The Vinyl Project - 461 Ocean Blvd. by Eric Clapton (1974)
A Trip Thru Your Grooves - Episode 12
Release Date: 26-July-1975
Genre: Rock/Blues-Rock/Reggae
Producer: Tom Dowd
Label: RSO Records
Time: 43m 21s
Review Date: 28-November-2018
Format: LP
Side One
Release Date: 26-July-1975
Genre: Rock/Blues-Rock/Reggae
Producer: Tom Dowd
Label: RSO Records
Time: 43m 21s
Review Date: 28-November-2018
Format: LP
Side One
- Motherless Children
- Give Me Strength
- Willie and the Hand Jive
- Get Ready
- I Shot the Sheriff
Side Two
- I Can't Hold Out
- Please Be With Me
- Let it Grow
- Steady Rollin' Man
- Mainline Florida
Review: Eric Clapton caught a lot of crap when he released 461 Ocean Blvd. It was entirely undeserved. At times it was almost piling on: he did some reggae and he sounded like a whiny British guy trying to do reggae; it was his first album where he used all studio musicians; producer Tom Dowd took away Clapton's edge and his blues roots, resulting in a very sterile album; Clapton sounded better on heroin -- yup, people really said that. Oh my.
And look, I wasn't much of a fan of EC's cover of I Shot the Sheriff, and though Bob Marley said he liked it, I always felt he was just playing nice. But the song that grabbed me and made this a must-own album -- a song that I still love to this very day and one that often finds its way into almost any playlist I make -- is Mainline Florida. I'm going to say it: It's probably the best Side B, last song on any album, ever. That's a bold statement, I know. I'll defend it to my death.
As I have said on more than a few occasions, this blog is a labor of love for two reasons:
Convincing either to love this album as much as I do might be a tough sell however. Still, I implore them to trust me.
What is so bad about 461 Ocean Blvd. anyway? It was a scathing review in Rolling Stone that gave other writers pretense to pile on. In 1974, journalist Ken Emerson called Clapton's guitar work "unnotable" and criticized Clapton for hiding behind his other musicians, whom Emerson deemed "less than capable." Emerson also questioned Clapton's decision to play a dobro on the album, though he did call Let It Grow a highlight. Emerson also considered Clapton's re-arrangement of Motherless Children to be too upbeat for a somber song.
I do not believe "unnotable" is even a real word.
Despite Emerson's unfavorable 1974 review, Rolling Stone placed the album at #409 on its 2012 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, showing its change of heart when it lauded Clapton's return from heroin addiction "with [this] disc of mellow, springy grooves minus [the] guitar histrionics," while also citing Clapton's tributes to Robert Johnson and Elmore James. The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Hey everybody makes a mistake. Maybe Emerson was having a bad day. I personally love this album. Let it Grow is positively beautiful. I enjoyed Slowhand's uptempo arrangement on Motherless Children and it was a great way to kick off this LP. Clapton is sublime on Please Be With Me and also, of course, Mainline Florida. I've wanted to live in Miami every day of my life since that song dropped. I was ten at the time. Lofty dreams.
The precise guitar playing is actually the main attraction here, and this album starts Clapton's three-album affection with J.J. Cale's Tulsa Sound. I've spent a ton of time in Tulsa in recent years getting to know a lot of the newer indie artists. Trust me when I say Steady Rolling Man, Get Ready, and I Can’t Hold Out are genuinely inspired by Cale. Further, Clapton's rhythm section is comprised of Tulsa session specialists Carl Radle and Jamie Oldaker on bass and drums, respectively.
That being said, the Tulsa Sound can be a little laid back for some people, which is why Clapton probably took a few critical shots. You won't find anything resembling a power blues riff anywhere on this release. To me, that doesn't make it bad, just different. And though I'm convinced that my girls won't discover the magic I did, I am hopeful they give it at least a decent chance to marinate in their musical souls with a few listens. It will sound dated - but heck it sounded dated by 1980.
All that being said, there remains a place in this world for period pieces, and this album is as 1974 as it gets. Music was all over the place in '74 and 461 Ocean Blvd. encapsulates that diversity fully in the delivery of its ten songs.
As for me, I'm still hoping to get to Miami. Lofty dreams, I know.
Best Songs: Mainline Florida, Let it Grow, Motherless Children, Please Be With Me
A Deep Cut You'll Love: Steady Rollin' Man
A couple interesting notes about this album:
Hey.... buy me an album from my wish list in the left sidebar and I'll review it! I thank you kindly in advance.
