No. 409: 461 Ocean Boulevard

Band: Eric Clapton
Album: 461 Ocean Boulevard
Why Rolling Stone gets it right: Despite immense label pressure, Eric Clapton's second solo album turned out well and sold even better. Including three Clapton classic reimaginings, "461 Ocean Boulevard" remains a popular record.
Why Rolling Stone gets it wrong: It's Eric Clapton, so I'm not the world's biggest Clapton fan.
Best song: "Motherless Children" is the classic example of Clapton's strength: Blues arrangement and nimble fingerwork.
Worst song: It's not the worst song -- actually, the song holds up anywhere because it's one of the best written-songs around -- but Clapton's arrangement of "I Shot the Sheriff" isn't nearly as good as Marley's.
Is it awesome?: Not really.

Much of the recording of "461 Ocean Boulevard" was done after Clapton's Derek and the Dominoes broke up and Clapton has just gotten clean after years of heroin use.

The album isn't particularly strong. The first track, "Motherless Children" is a great arrangement of a classic delta blues song. Clapton's hard-charging guitar fits into the song as well as anything he's done.

The rest of the album is uneven. Clapton works Robert Johnson's "Steady Rollin' Man" a fine, fine song, but Clapton's take on Johnny Otis' "Willie and the Hand Jive" -- despite being a minor hit -- isn't great. Somewhere in the middle is "I Shot the Sheriff," a far inferior version of Marley's original.

No. 325: Slowhand

Band: Eric Clapton
Album: Slowhand
Why Rolling Stone gets it right: Clapton's most successful 70s solo hits open "Slowhand," as the gritty J.J. Cale record "Cocaine" leads to the romantic "Wonderful Tonight."
Why Rolling Stone gets it wrong: "Wonderful Tonight" is the first of Clapton catering to the AAA set and it reflects the rest of the album. Clapton's hard rock bent started moving on this album.
Best song: Most would say "Wonderful Tonight," but I'd suggest that's not even the best middlebrow love song on the album (that would be "Next Time You See Her"). "Cocaine" is a nice song.
Worst song: "Mean Old Frisco" stinks.
Is it awesome?: Nope.

"Slowhand" doesn't rock and that's a problem. For a guy who was in the Yardbirds, Cream and Derek and the Dominoes, I expect some rock and roll. Clapton doesn't rock often on "Slowhand."

There are three hits from the album on the first three tracks. First, Clapton's roughish treatment of J.J. Cale's (alleged) anti-drug track, "Cocaine." The soloing on the record shows what Clapton can do, but the guitar riff is easy to the point being lazy. It's a song so ingrained in our culture, it's hard not to enjoy it.

"Wonderful Tonight" is similarly tattooed on our collective consciousness. It's been played at just about every wedding ever (including my sister's) and -- I'll assume, as women find overweight hairy Sicilian-American narcissists mostly repulsive -- women continue to swoon over it. I'm not going to argue that it's not a sweet, pretty song. It is. But, Clapton's huge gifts are mostly wasted on the track; trying to be David Gilmour does not fit Slowhand.

"Lay Down Sally" is a shuffle and similarly wastes Clapton's copious gifts. It's a great version of a shuffle, as it is rhythmically interesting, but it's still a shuffle.

That's the album, though: Clapton doing things he isn't really good at.

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I don't know where else to put this, but it's kind of mind-blowing that there have been thirteen (!) Clapton compilation albums. Now, I know people like Clapton and all, but, thirteen? That's a little much.