Clapton has a few diferent "best of" CDs, but this is the best. Clapton has an incredible amount of good material. This CD, however, covers most of the very best. It covers some of his songs with Cream. I would reccomend buying Strange Brew: The Very Best of Cream, also. It has some of the best songs from Blind Faith and Derek And The Dominos, including Layla. Finally, it does a great job of covering alot of his solo songs up to 1980. Even though he has had alot of great stuff since then, the 60s and 70s were Clapton's best years. If you want one CD by Clapton, this is the one to buy.

****1/2

It is very hard to represent the very best of Clapton's career on one CD. However, this CD does a very excellent job of doing just that.

First, this compilation only covers the Polydor years (from I Feel Free by Cream up to I Can't Stand It from 1981). Therefore, later hits like Forever Man, and I've Got A Rock and Roll Heart (Warner Brothers) are not included.

Only one hit of any consequence is missing: Lay Down Sally. Strange Brew would have also been welcome, and After Midnight is presented as a single edit due to time constraints (the disc runs over 79 minutes.

Excellent liner notes plus superb sound makes this the one choice to own if you want only one Clapton CD.

Here you'll find nineteen fantastic songs that tells the story of this musician who was once (and still is) called "God". Here are the best songs of a musician who calls himself a "blues guitarrist". In my opinion he's wrong. He's a guitarrist with his soul in the blues (Crossroads, Bell bottom blues) travelling through rock (Sunshine of your love, Cocaine), Reggae (I shot the seriff, Promises), romantic songs (Wonderful Tonight),... He is a great songwriter, who also performs songs from other people, as in Bob Dylan's Knockin' on heaven's door. If you don't know Eric Clapton, or if you want to have his best songs in one CD, this is it. And take my advice: if you're listening to it for the first time, pump up the volume and start from track 11, Layla. Then you'll know why he's so great.

"The Cream Of Clapton" chronicles Eric Clapton's 15-year stay with Polydor, and these 19 songs offer a very good overview of that period (1966-81), even if several good songs are obviously missing. But the CD runs for all of 79 minutes, and all the must-have classics are here: "Layla", "Bell Bottom Blues", "Wonderful Tonight", "Knockin' On Heaven's Door", "Blues Power", "Let It Grow" and five Cream tracks as well.

If you just want the very best (up until 1981, that is), this CD is a fine choice. It may even make you want to pick up the magnificent live album "Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert" and the superb box set "Crossroads"!

Certainly this is the best release on the market that covers Clapton's 1968-1981 years. Nothing comes close. >>>HOWEVER>>>
Why has no one mentioned the abysmal sound quality of the first 5 cuts??? It is glaringly apparent that Polydor did NOT obtain anywhere close to first generation masters for the CREAM cuts. On this release they sound DREADFUL. Dull, muffled and sitting way back in the speakers. Particularly "Badge" which sounds like it was dubbed from a $19.95 Montgomery Wards cassette deck. <>
On the tracks which Polydor obviously had the masters to, cuts 6 on...this release sounds great, but because of the unforgivable taste of the sour cream..and the strange omission of "Lay Down Sally"...have to dock this from 5 to 3 stars.