This is Eric Clapton’s first solo album. After working on a number of musical projects during the 1960s, including The Yardbirds, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Cream, it was time for Slowhand himself to make his own way before the sole Derek and the Dominos album was released in the same year as this, his first solo album. Obviously, Eric Clapton had been keeping very busy over the years. In any case, this is not the best-received Clapton solo album, but it is nonetheless very important in the history of music. Let’s hear this album and see where it takes us.

Slunky begins with some Fender Stratocaster mid-position sounds, some pleasant saxophone and an exciting listening experience in general. This is upbeat, exhilarating and euphoric, just sounding very sweet and smooth. This is a decent instrumental with some killer playing, especially with the saxophone wailing away. A great tune to enjoy, Eric Clapton is on fire here. Eventually, some very Jimi Hendrix styled solos emerge near the middle of this tune, which is certainly different for Clapton’s sake. A great and amazing listening experience, this tune is a definite winner. Although 461 Ocean Boulevard was received better than this album, this very 1970s sounding piece paints the future of Rock music for the 1970s. Excellent work.

Bad Boy begins with some lush wah-wah guitar riffs and some matching percussion. Eric Clapton gets singing in a pseudo-Paul McCartney way, and this is a brilliant 12 bar blues on this track. Nonetheless, this tune works very nicely and sure, although it may not be breaking any ground here musically, it is nice to hear Clapton in full flight. A tune about bad luck set to a basic Blues backdrop, this does sound very well played and decent to hear. A top tune to listen to, Slowhand delivers a very cool and laidback tune to enjoy. If you dig Classic Rock, no doubt you will dig this as well. A great and interesting listen throughout, even if the music lacks singing. A great piece of lush wah-wah boogie.

Lonesome And A Long Way From Home begins with some electric guitar arpeggios, quickly launching into a good piece of music again with more horns. Eric Clapton eventually gets singing away nicely and has some female backing singers to match his own brilliant singing. It is a joyous tune, unlike what the title of this song mentions. It is moving and upbeat and deserves your attention. A piercing guitar solo near the middle is covered with wah-wah, and to be honest, could have been better mixed into this song via the recording engineers. Still, Eric Clapton plays a joyful boogie, even if it sounds a little odd at times. Great music, all the same, this is definitely worth your time, even for its flaws. A great tune, warts and all.

After Midnight begins with organs and some of the most intricate drum rolls for a Pop/Rock piece you will ever hear. This tune points ahead to Eric Clapton’s musical future and has some great lyricism and piano playing here. A powerful, interesting and upbeat sounding tune, with some good but underwhelming guitar solos on this tune. Eric Clapton’s guitar tone sounds rather dead on this album, despite the fact he plays very well on these songs. A really cool and enjoyable piece of Pop/Rock history, Eric Clapton does surprisingly well here, all the way through to the fade out.

Easy Now begins with some absolutely pretty Led Zeppelin styled acoustic guitars, and it sounds upbeat and joyful. Clapton’s harmonies are also a joy to hear, especially as he shied away from singing earlier on in his career. A tuneful, simple and pretty song to listen to, Slowhand shows the world exactly how it is done. A very relaxed and interesting piece of music, Eric Clapton was still deeply in love with Pattie Boyd, George Harrison’s wife, at this point. This song is likely devoted to her and regardless sounds pretty, powerful and upbeat, in an amazing way. A great listen, one of the best tunes from this album. It ends with some cool acoustic guitar strumming, which is nice to hear.

Blues Power begins with some piano and guitar fills that are mixed quietly into this song, with some brass as well in the background. Eric Clapton quickly launches into a neat and amazing tune with bongos and a lush amount of extraordinary instrumentation within this tune. A really cool and enjoyable tune, this is better than expected and Eric Clapton cements himself as a Rock legend here. “Bet you think I didn’t know how to Rock and Roll…” sings Clapton, and he knocks much of the competition down musically here. A brilliant and awesome listening experience, the guitar solos towards the end are terrific. A joy to hear.

Bottle Of Red Wine begins with some cool guitar licks, before launching into a strange tune about drinking red wine in the morning. This again, sounds very lush and upbeat, regardless of the lyrical intent, which is actually quite funny, if you think about it. Another great effort musically, Slowhand delivers a top tune. The guitar solo in the middle of the song is manic and very amazing to hear, proving that Eric Clapton had some fire in his soul. Sounding like an alcoholic, Clapton articulates the need to drink booze first thing in the morning. A bit odd, but good nonetheless. It ends with some awesome guitar licks.

Lovin’ You Lovin’ Me begins with some Country Blues styled guitar parts, some horns and another calm vocal from Eric Clapton. Clapton sings about a lover that he dreams about and does a terrific job at being a Blues guy who makes adventures in Pop/Rock music. This is quite a Psychedelic piece to hear with some of the sounds and sound effects to hear. Towards the middle, the Country Blues guitar parts return, before the verses resume with more female Gospel vocals to listen to. This is a very, very decent album that honestly deserves more praise than it gets. A heartwarming romantic tune, although some of the romanticism is rather exaggerated here. A great listen nonetheless. This is cool stuff from Slowhand.

I’ve Told You For The Last Time begins with chugging piano, clean guitar parts and clear vocals from Eric Clapton with more female Gospel backing vocals. Eric Clapton lays out a threat to a lover (likely Pattie Boyd) and comes across as a bit of a real you-know-what here lyrically. Still, the music present is really enjoyable, and it does sound super awesome regardless. For all its lyrical aggression, this is a beautiful tune to enjoy. A joy to hear, this ends with multitracked vocals and a gentle finish. Nice work mate.

I Don’t Know Why begins with some quacky Fender Stratocaster playing, some brassy backing instrumentation and Clapton’s clam vocals over the mix of sound here. Eric Clapton sings about crying by himself, and the Gospel backing vocals return nicely, which are very beautiful. In fact, this underrated album is a really interesting joy to hear. A fine tune to listen to, this is nicely done by Slowhand, and he sings marvellously over the top of it all. A great and decent piece of music, Eric Clapton does his job as Blues Rocker extraordinaire better than anyone else. The vocals from Clapton and company get very expressive towards the end. Still, this is great. Nice job to all involved.

Let It Rain begins with some fuzzed electric guitar, nimble bass guitar playing, piano and rolling drums. Eric Clapton gets singing very well here, and he sings about the rain and how it reflects on his own personal experiences. This is the longest song on this album, being over five minutes in length. It is a pseudo-early Progressive Rock tune to listen to, and it has some intricate playing and solos galore on this tune. This music is great for what it is: simple; pretty and melodic. A very good piece of music that still sounds as decent and as fresh as it did in 1970. This may not be Eric Clapton’s finest hour musically, but even so, this is terrific listening all the same. The second half of this song has guitar solos galore and sounds incredibly decent and unique in Slowhand’s back catalogue. A very sweet and interesting piece of music, the rolling drums and great guitars drive this one to a great conclusion. Wonderful to hear, this is exciting and exhilarating music. A good way to finish off an underrated album.

This is extremely underrated and overlooked as a historical piece of Eric Clapton’s music. It is an upbeat and wonderful piece of an album to listen to from beginning to end. Soon after this was released, Clapton himself teamed up with Delaney & Bonnie (who co-produced this album) to create the famous Derek and the Dominos Layla album. Although the original release of this album had only 11 tracks, there is a double album reissue that has extra tracks and goodies galore for hardcore Eric Clapton fans. If you like Classic Rock, then you will love this release, without a doubt.

Possibly the most underrated Eric Clapton album.

9/10