By 1970 Eric Clapton was a fixture in the rock scene, so it's interesting to note that this album was Slowhand's first 'solo' venture. Of course 'solo' seldom means 'by yourself', and Eric has a wealth of remarkable talent surrounding him here. The early 1970's seemed to be a fertile time for such comraderie. Eric himself made recordings and concert appearances with artists such as Stephen Stills and George Harrison. Stills, in fact, contributed guitar work to this album, while Clapton produced a torrid lead guitar solo on 'Go Back Home' for Stills' first solo album, also released in 1970. Perhaps it was the success of 'Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young' that encouraged elite artists to form brief 'supergroups', such as Clapton did with Steve Winwood and Ginger Baker in the one-album-wonders 'Blind Faith'.

Another early 1970's phenomenon which Clapton appeared to be ascribing to was the emergence of the singer-songwriter. Artists such as Joni Mitchell and Carole King were serving as prototypes for fans who wanted to hear the songwriters spin their own compositions, even if their talents weren't the finest available. Gone were the days of composers such as Laura Nyro handing over their best work to the likes of 'The Fifth Dimension'. On this album Clapton teams with Bonnie Bramlett for six tunes, churns out another with Leon Russell, and pens one of the finest, and most risque works by himself. Never before had Clapton, often content to cover classic blues tracks, made such a strong songwriting contribution.

A third clear influence on this release is the inclusion of a backing horn section, composed of Bobby Keys on sax and Jim Price on trumpet, on several tracks. The success, and rather avant-garde sound of band's such as 'Blood, Sweat and Tears' and 'Chicago Transit Authority' had no doubt caught Clapton's ear, much as Stephen Stills was influenced on his first and second solo efforts. While the horns are up-front and essential for the opening instrumental 'Slunky', their presence on some of the other tracks sounds more forced than necessary.

There are no bad tracks on 'Eric Clapton', but aside from 'Let It Rain' there aren't a lot of hum-dingers either. The best song next to 'Let It Rain' is the familiar 'After Midnight'. Next up would be Clapton's own 'Easy Now', with its tantalizing acoustic guitar melody and sensual lyrics ("Making love against the wall, feeling very small when we didn't need to be, easy now, don't let my love flow out of you, please remember that I want you to come too..."). Pretty risque for 1970.

Later in 1970 Clapton teamed up with Carl Radle, Bobby Whitlock, and Jim Gordon (all of whom appear on this disc) to form 'Derek and the Dominoes'. Unfortunately(?), 'Derek and the Dominoes' live covers of two studio tracks from this disc, 'Blues Power' and 'Bottle of Red Wine', which can be found on the 'In Concert' and 'Live At the Fillmore' discs, render these versions obsolete. This studio recording of 'Let It Rain' however does stand as the premier version of that track, one of Clapton's finest as a solo artist.

The remaining tracks, 'Bad Boy', 'Lonesome and a Long Way From Home', 'Lovin' You Lovin' Me' and 'I've Told You For the Last Time' are undistinguished despite the fine musicianship offered up by Clapton and others. I enjoy Clapton's vocal style, but singing is the one area where Eric occasionally lacks the ability to put a mediocre song over-the-top, and this particular deficit shows up on the aforementioned tracks.

The remastering is nice, but as with many other CD's the producers missed the opportunity to expand the liner notes to make a complete package out of a production that many customers are purchasing for the second or third time. A couple bonus tracks, alternate takes from the sessions, printed lyrics, a little additional history or just a bit of sweet reminiscence doesn't seem like too much to ask. Nevertheless, this remains a light, fun Clapton album, and that can't be said for most of his catlog, so often steeped in the classic blues.

Eric Clapton's debut album as a solo artist is one of his best albums ever. It has the hits that are great, such as After Midnight, Blues Power, and Let It Rain. It also great lesser known songs, no fillers. Some of these are Bad Boy, Lonesome and a Long Way From Home, and Lovin' You Lovin' Me. All the songs are great. This album is what Clapton is all about. Buy It.

This debut Eric Clapton has some blues rock but deviates into other styles. Easy Now is one pretty acoustic ballad and Eric gives one of his best vocal performances. The lyrics are pretty hip with the time it was recorded too. The female background vocalists add a special touch on several tracks most notably Lonesome andBottle Of Red Wine. However the real meat and potatoes songs are Blues Power, Bad Boy, After Midnight, and Let It Rain. They really rock with a passion as Eric's vocals really touch the soul. Do not overlook this recording.

I cant believe most only gave this alb---CD 4 stars. If you play rock or blues guitar, or just like that type of music, pick this one up. When Clapton was young,and let it all rip out. That strange feeling you get while listening to it is normal, chills down the spine.

After the demise of Blind Faith, Eric Clapton did a concert tour with Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett. He wrote several songs with Bonnie Bramlett in late 1969 and early 1970, which formed the basis of this, his first solo album. "Blues Power," "Let It Rain," and "After Midnight" all rank among Clapton classics. (Clapton's CROSSROADS box set has an exciting alternate version of "After Midnight," featuring a more extensive horn section and more reverb on the guitar solo.) The acoustic ballad "Easy Now" is the best of the deeper album tracks. The rest of the filler is playful and fun, if ultimately a little monotonous; it's difficult to distinguish tracks such as "Bad Boy," "Lovin' You Lovin' Me," and "I've Told You for the Last Time" from each other several minutes after hearing them.

Here is an unabashed pop album from the man who quit the Yardbirds years earlier because he thought they were too much of a pop band. EC broadened his horizons by incorporating pop, country and even gospel elements into his sound, which was nice to see. Maybe he wanted to prove that there was more to him than the blues rock that defined him in the 1960s. On the other hand, there are times on this album when a sizzling guitar solo would have been exactly what the doctor ordered. Fans who yearned for the old Clapton would have to wait several months for him to release LAYLA with Derek & the Dominos near the end of 1970. But the more laid back Clapton that most people recognize today can be traced directly to this album.