Slowhand (1977)

Artist: Eric Clapton
Release Year: 1977

Rating: 7/10

Track Listing: 1) Cocaine; 2) Wonderful Tonight; 3) Lay Down Sally; 4) Next Time You See Her; 5) We're All the Way; 6) The Core; 7) May You Never; 8) Mean Old Frisco; 9) Peaches and Diesel.

This is the first time I've ever listened to an Eric Clapton solo album beginning to end, and I can't say I'm surprised at anything I've heard: masterful guitar playing, soulful singing, plenty of blues throwbacks, and an annoying sense of commercialism.  

No doubt that Eric Clapton rocks out on here with the best of 'em...but hovering somewhere over most of these songs is a thin, but noticeable, shroud of commercial production-- not enough to turn me off the album, but this certainly isn't the Cream era anymore.  For instance, take "Next Time You See Her".  It's smooth and agreeable enough, but it sounds like a mid-60s Dylan tune that lost its mojo, and I'm thankful for those guitar stings and swoops to spice it up.  Hell, even the harder, rustier, bluesier songs like "Mean Old Frisco" sound like they're struggling to shake off the burden of adult contempo from time to time.

There are some exceptions, though.  "Cocaine" is an all-time great, of course-- no one can match the smug, almost bragging way that Clapton embraced JJ Cale's famous tune.  That swaggering riff and the tasty guitar solos are the stuff of legend.  And I do like the female co-vocals from Marcy Levy on "The Core", and the song is lively enough all the way through to sound right at home at a rooftop party, so I can almost forget that parts of it also sound like they were meant to sell timeshares to swingers.  This is the track where Clapton lets rip with the best solos on the album, too-- pity he couldn't get that sax player to shut up, and...wait-- is that Mel Collins?  Never mind; carry on, sir!

Then there's the matter of "Wonderful Tonight", which as far as I'm concerned is straight-up commercial pap, and I don't care how deeply he might've been in love with Patti Boyd at the time.  I mean, she cheated on George, so what do you expect her to do to you?  Especially since you're a coke-addled abuser yourself, you asshole!  Anyway, the song would be nothing without that heavenly slide guitar riff, so I'll just praise that element and ignore the rest.

Overall, a solid album all the way through, but I can't see myself putting it on again anytime soon.  Even when it's rocking out, there's just too much of that slick commercial sound to it, turning the whole thing a bit more syrupy than I'd expect our high priest of Cream to be.