Transmission Clapton

CLASSIC BROADAST RECORDINGS FROM ACROSS OL SLOWHAND S CAREER Eric Clapton s musical output across a career spanning 55 years and counting, has been nothing short of extraordinary. But added to this, that the lion s share of his work has been of a quite staggering quality, with more than occasional brilliance displayed, has made Clapton one of a handful of musicians, composers and performers from the rock age who patently deserve their place at the top table of the industry.

In the early '70s, after the breakup of Blind Faith and his departure from Delaney & Bonnie, Eric Clapton made a last attempt at being "just one of the boys in the band" with Derek and the Dominos. It was his most inspired of those efforts, although the band only managed one studio album and a tour before falling apart. Powered by the dual guitars of Clapton and Duane Allman, the band created a raw, emotional sound. In tandem with Duane Allman, the two guitars wailed with pure, naked emotion, notably on the album's evergreen "Layla," which became a classic-rock evergreen.

Although Cream were only together for a little more than two years, their influence was immense, both during their late-'60s peak and in the years following their breakup. Cream were the first top group to truly exploit the power trio format, in the process laying the foundation for much blues-rock and hard rock of the 1960s and 1970s. It was with Cream, too, that guitarist Eric Clapton truly became an international superstar. Critical revisionists have tagged the band as overrated, citing the musicians' emphasis upon flash, virtuosity, and showmanship at the expense of taste and focus.