After the success of the MTV Unplugged performance, Eric Clapton decided to surprise virtually everyone and go for a more electric guitar styled album. This is that. Let’s jump in and take a listen to it, and see how it differs from that which came before it.

We begin with Blues Before Sunrise which starts with a loud electric guitar sound, and Eric Clapton sings in an aggressive blues sort of way. A great listening experience, and a fine start to the album. There is a slide guitar solo in the midsection as well. Nice to hear, a fine start to the album.

Next is Third Degree which begins with some subdued piano and guitar playing. It is a lovely listen and has Eric Clapton singing about having bad luck and being wrongly accused. Musically, it is incredibly simple and beautiful, and the guitar playing is the centrepiece here. A wonderful listening experience. A great listen, this is excellent music by Eric Clapton. Awesome listening.

Reconsider Baby is next and has some killer blues licks, to begin with. It is a simple and wonderful piece that is beautiful and powerful. There are some horns in the background of this song, too. All in all, this is an enjoyable and interesting listen, and Eric Clapton plays like there is no tomorrow. A top listening experience, highly recommended.

Hoochie Coochie Man comes after and is a traditional call-and-response piece that sounds terrific. It has harmonica and piano to add to the musical experience at hand. The midsection is lively, with piano and harmonica battling it out to see who is best. An incredible listen, and worth hearing for sure.

Next is Five Long Years which starts with some ultra fuzzy guitar parts and some great soloing from Eric Clapton. It’s a take on a traditional blues number that sounds really amazing. The whole thing sounds intense and well delivered in an amazing way. The guitar playing is sizzling hot and sounds great, particularly the guitar solo. Clapton does very well here. Excellent.

Following is I’m Tore Down which is a shorter piece that is very upbeat and magical to hear. It’s about a lover that one is infatuated with, and has some horns, piano and great lead guitar. This is an awesome listen and just goes to show how good Eric Clapton is as a musician. Terrific listen.

How Long Blues has some jazzy blues styled piano and some slide acoustic guitar to match. This is really top listening and deserves one’s attention. Eric Clapton sings about the simple things in life and puts in an amazing effort. This is incredible to hear and is quite underrated.

Goin’ Away Baby is a groove-based piece that sounds awesome. It is a great listening experience and sounds fresh and inspired. More harmonica and blues breaks are here, this is really fine artistry from Clapton. A fresh and very musically inspired listen, this is awesome to hear.

Following is Blues Leave Me Alone which is a short and great traditional blues number that sounds excellent. Eric Clapton delivers a wonderful piece of music that sounds as good as it is awesome. There are some intricate piano, loud harmonica and an excellent shuffle based groove to it. Slowhand reigns supreme here and does a great job musically. The sounds throughout are really awesome, nice work.

After that is Sinner’s Prayer which is a much slower piece that sounds incredible. It has Eric Clapton putting in 100% into this music and delivering very well indeed. The lead guitar breaks in the middle are really top, and Eric Clapton is the king of blues-rock, right here. A lovely piece of music, this is cool.

Motherless Child comes next and is an acoustic-driven ballad piece that is a fine listen. This is incredible sounding, and very great quality music. Simple and effective, Eric Clapton still knew how to make great tunes, way on into his musical career. A great effort, and sounding wonderful, this is awesome.

It Hurts Me Too has some super fuzzy slide electric guitar that sounds incredible. This is a powerful and intense piece. Although this is not the best song from the album, it is a great listen regardless and reveals the quality of this album as an underrated one. There is an awesome blues guitar solo in the middle of the song that sounds really great. Energetic and uplifting.

After that is Someday After A While which is a great listening experience and has Eric Clapton doing the blues so well, unlike anyone else at the time. A great and powerful listen, this track is a very call-and-response sort of listen. Excellent to hear, this is enormously powerful and melodic upon listening. The guitar solo towards the end is amazing.

Following is Standin’ Round Crying which is really slow and intense listening. It is a great sort of music listening experience and is a slow burner towards the end of this album. The harmonica here is fantastic and is a superb listen. Simple, short yet effective, this is an awesome listen. This one has a load of attitude in it.

Driftin’ is a simple melodic blues piece towards the end of this album. It just has Eric Clapton singing, playing acoustic guitar and tapping his foot. A wonderful piece to hear, this is simple and awesome. Some great blues guitar playing is here, and this is a top listen, even if the rest of the band is not here. Excellent, and another great listen.

Groaning The Blues is the last piece here. It is a six-minute long piece that has Eric Clapton putting in well over 100% to achieve his loud, bluesy sound and blues-influenced screaming here. Awesome stuff, and sounding wonderful here, this is a really awesome piece of craft. Wonderful music here, and deserves repeat listens. The guitar solo is amazing as well. Nice effort Slowhand. Really amazing.

This is a superb, and underrated, listen. Eric Clapton puts in all that he has to change his career path and record something totally different and unique. It may be an hour-long, but it seems like a lot less long than that listening to it. Top, artistic and thoroughly enjoyable to hear.

Quality.

9/10