Eric Clapton has been such a massive influence globally on the music scene by pioneering his own modern form of Blues music that comes across as beautiful and pleasant, in a Rock music context. He has also been a big collaborator with many different musical styles and has an interesting back catalogue. This is a recently released collection of rarities that haven’t really been heard of, up until now, from the given time period in the title of the album. This is going to be an interesting listening experience, given the retrospective feel of this music, so let’s hear it.

Stone Free is, of course, a Jimi Hendrix cover from Are You Experienced? It begins with the loose notes of the intro, quickly launching into a groovy and excellent tune to hear from Eric Clapton as he perfectly and wonderfully articulates this Jimi Hendrix number in his own way. Eric Clapton sounds decent and passionate here, and there are some awesome female Gospel style vocals in the chorus. This is a great cover, and it is also a great justice to the original with some excellent Fender Stratocaster playing from Eric Clapton. For one guitar God to cover another is really great, and this is proof of that. The guitar solo is mindblowing and amazing here, as Eric Clapton shreds away very nicely in this section. A wonderful and tuneful piece of music, this sounds gloriously good. There are some wonderful sounds in the outro that although different from the original, sound tripped out and Psychedelic. This sounds very Cream like in its own way, of which Clapton is a former member. Brilliant music is here, all the way to the conclusion with rapid-fire drum rolls. Excellent.

Crossroads – Live in Birmingham, England, 1986 is a live cover of the hugely underrated Cream song. It begins with some watery guitar parts that sound interesting and gradually speeds up into the main riff of the song before drums enter and the crowd clap along in the background. This is a brilliant and excellent version of the original song that was a great Cream number in the first place. This is an extended Blues number that sounds really great and has aged just like fine wine: well and worth keeping. There is some manic guitar playing here that is slow and groovy. A gorgeously wonderful and inspired piece of music with Eric Clapton’s clean and clear singing, this sounds very Bluesy indeed. A very interesting and chilled sounding Blues tune, Clapton plays wonderfully here. Although one may wonder if it would have been better for Slowhand to play this with a Gibson guitar rather than a Fender Stratocaster, this sounds great regardless. An interesting, lively and joyful tune, this is proof that Clapton never gets old. A great, great listening experience and something worth hearing, Eric Clapton plays such wonderful music. The outro sounds improvised, which it likely was. A great song.

White Room – Live in Birmingham, England, 1986 is the classic tune by Cream, covered here. Clapton begins in a very humble manner introducing this piece before this song launches straight into it with wah-wah guitars, drum rolls and backing female gospel vocals. A great listen from the start of the song, Eric Clapton sings about majestic and magical things that one can perceive, particularly with hallucinogenics. He sings really wonderfully here, and his voice flutters beautifully over the top of all the music. A great and interesting interpretation of a Cream classic, this sounds really awesome, fantastic and tremendously good with some equally awesome guitar work and singing from Eric Clapton in particular. The instrumental breaks are just as great as the singalong sections as well. A tremendous effort that sounds a lot like a Pink Floyd Dark Side Of The Moon styled cover but still retains the freshness and effort that Eric Clapton has always had. A fine and fantastic tune to listen to, this sounds epic, extraordinary and amazing, even today. There is an awesome guitar solo section present that sounds blistering and fantastic, with some mad shredding and Eric Clapton playing in an amazing way. A great tune, without a doubt. This is uplifting and interesting listening from a great and legendary guitarist and musician here. Great tune, it sounds monstrous as an individual song. Nice to hear, and shows a lot of the kids today in the music business how it’s done. It ends with some neat volume swells and drum rolls. Fine artistry.

Theme From A Movie That Never Happened – Orchestral begins with some softly fingerpicked acoustic guitar that sounds very thematic. Some strings enter, and this piece sounds like a moody and introspective listening experience. A wonderful, albeit moody listen, Eric Clapton delivers the goods once again. This sounds really excellent for what it is, and is reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s Is There Anybody Out There? on The Wall. A great listen, it has some gorgeous string sections present and sounds really fantastic. A shorter piece on this album at three and a half minutes long, it does sound refreshing. An inspired and intellectual tune, this does sound really moving. John Williams is given a run for his money here, as Clapton exudes moodiness and energy here. A good listen.

