Receiving
a copy of this newly remastered version of what is arguably Clapton’s
most highly regarded solo offering was a bit of a shock: Not at the
quality of the songs and the performances within, both of which has
long since dissected, but that three and a half
decades had passed since its initial release. Good heavens, I
remember buying a vinyl copy the day it came out! Following on the
heels of The Band lovefest No Reason to Cry
this album has always occupied a curious place in the Clapton
canon. While utilizing a decidedly American band, specifically
the Tulsa trio of Carl Radle, Dick Sims, and Jamie Oldaker, the
production by Glyn Johns is decidedly British. The resultant effort,
organic country on one extreme and antiseptic pop on the other, has
not aged well. Its three best known songs, J.J. Cale’s “Cocaine,”
Clapton’s own sappy “Wonderful Tonight” and the striving for a
radio hit “Lay Down Sally” suffer from both overexposure and
dated production. On the other hand the deliriously mad “Next
Time You See Her” and tasty “Peaches and Diesel” sound fresher
than they did at the time.
The remastering doesn’t seem
substantially different from the original mix, which leaves the added
tracks as the primary reason for this edition. Four unreleased
recordings, including a flaccid rendering Gordon Lightfoot’s
“Looking at the Rain” are interesting but by no means essential
while the live tracks aptly demonstrate the spark that Clapton and
crew could bring to the stage but rarely the studio. Best of the lot
are the rarely played “Steady Rolling Man” and a torrid “Tell
the Truth.” The remaining numbers are fine but if one owns
the second Crossroads boxed set that’s really all you need.
Meaning if you lack either the original release of Slowhand or
Crossroads Volume Two then snagging this is a must. But it’s
hard to imagine any serious EC collector not owning those, making the
anniversary release a curious thing indeed.
James Cassara
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