The Cream of Clapton

iTunes Review

While Eric Clapton is now practically a musical institution, there was an actual time when the British bluesman had to earn those stripes. After leaving the Yardbirds and a stint with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Clapton spent the rest of the late 1960s and 1970s working in one successful artistic collaboration after another: Cream, Blind Faith, Derek and the Dominos, and a solo career featuring the fine songwriting efforts of people like J.J. Cale (“After Midnight,” “Cocaine”) and Bob Dylan (“Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”). Clapton’s Midas Touch was palpable and nowhere is it more concisely distilled than this 19-track collection, featuring the still awe-inspiring highlights of “Sunshine of Your Love” and “White Room” with Cream, “Presence of the Lord” with Blind Faith, “Layla” and “Bell Bottom Blues” with Derek and the Dominoes, and the modest solo hits that find Clapton getting comfortable with the pop context where he would spend much of his solo career (“Wonderful Tonight,” “I Shot the Sheriff” and “Let It Rain.”).