Pilgrim – 2020 Mix begins with electronic drumbeats, edited guitars and a strange set of sounds indeed. This is a seven minute long piece that honestly doesn’t sound like it should be so. Regardless, this is an adventurous tune with some subtle falsetto vocals from Eric Clapton. This is a great listen in its own way, and it sounds really excellent for a lesser known tune. There is a chorus of sorts with female backing vocals as well. This is brilliantly good, and the whole tune is adventurous, Electronic and Psychedelic. A great listening experience, even if Eric Clapton’s falsetto vocals are rather limited in appeal as a singing style. A really cool and brilliant listening experience, this mixes traditional Rock elements with some Underworld style sounding EDM production. A great and fantastic tune to listen to, this music is electrifying and energetic. Clapton sings about being “A pilgrim for your love”, which would likely take some explaining to understand in most ways. Somewhat repetitive, this tune still sounds relaxing and interesting nonetheless. Some awesome mid-position Fender Stratocaster sounds are here in the guitar solo section, which is really cool as well. A mellow, loveable and relaxing listening experience, this sounds really gorgeous. Eric Clapton brings out his adventurous side here and does a great job indeed. The female Gospel vocals are predominant towards the end, and this sounds really magical musically. A great listen, this is a lovely tune. Nice to hear from start to finish.

32-20 Blues – Live At Royal Albert Hall, 1993 is a Robert Johnson cover, unsurprisingly, given the context of Eric Clapton. It begins with some interesting piano adaptation of guitar, Eric Clapton singing away nicely and a great tune indeed. Singing about carrying a gun around to exact revenge on a lover, this is a classic Blues piece that sounds really awesome. The mixture of piano, guitar and brushed percussion, along with Eric Clapton’s immortal singing, is ridiculously good. A really great listen, and something that all Robert Johnson/Eric Clapton fans should listen to, this is a pure joy to hear. A really top tune to listen to, this is an inspired and Bluesy romp that demands listening. Really great Classic Blues Rock, Slowhand shows the world how it is done. An excellent listen, and worth your time.

County Jail Blues – Live At Royal Albert Hall, 1993 is another short piece of Clapton goodness, mainly with piano chugging away, and slide guitars too. Eric Clapton sings about being imprisoned in the county jail, despite the fact that he didn’t have a fair trial or set of circumstances to match. A really neat and interesting tune to listen to this day, this is about waiting to see a lover who misses when in prison. A great listen, and something that Johnny Cash would dig. A great and excellent listening experience, this sounds really cool and clever. A nice little number about being chucked into prison and dealing with it, per se, Clapton makes the Blues come alive. Great job mate, there is applause at the end of this. Nice work.

Born Under A Bad Sign is the last tune here, and it is a good rendition of the classic Cream tune. A fantastic listening experience, albeit with Fender Stratocasters rather than Gibson Les Pauls or SGs, Clapton does a fantastic piece of music very well here. An enjoyable listening experience, Eric Clapton does this cover extremely well. The mixture of his guitar playing and other instrumentation here is amazing. A fantastic tune to listen to, Slowhand puts in a great effort both musically and vocally. This is one for those of you who feel unfortunate in life, and life is frequently that for most of us. A majestic and musical listening experience, the guitar soloing towards the end is slow and soulful. A great listening experience from start to finish, with a gradual fade out. Nice work mate.

This is a good compilation of different songs that were absolute golden oldie classics from this time. Fortunately, Eric Clapton has put these together with a strong sense of looking back at the past with an equally good ear for good music. Let’s hope that more great music is released by Eric Clapton before he passes on. He is a really great musician and a true legend of sound.

Excellent music for a retrospective glance.

9/10