Complete Clapton

About 37 years ago this guy could play the hell out of a guitar. But ever since 'I SHOT THE SHERIFF', it seems that maybe he was hit in the head by a van or a bus. It is an opinion that some people do not prefer his song writing. It is a fact that he is no longer the same guitar player. I have heard the same statement time and time again from fans of his latter material. It goes something like this: Well Clapton was tired of being labled God and sick of the guitar hero questions. He was tired of dealing with fans who were obsessed with THE YARDBIRDS AND CREAM. So he found a new style of music to sit easy with. Music that sounded like THE BAND. He took on a singer songwriter role. After all, do you read the same books you read when you were 30 years younger? This is just a cop-out reasoning for his sell out years. He hasn't played a decent guitar solo since CROSSROADS on WHEELS OF FIRE. Even songs like LET IT RAIN are sort of southern rock in style and do not represent his talents from within. The only thing I could compare this with would be the band COOL BLUE. A garage band that tried to play blues and failed endlessly. Clapton was great in the 60's. A decade of free form music. A time of great guitar players. Not THE GRASSROOTS singing MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS which is pretty much what this collection of Clapton material reminds me of. What a waste of talent.

Complete Clapton being Clapton's 2007 compilation showcases both his work with Cream, solo work and collaborations with other artists, i.e., J.J Cale. On this collection we got a mix of great, good and not so great songs. Cocaine is a great track, Layla, White Room, Promises and After Midnight. In the good category go tracks such as Pretending, Badge and Wonderfull Tonight. The not so great is short,and consists of but one track. This track in question, that I never ever liked is Change the World. This track is so schmaltzy. It sounds insencere and phoney. The book-let is alright. Nigel Williamson's short bio on Clapton is well-written and quite informative. Still this is a nice collection/compilation that should not be missed.

The music was divine such a wonderful story teller, however, the last 3 tracks skipped so I couldn't listen to them.

I bought this for my dad for his 54th birthday. It has all of Clapton's great classic and current hits. We listened to it the day he opened it. The compilation so good I uploaded it to my MP3 player.

Eric Clapton is well known as one of the greatest guitarists in the history of rock music, and I won't argue with that. His career as a blues-rock guitarist has been both innovative and astonishing ("Clapton is God" graffitti was a popular underground tribute to the guitarist in London in the mid-1960s). He's also an excellent singer and songwriter, and has played a major role in some of rock music's greatest songs. The man is a legend, and I've been somewhat more than a casual fan over the years and consider his Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs to be one of my all-time favorite albums.

Complete Clapton (2007) is a 2-disc greatest hits collection that was released as a companion to Clapton: The Autobiography (with the same black and red cover). Other than his early days with The Yardbirds and John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Complete Clapton spans Eric's entire career, beginning with five songs from Cream and ending with Ride The River from 2006's The Road to Escondido with J.J. Cale.

I don't have any problem at all with the song selection here. Sure, I could find something to complain about if I really wanted to, but what's the point? It is what it is, and I think it covers the highlights of Clapton's career as well as it needs to. And what a career it has been! Sunshine Of Your Love, White Room, Crossroads, After Midnight, Layla, I Shot The Sheriff, Cocaine, Wonderful Tonight, Forever Man, Pretending, Bad Love, Tears In Heaven, Layla (unplugged), and much more!

Some reviewers are noting that that this collection duplicates The Cream of Clapton and Clapton Chronicles - The Best of Eric Clapton, but with this you get a few songs that both of those put together don't offer, including Lay Down Sally, Sweet Home Chicago, If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day, Motherless Child, and Riding With The King (w/B.B. King). And Complete Clapton is packaged in a slim swing-gate jewel case, making it more compact than two separate CDs.

The liner notes are really great, too, with information on each song including a list of the musicians and what instruments they played, an interesting essay on Eric Clapton, and some great photos. If you're a casual fan, or a true Eric Clapton fan who just wants to fill in some of the gaps in your your EC collection, Complete Clapton will work just fine. It's an enjoyable way to go back in time and follow the journey of a true guitar legend. And maybe your own journey as well...