After all these years, I still believe that "461 Ocean Boulevard" is Clapton's best solo album. I will readily admit I'm not such a big fan of the more recent blues albums such as "Me and Mr. Johnson", which I thought was rather dull, as well intentioned as it was. But I digress.

"461 Ocean Boulevard - Deluxe Edition" has grown from the original 40 min. album to an exquisite 2CD spread (26 tracks, 142 min.), and quite comfortably at that. CD1 (15 tracks, 69 min.) brings of course the original 10 tracks, and they still sparkle today as they did 30 years ago. The remastered sound is fantastic. It has of course the hits "I Shot the Sheriff", "Willie and the Hand Jive", and "Motherless Children" (all from the original Side 1), but there really are no weak songs here. Other classics include "Let It Grow", the pensive "I Can't Hold Out", and the album closer "Mainline Florida". The 5 bonus tracks are session out-takes from the album recordings, they have appeared elsewhere before on various compilations such as "Crossroads", but are grouped together here for the first time. My fave of them is "Meet Me (At the Bottom)", a mostly instrumental jam session. CD2 (11 tracks, 73 min.) is a live album, recorded in London at the end of the 461 Ocean Blvd tour in December, 1974. After the announcer's "Well Ladies and Gentlemen, this is it, the last show of the tour, please welcome Mr. Eric Clapton and his band!", we're in for a treat. Only 3 of the 11 tracks have appeared before on the Crossroads compilations. The highlights are many, including "Let It Grow", the Steve Winwood cover "Can't Find My Way Home", a rousing "Tell the Truth", the Jimi Hendrickx cover "Little Wing", and the closer "Let It Rain", with at the end EC simply saying "bye bye, thank you" to an elated audience.

The liner notes are a bit skimpy, but that aside, everything is an A+ on this "Deluxe Edition". Let me emphasize that this is not just for the EC fanatic. Anyone interested in just plain good music will be taken aback by this album, finding Clapton at the top of his game. Strongly recommended!

Well, I'm sorry, but it hasn't. "461" was always a great record, and the accompanying live disc is quite good without being truly spectacular.
But the five studio outtakes don't do anything at all for the album...for one thing, they have been available for a long time already. And none of them are particularly interesting; they are outtakes, songs that didn't make the cut, and they sound like outtakes. Even Clapton's rendition of Jimmy Reed's "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" is tepid and meandering.

The live album is compiled from two concerts Eric Clapton gave at the Hammersmith Odeon in London on December 4th and 5th, 1974. Again, he often sounds a little bit too laid back, like on a sleepy "The Sky Is Crying" which completely lacks the intensity of the original.
But there are some fine moments as well, like "Let It Rain", "Layla", and the always good "Let It Grow". Nothing to make you throw away your copy of "Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert", however, and this reissue is mostly for diehards, to be honest.

3 3/4 stars. Some good live songs, but the added studio recordings are so-so. The original LP was better, actually...all this second-rate material only serves to obscure the high overall quality of the material originally issued.

The SACD version of "461 Ocean Boulevard" does sound much better than the CD version. With the surround mix, the separation of the music and the broader soundstage really helps compared to the CD.

However, the surround mix itself is inconsistent. It seems like they were going for an immersive sound stage, but the results are hit and miss.

Right from the start, 'Motherless Children' starts off sounding like the left/right channels are just duplicated in the surrounds, with even the main drum track in the surrounds too. Then in the middle of the song the surrounds contain only what sound like the 3rd and 4th guitar parts. Not sure what happened.

Other songs sound better from a surround standpoint, especially 'Willie and the Hand Jive' and 'Let it Grow,' but everything else in between sounds uninspired.

The most disappointing of all is 'Mainline Florida.' With it's layered guitar parts and keyboards, it should have been the best. But everything sounds shoved together in the front channels with the surrounds being an afterthought.

The extra tracks on the SACD deserve mention, because all three are great songs. The last one, 'Meet Me (Down at the Bottom),' also rates as one of the highlights of the disc from a surround presentation standpoint.

This album brings back memories. I remember first hearing "I shot the sheriff" in a bar and immediately thinking that EC had "sold out" by moving beyond his 'guitar hero" image. How wrong I was!! This is a great album that easily has worn the test of time. The band is arguably Clapton's best of his solo units (and there IS plenty of great guitar work). It is, in a way, a cross between the D&TD album and his first solo effort. During ECs tenure in Blind Faith, he became passionately interested in the music of the Band. This influence is evident here in the ensemble playing, shared vocal chores, economical guitar playing and the deadened drum sounds. However, ECs strong musical personality makes the album his own. Great original songwriting and an excellent choice of covers. The live material is a wonderful treat. It is great to hear those renditions finally on a legit release. For those of you interested, THIS IS WHERE CLAPTON'S SOLO CAREER REALLY BEGINS TO COOK. Long may he live!!!!

461 Ocean Boulevard was the first studio album Eric Clapton recorded after he kicked his heroin habit. Unlike the tortured passion of Layla, the album finds Mr. Clapton still not completely satisfied, but with a more positive outlook. The album opens with a blistering take on the traditional song "Motherless Children" follow-up by the compassionate "Give Me Strength". His remake of the Johnny Otis classic "Willie & The Hand-Jive" is loose and fun. On "Get Ready", he duets with his backup singer Yvonne Elliman (pre Saturday Night Fever) on a simmering, bluesy number that has call and response vocals backed by a driving guitar riff. He practically introduced Bob Marley to the white rock audience with his percolating take on Marley's "I Shot The Sheriff". By combining the song's reggae roots with rock, Mr. Clapton made a memorable song that became his first and only number one hit. Ms. Elliman backup vocals provide the backbone for the sweet "Let It Grow". The album closes with the burning "Mainline Florida" in which Mr. Clapton lets it all hang out. 461 Ocean Boulevard was his first number album and re-established Eric Clapton as a musical force.