Eric Clapton
Complete Clapton

(Reprise)

First Appeared in The Music Box, November 2007, Volume 14, #11

Written by John Metzger

Tue November 13, 2007, 06:40 AM CST

Complete Clapton is not the first retrospective to be devoted to the recorded output of the highly influential guitarist who, over the years, has been dubbed both "Slowhand" and "God." Neither will it be the last. Regardless, the act of distilling Eric Clapton’s career into a two-disc, 36-track endeavor is not an easy feat. Past attempts either have been too superficial to matter (Time Pieces: The Best of Eric Clapton) or too elaborately detailed for the general public to care (Crossroads). Although the latter collection sold remarkably well — and is insanely good — it’s rather doubtful that the entirety of the set shares equal weight among the songs in its purchasers’ personal playlists. Complete Clapton, therefore, is designed specifically to bridge the gap between these two disparate approaches, and for the most part, it succeeds in its goal of being both comprehensive and concise.

Of course, Complete Clapton isn’t without its deficiencies. Beginning not with his formative moments with The Yardbirds and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, but rather with his fiery outbursts with the power trio Cream, the collection merely skims the surface of Clapton’s legendary history. Its biggest flaw, of course, is that it utterly avoids peeking into any of the fascinating nooks and crannies of its subject’s massive canon. Considering its contents, however, such a criticism of Complete Clapton is almost a given, though at the same time, it also is easily dismissed since an in-depth and insightful examination of Clapton’s work isn’t — in any way, shape, or form — the purpose of the set.

Issued 12 years ago, The Cream of Eric Clapton provided a tidy summation of Clapton’s most highly regarded recordings by pulling into a single, cohesive package all of the requisite moments from what arguably were his best — or at least his most consistent — years. With the exception of replacing Blues Power with Lay Down Sally, the first half of Complete Clapton wisely follows in its footsteps. From the psychedelic crunch of Cream’s Sunshine of Your Love to the enlightened, gospel-born beauty of Blind Faith’s Presence of the Lord to the epic, classic rock staple Layla, the collection traces the path that Clapton took as he tried to cope with his fame as well as with his insecurities, which he accomplished by relinquishing at least part of the spotlight to Steve Winwood and Duane Allman. By the time that he embarked upon a solo career, he further had shed his penchant for "guitar god" pyrotechnics in favor of emphasizing his ability to pen a song. Clapton’s obsession with the works of J.J. Cale and The Band parlayed itself into music that was more subdued and seductive (Hello Old Friend, Promises), and although many fans balked at his change in direction, the results are, in hindsight, quite brilliant.

The other factor that continued to weigh heavily upon Clapton’s output, however, was his desire to capture the essence of the blues in a simple pop tune, and as rock’s landscape changed, this became a more difficult balance to achieve. While this methodology served him well during the 1960s and 1970s, it caused tremendous consternation for his fans during the 1980s and 1990s. Consequently, the latter half of Complete Clapton is a more problematic affair. Essentially, this portion of the endeavor reworks and fine-tunes Clapton Chronicles by sequentially presenting material that ranges from his 1983 effort Money and Cigarettes (which is represented by I’ve Got a Rock ’n‘ Roll Heart) to The Road to Escondido, his 2006 outing with Cale (which is illustrated by Ride the River). While it’s true that the inclusion of cuts like Forever Man, It’s in the Way that You Use It, and, perhaps, Change the World, and My Father’s Eyes will test the patience of some of his followers, these songs are, nonetheless, an integral part the overarching narrative of Complete Clapton. They dutifully highlight how the guitarist altered his approach, for better or for worse, with the times.

In the end, Complete Clapton contains absolutely no surprises, and everything on the collection is precisely where it ought to be. While it’s true that taking Clapton’s greatest moments out of context diminishes them to a slight degree, this same process significantly elevates his lesser works. In the end, the way in which he brought his career full circle, by returning to his folk and blues roots, is what not only gives the set its sparkle but also holds the greatest promise for the future.