Album Challenge - 1970 pt. 2 - Eric Clapton

I was very much into Eric Clapton in 1970. His songs and playing had been influencing my taste in music for several years but now he was going solo and doing his own thing. I had added Cream and Blind Faith albums to my collection in the late 60's but had never seen those bands perform live. I wouldn't see Clapton play in concert until 1974.

His first solo album Eric Clapton released in 1970 was amazing. This was actually the first commercial cassette tape version of an album I had ever bought and at that time I got it at the base Navy Exchange store. I would get the vinyl version a few years later. Let It Rain and After Midnight were two of my favorite songs at the time. The song Easy Now became a staple on some of my later mix tapes and CDs. 

1970 was also the year that Eric Clapton released the Derek & The Dominos album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs that came out towards the end of the year. This would also become one of my favorite albums but it would take a couple more years before I bought a copy of it because of all the time I was spending overseas. I did hear it a lot on my ship because a friend had a cassette copy of the album which we played whenever we had a chance. 

I got the Layla vinyl album in late 1973 and played it a lot with friends in our house on Seymour Street that I bought when I got out of the Navy. I also got the Derek & The Dominos Live album around that time. In 1974 I got a couple of the Clapton double LP compilation albums... The History of Eric Clapton and Eric Clapton At His Best that were both released in 1972 and covered his career up to that point.

I was very sad to hear of the death of Duane Allman in 1971 at the age of 24. I had first heard the Allman Brothers Band from some of my Southern shipmates. 

I gave that first solo album a spin today upstairs and then later gave the Layla CD a listen in the backyard sunroom.

I have a lot of Clapton in my collection. I have a couple of his Yardbirds albums, all of his Cream albums, Blind Faith, Derek & The Dominos,  8 solo albums, 4 live albums that include a couple of box sets, three albums he collaborated with other people, and four compilation albums including the Crossroads Box Set.