Wishing to escape the superstar expectations that sank Blind Faith before it was launched, Eric Clapton retreated with several sidemen from Delaney & Bonnie to record the material that would form Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. From these meager beginnings grew his greatest album. Duane Allman joined the band shortly after recording began, and his spectacular slide guitar pushed Clapton to new heights. Then again, Clapton may have gotten there without him, considering the emotional turmoil he was in during the recording. He was in hopeless, unrequited love with Patti Boyd, the wife of his best friend, George Harrison, and that pain surges throughout Layla, especially on its epic title track. But what really makes Layla such a powerful record is that Clapton, ignoring the traditions that occasionally painted him into a corner, simply tears through these songs with burning, intense emotion. He makes standards like "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" and "Nobody Knows You (When You're Down and Out)" into his own, while his collaborations with Bobby Whitlock -- including "Any Day" and "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?" -- teem with passion. And, considering what a personal album Layla is, it's somewhat ironic that the lovely coda "Thorn Tree in the Garden" is a solo performance by Whitlock, and that the song sums up the entire album as well as "Layla" itself.
What with the release of Steve Winwood's new CD and the MSG concert of Winwood and Clapton I decided to revisit and explore Derek and the Domino's Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.It may be some what wordy but it was fun doing.Most of the info is from the book Derek and the Dominos - Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs by Jan Reid.Following the rise and fall of Blind Faith, Eric Clapton hole...
More >
"Bell Bottom Blues" is a breathtaking piece of music, and nine more of the songs to come are just as good. After that cut, Allman's play becomes a growing force on the record. Whitlock, who later joked that he was fighting for his life on his keyboard, in danger of being drowned by all the guitars, lets go a shout of triumph as they explore one of his own personal feats on the record, "Keep Gro...
More >
Then comes the erotic slow dance of "Bell Bottom Blues." This song contains Clapton's distinctive clear ringing notes on his Fender (you understand, hearing them, why he's famous for breaking strings) and then high, short, furious bursts of solo - Slowhand showing once more how fast he can play - with Carl Radle ambling alongside in his calm, sure, good-humored stride. On "Bell Bottom ...
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 I Looked Away |
|
|
| 2 Bell Bottom Blues |
|
|
| 3 Keep on Growing |
|
|
| 4 Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out |
|
|
| 5 I Am Yours |
|
|
| 6 Anyday |
|
|
| 7 Key to the Highway |
|
|
| 8 Tell the Truth |
|
|
| 9 Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad? |
|
|
| 10 Have You Ever Loved a Woman |
|
|
| 11 Little Wing |
|
|
| 12 It's Too Late |
|
|
| 13 Layla |
|
|
| 14 Thorn Tree in the Garden |
|
|
Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs")
