Eric Clapton

A live album with innumerable dangling guitar notes and strangling trills from the one they used to call God. The band sounds great when they rev it up and rock out, but they don't do so very much. Instead, Clapton shows a preference for slow blues jams that stretch well past the point where any normal human being can remain attentive.

E.C. Was Here, recorded live at various concerts on his most recent world tour, marks Eric
Clapton's return to the role of lead guitarist. Not only has Clapton reassumed primary
responsibility for the lion's share of the instrumental work, but his fiery guitar playing
harkens back to the days when he spearheaded the British blues movement with John
Mayall's Blues-breakers. Concentrating once more on a blues repertoire, Clapto... More >

From Clapton a live album is welcome these days. At the very least it guarantees that his head was higher than his feet at time of recording, and live albums being what they are it also assures plenty of what he does best, which is play guitar. But though Clapton's choked lyricism can be exciting, he does have trouble breaking loose, and because George Terry's sound is so like his own their colloquies don't spark much. Besides, this is basically a blues album--four of the six cuts fit the category with varying degrees of authenticity--and I expect a blues album to be sung as well as played. (Grade - B-)