I give her the car keys
And she helps me to bed
And then I tell her
As I turn out the light
I say my darlin', you were wonderful tonight
Oh, my darlin, you were wonderful tonight
03 Lay Down Sally (03:56)
There is nothing that is wrong
In wanting you to stay here with me.
I know you've got somewhere to go,
But won't you make yourself at home and stay with me?
And don't you ever leave.
Chorus:
Lay down, Sally, and rest here in my arms.
Don't you think you want someone to talk to?
Lay down, Sally, no need to leave so soon.
I've been trying all night long just to talk to you.
The sun ain't nearly on the rise
And we still got the moon and stars above.
Underneath the velvet skies,
Love is all that matters. Won't you stay with me?
And don't you ever leave.
Chorus
I long to see the morning light
Coloring your face so dreamily.
So don't you go and say goodbye,
You can lay your worries down and stay with me.
And don't you ever leave.
Chorus
Chorus
06 The Core (08:45)
by Eric Clapton and Marcy Levy
Every morning when I wake, a feeling soon begins to overtake me.
Ringing in my ears resounds through my brain; it finally surrounds me.
There is fire, there is life, there is passion, fever and fury.
There is love and there is hate, there is longing, anger and worry.
Oh, I am a flame; feel it touch my heart.
And down at my core is the hottest part.
I can run without fear.
If it should become too cold, I know I can endure the frostbite.
Oh, a blanket then I'll wrap around me; I keep myself so close to my sight.
No one then can cause me harm, just as the river runs into the sea.
'Cause every day, a fire alarm is deafening the silence all around me.
Chorus
It is burning.
It is burning.
You can trust me; we can laugh. Together we can share our sorrow.
I will give you secrets too, an attitude that you may borrow.
Gypsy woman said to me, "One thing you must bear in your mind:
You are young and you are free, but damned if you're deceased in your own lifetime."
Oh, you have a flame; feel it in your heart.
And down at the core is the hottest part.
We can run without fear.
It is burning.
It is burning.
07 May You Never (03:01)
by John Martyn
May you never lay your head down without a hand to hold.
May you never make your bed out in the cold.
May you never lose your temper if you get hit in a barroom fight.
May you never lose your woman overnight.
Well, you're just like a great, strong sister to me,
And I know that your love is true,
And you hold no blade for to stab me in my back;
I know that there's some that do.
So please, won't you please, won't you bear it in mind:
Love is a lesson to learn in our time.
Please, won't you please, bear it in mind for me.
Chorus
Well, you're just like a great, strong brother to me,
And I know that your love is true,
And you never talk dirty behind my back;
I know that there's some that do.
So please, won't you please, won't you bear it in mind:
Love is a lesson to learn in our time.
Please, won't you please, bear it in mind for me.
Chorus
May you never lose your woman overnight.
May you never lose your woman overnight.
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Other reviews
By SRV
"It is an album absolutely to be discarded, an album I technically categorize under pop/rock only because I don’t know where the hell to place it."
"After you listened to 'Cocaine,' what did this song leave in your soul?"
