Eric Clapton Crossroads 2

Crossroads was a box set that appealed to both beginners and fanatics. Crossroads 2: Live in the Seventies only appeals to fanatics. Spanning four discs and consisting almost entirely of live material (there are a handful of studio outtakes), this is music that will only enthrall completists and archivists. For those listeners, there is a wealth of fascinating, compelling performances here, as well as a fair share of mediocre, uninspired tracks…

A four-disc box set spanning Eric Clapton's entire career – running from the Yardbirds to his '80s solo recordings – Crossroads not only revitalized Clapton's commercial standing, but it established the rock & roll multi-disc box set retrospective as a commercially viable proposition. Bob Dylan's Biograph was successful two years before the release of Crossroads, but Clapton's set was a bona fide blockbuster. And it's easy to see why. Crossroads manages to sum up Clapton's career succinctly and thoroughly, touching upon all of his hits and adding a bevy of first-rate unreleased material (most notably selections from the scrapped second Derek and the Dominos album). Although not all of his greatest performances are included on the set – none of his work as a session musician or guest artist is included, for instance – every truly essential item he recorded is present on these four discs. No other Clapton album accurately explains why the guitarist was so influential, or demonstrates exactly what he accomplished.

The only three-time Rock `n' Roll Hall Of Fame inductee (The Yardbirds, Cream & as a solo artist), Eric Clapton is one of the very few artists whose enormous popularity is equaled by the respect given him by critics and peers alike. And rightly so, as demonstrated by these two new collections. The single ICON focuses on Clapton's career from the landmark Derek & The Dominos recordings through the remarkable hits that established "Slowhand" as the important solo artist he continues to be. The double CD ICON expands upon that vision to include key tracks from Cream and Blind Faith, while digging further into his massively successful career from Derek & The Dominos onward.

Eric Clapton's Crossroads Festival, which features world-class guitar players from all over the globe and has been held every three years since 2004, works as a fundraiser for the Crossroads Centre in Antigua, a treatment and educational center Clapton founded in 1998 to help people suffering from chemical dependency. The first three concerts were single-day outdoor events held in Dallas in 2004, and in Chicago in 2007 and 2010, with the fourth, the concert represented by this two-disc set, moving indoors to Madison Square Garden in New York and expanding to two nights in 2013…

We all know that Eric Clapton is one of the greatest guitarists of all time. What is not that well known, is that he has collaborated with artists such as blues legend Pinetop Perkins, Jamaican guitarist Arthur Louis or trombonist Chris Barber (an institution within British music). Moreover, few probably have heard the versions of his songs by Koko Taylor and Ann Peebles, and we’re pretty sure that almost no one has delved into the obscure blues records that have influenced Clapton early in his career. This is The Many Faces Of Eric Clapton, a deep look into the intimate world of one of the best British artists ever. A different kind of album, to collect… and that it won’t be available on streaming services!

We all know that Eric Clapton is one of the greatest guitarists of all time. What is not that well known, is that he has collaborated with artists such as blues legend Pinetop Perkins, Jamaican guitarist Arthur Louis or trombonist Chris Barber (an institution within British music). Moreover, few probably have heard the versions of his songs by Koko Taylor and Ann Peebles, and we’re pretty sure that almost no one has delved into the obscure blues records that have influenced Clapton early in his career. This is The Many Faces Of Eric Clapton, a deep look into the intimate world of one of the best British artists ever. A different kind of album, to collect… and that it won’t be available on streaming services!