And look, I wasn't much of a fan of EC's cover of I Shot the Sheriff, and though Bob Marley said he liked it, I always felt he was just playing nice. But the song that grabbed me and made this a must-own album -- a song that I still love to this very day and one that often finds its way into almost any playlist I make -- is Mainline Florida. I'm going to say it: It's probably the best Side B, last song on any album, ever. That's a bold statement, I know. I'll defend it to my death.
As I have said on more than a few occasions, this blog is a labor of love for two reasons:
- I truly want to rebuild my record collection; and
- Someday my girls are going to be going through and dividing up my record collection and when one of either chooses an album as a keepsake or remembrance, I want each to know why I love the albums I own. This is as close to a diary or legacy that I have.
Convincing either to love this album as much as I do might be a tough sell however. Still, I implore them to trust me.
What is so bad about 461 Ocean Blvd. anyway? It was a scathing review in Rolling Stone that gave other writers pretense to pile on. In 1974, journalist Ken Emerson called Clapton's guitar work "unnotable" and criticized Clapton for hiding behind his other musicians, whom Emerson deemed "less than capable." Emerson also questioned Clapton's decision to play a dobro on the album, though he did call Let It Grow a highlight. Emerson also considered Clapton's re-arrangement of Motherless Children to be too upbeat for a somber song.
I do not believe "unnotable" is even a real word.
Despite Emerson's unfavorable 1974 review, Rolling Stone placed the album at #409 on its 2012 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, showing its change of heart when it lauded Clapton's return from heroin addiction "with [this] disc of mellow, springy grooves minus [the] guitar histrionics," while also citing Clapton's tributes to Robert Johnson and Elmore James. The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Hey everybody makes a mistake. Maybe Emerson was having a bad day. I personally love this album. Let it Grow is positively beautiful. I enjoyed Slowhand's uptempo arrangement on Motherless Children and it was a great way to kick off this LP. Clapton is sublime on Please Be With Me and also, of course, Mainline Florida. I've wanted to live in Miami every day of my life since that song dropped. I was ten at the time. Lofty dreams.
The precise guitar playing is actually the main attraction here, and this album starts Clapton's three-album affection with J.J. Cale's Tulsa Sound. I've spent a ton of time in Tulsa in recent years getting to know a lot of the newer indie artists. Trust me when I say Steady Rolling Man, Get Ready, and I Can’t Hold Out are genuinely inspired by Cale. Further, Clapton's rhythm section is comprised of Tulsa session specialists Carl Radle and Jamie Oldaker on bass and drums, respectively.
That being said, the Tulsa Sound can be a little laid back for some people, which is why Clapton probably took a few critical shots. You won't find anything resembling a power blues riff anywhere on this release. To me, that doesn't make it bad, just different. And though I'm convinced that my girls won't discover the magic I did, I am hopeful they give it at least a decent chance to marinate in their musical souls with a few listens. It will sound dated - but heck it sounded dated by 1980.
All that being said, there remains a place in this world for period pieces, and this album is as 1974 as it gets. Music was all over the place in '74 and 461 Ocean Blvd. encapsulates that diversity fully in the delivery of its ten songs.
As for me, I'm still hoping to get to Miami. Lofty dreams, I know.
Best Songs: Mainline Florida, Let it Grow, Motherless Children, Please Be With Me
A Deep Cut You'll Love: Steady Rollin' Man
A couple interesting notes about this album:
- Win - Clapton lived at a rental house at the address 461 Ocean Boulevard in the town of Golden Beach near Miami while recording this, hence the album title. His manager Robert Stigwood owned the home, which is represented on the album cover.
- Place - In his 2007 autobiography My Life, Clapton recalls that he was very pleased with the song's lyrics and instrumental parts of Let It Grow, which he wrote himself. However, as Clapton noted, the melody and chord progression is nearly the same as Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven. Critics initially jumped on the guitarist for that.
- Show - While Clapton recorded this LP, guitarist George Terry brought the album Burnin' from Bob Marley and the Wailers to Clapton, stating he really liked the single I Shot the Sheriff. He persuaded Clapton to cover it, an idea Clapton first waived off because of its hardcore reggae roots. Finally, the band convinced EC to put the song on 461 Ocean Blvd., noting it would definitely become a hit. A few years later, when Clapton finally met Marley, the reggae legend told Clapton he really enjoyed his cover.
- Previous Review: Howlin' Wind by Graham Parker & The Rumour (1976)
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Hey.... buy me an album from my wish list in the left sidebar and I'll review it! I thank you kindly in advance.
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