I've been a big fan of Eric Clapton's music for years and so when I heard that he had written an autobiography I was curious to read it more to see where he had come from musically than to learn about his past. I know that he had problems with alcohol and drugs, which are told in great detail in his book Clapton: The Autobiography. But there's also plenty here about his musical journey: from the Yardbirds, to Cream, Blind Faith, Derek and the Dominoes, and finally as a solo artist.
Anyone reading Clapton's life story would not be surprised that he gravitated towards the blues. In many respects, he embodies the blues in how he lived his life for so many years. He's very frank about his demons and how his poor choices over the course of his life cost him so dearly. The pain he describes in losing his son after just starting to get his life together is real and palpable. I found myself feeling sorry for him and yet disappointed in him at the same time.
To coincide with the release of the book, a new anthology CD entitled Complete Clapton was released containing 36 of Clapton's best songs. To call this collection complete is a little bit misleading. After all, with a career spanning nearly 40 years it's hard to sum it up in a two-CD set. Still, it manages to hit the highlights of his career by including the best songs from each stage of his career. A more complete collection would have been much larger so to just hit the highlights of his career, this set will suffice.
No doubt fans of Clapton will enjoy reading about the musical influences that shaped his career and will be amazed at the number of different legendary musicians he has encountered over the years. Fans will enjoy travelling along his musical journey with him listening to Complete Clapton. As for me, I'm still a fan of the music but probably could have just as well skipped Clapton: The Autobiography.
Article comments
1 - Isorski
Cool review. The biggest surprise for me was how long he had his addiction problems, and how they got worse even as his career got bigger and bigger. What a mess. However, what a happy ending as well, as he cleans up and starts doing tons of good things with his life, continuing to this day. I wrote a review of the book. Check it out!