Album Review #24 - Derek & The Dominos (Eric Clapton) - "Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs" (1970)
Album Review #24
Artist: Derek & The Dominos (Eric Clapton)
Album: Layla
and Other Love Songs
Year of Release:
1970
Grade: 4 /
5
Band Members
Eric Clapton – vocals, guitars
Bobby Whitlock – vocals, keyboards, Hammond B3 organ,
acoustic guitar
Carl Radle – bass, percussion
Jim Gordon – drums, percussion, piano, backwards cymbal
tape loops
Duane Allman – guitar, slide guitar
Albhy Galuten - piano
Background
After the break up
of the supergroup Cream, Eric Clapton tried several other bands such as Blind
Faith (with Steve Winwood) and Delany & Bonnie. The stress of living up to the hype where
Clapton had always just wanted to be a member of a band rather than the forced
spotlight was getting to him. Clapton
decided to steal most of the Delany & Bonny band to start his own band but
without the hype. He grabbed keyboardist
Bobby Whitlock, drummer Jim Gordon, and bassist Carl Radle. Clapton didn’t want his name associated with
the music as he wanted the music to succeed or fail based on the music
itself. As a gag at an early concert,
they were called Derek and the Dominos so it stuck. It didn’t sound like a supergroup or a music
idol led band.
Initially, the album did not do well even with a guest
appearance by Duane Allman. In fact, it
failed to even chart in the UK but made it to #16 in the US. However, the record company seeing failure
leaked that “Derek was Eric”. All of a
sudden, it became a must get album despite Clapton frustration about hyping the
music with his name. It is now widely
considered to be a masterpiece.
In some ways, the entire is an album to unrequited
love. Clapton’s love for his best
friend’s (George Harrison) wife Patty Boyd is on full display. She inspired several – Bell Bottom Blues and
Layla. The musicianship is top notch
here from every member of the band.
Track Listing
1.
“I Looked Away” (Eric Clapton, Bobby Whitlock)
2.
“Bell Bottom Blues” (Clapton, Whitlock)
3.
“Keep On Growing” (Clapton, Whitlock)
4.
“Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out”
(Jimmy Cox)
5.
“I Am Yours” (Clapton, Nizami Ganjavi)
6.
“Anyday” (Clapton, Whitlock)
7.
“Key To The Highway” (Charlie Segar, Willie
Broonzy)
8.
“Tell The Truth” (Clapton, Whitlock)
9.
“Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad” (Clapton,
Whitlock)
10. “Have
You Ever Loved A Woman” (Billy Myles)
11. “Little
Wing” (Jimi Hendrix)
12. “It’s
Too Late” (Chuck Willis)
13. “Layla”
(Clapton, Jim Gordon)
14. “Thorn
Tree In The Garden” (Whitlock)
Review
The opening track of “I Looked Away” starts out
with a misleading country-ish feel before settling into a blues number. Like any Clapton song, it has some searing
guitars to go with his laidback vocal style.
“Bell Bottom Blues” is one of the highlights of
the album. From the vocals of angst and
loneliness to the amazing guitar work.
It ventures back and forth between a bluesy rocker and a ballad.
“Keep On Growing” has an almost BB King vibe to it
to start out. Then it fills out into a
nice rocking rhythm. While it is a nice
track, it is a typical Clapton song but has Bobby Whitlock filling out with
some additional vocals.
“Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” is one
of the few covers on the album. It was
originally written back in the Depression area.
It definitely has a slow blues feel to it that Clapton excels into
modernizing. This is the first song
where Duane Allman’s presence is felt.
Acoustic:
Album Version:
“I Am Yours” is a song that feels out of place. In some ways, it is very simplistic. In my opinion, this is a straightforward filler song. Easily discardable.
“Anyday” is a great recovery from the previous
track. It has a harder blues edge to
it. It could almost fit on an Allman
Brothers album. It does have an
uplifting quality to it. Whitlock adds
additional lead vocals here as well.
“Key To The Highway” is another cover and is
considered a blues standard. It was
first record in 1940. It is a featured
song in Clapton’s live performances. He
recorded a version with BB King as well.
This recorded version turned out to be an extended jam between Clapton
and Allman lasting almost 10 minutes.
“Tell The Truth” was originally conceived as a
slower song during George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” which featured most
of the band. In this version, it was
speeded up quite a bit. It features a
“call and response” approach. Allman
does some amazing slide guitar work to offset Clapton’s bluesy style.
“Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad” starts out with
some fantastic guitar work. But the song
is sung in a very quick manner which kind of loses some of the impact. In this case, a slower blues would be more
effective. The guitar interplay between
Clapton and Allman is fantastic.
“Have You Ever Loved A Woman” is another blues
standard that was originally performed by Freddie King in 1960. It is a slow 12 bar blues. Clapton has played this song often in
concert. You can hear the ache in his
vocals and fits with his passion for Patty Boyd.
“Little Wing” is an unlikely cover since it was
written by contemporary Jimi Hendrix. It
is a much more polished version than the original. Joint vocals with Whitlock and Clapton give
the performance an eerie feeling. It is
one of the album highlights for me.
“It’s Too Late” is a cover from the mid 50s. It feels a little out of place even though it
is a bluesy song but comes across as more of a pop or R&B song. In fact, it would not be out of place in the
Back To The Future’s Enchantment Under The Sea dance in some ways. After it segues into the blues guitar solo,
it feels more like a Clapton song.
“Layla” is the pinnacle of the album. I consider it one of the greatest rock songs
ever. It is comprised of one of the
greatest guitar licks ever. It is a wall
of sound. The vocals display Clapton’s
passion. It is said that when he played
the completed song to Patty Boyd that said that everyone would know it was about
her (it was). Clapton wrote the “rocking
part” while drummer Jim Gordon is credited with the slower piano part at the
end but it was actually written by Gordon’s girlfriend at the time Rita
Coolidge. The haunting second portion of
the song is a beautiful melody regardless of who actually wrote it. An acoustic version of the song won the
Grammy Award for the Song of the Year almost 20 years later on Clapton’s
“Unplugged” album. At the time, Jim
Gordon was in prison for murdering his mother in a schizophrenic rage.
Live:
Unplugged:
“Thorn Tree In The Garden” is the final song. In some ways, after the big sound of Layla,
it seems like such a let down. This is
another song that could have been left off the album without too much pain.
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