| The History of Eric Clapton | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | March 1972 (1972-03) | |||
| Recorded | September 1964 – September 1970 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 77:27 | |||
| Label | Polydor (UK) Atco (US) | |||
| Producer | various | |||
| Eric Clapton chronology | ||||
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The History of Eric Clapton is a compilation double LP, released in 1972 byPolydor Records in the United Kingdom, andAtco Records in the United States. It featuresEric Clapton performing in various bands between 1964 and 1970, includingThe Yardbirds,Cream,Blind Faith andDerek and the Dominos.
The compilation is notable for helping Clapton's career when he was battling heroin addiction and making the song "Layla" famous. It is also notable for being perhaps the first compilation in rock music to collect music of a single rock musician that spans time, bands, music styles and record labels.[1]
The album cover picture was taken atGeorge Harrison'sConcert for Bangladesh while Clapton was playing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" on aGibson Byrdlandhollow-body guitar.
The album has two versions of "Tell the Truth", both different from and recorded before "Tell the Truth" onLayla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970). "Tell the Truth" on this compilation is a fast up-beat version originally released as a single in July 1970, while "Tell the Truth – Jam" is a long and slow instrumentaljam from the Layla sessions which had never been released before. The "Tell the Truth" single also appeared later onCrossroads (1988) and onLayla and Other Assorted Love Songs 40th Anniversary Deluxe and Super Deluxe Edition (2011). "Tell the Truth – Jam" was featured onThe Layla Sessions: 20th Anniversary Edition (1990) as "Tell the Truth (Jam #1)"; a second "Tell the Truth" jam, also featured onThe Layla Sessions, was unreleased at the time ofThe History of Eric Clapton compilation.
The U.S. release of this compilation replaced "Tales of Brave Ulysses" with "Tribute to Elmore", a Clapton andJimmy Page homage to American blues musicianElmore James. "Tribute to Elmore" was one of several jams performed by Clapton, Page andJeff Beck which were recorded by Page andreleased later without consulting Clapton or Beck.[1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B[2] |
| New Rolling Stone Record Guide |  [3] |
In a review atAllMusic, Bruce Eder wrote that the tracks onThe History of Eric Clapton "seemed boundless at the time", from the "primitive and straightforward" "I Ain't Got You" to "Layla" at, what was then, the end of his career. What Eder found extraordinary about this 11-song collection is that it, at the time, only covered two years of Clapton's solo career, but "still doesn't make a bad summation of his best work." He added that the "Tell the Truth" jam alone makesThe History of Eric Clapton a "priority acquisition," even for Clapton diehards.[1]
Robert Christgau was a little more critical of the album, saying that while it has several "worthwhile oddities" (the "Tell the Truth" single and its studio jam, plusKing Curtis' "Teasin'"), he felt that there should have been more fromthe Yardbirds andthe Bluesbreakers.[2]
Reviewing the album inJournal-News in 1972, Michael O'Connor wrote that while many critics belittled the collection, calling it a "rehash" and a "ripoff", he felt that, despite its weaknesses and bad song selection, it is a good introduction to Eric Clapton, and "really isn't that bad a trip".[4] O'Connor praised Clapton's work withDerek and the Dominos on side four, particularly the "Tell the Truth" jam,[4] and concluded that the compilation "wets my appetite for a future album".[5]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Ain't Got You" | Calvin Carter | The Yardbirds | 2:46 |
| 2. | "Hideaway" | Freddie King/Sonny Thompson | John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers | 3:13 |
| 3. | "Tales of Brave Ulysses" | Eric Clapton/Martin Sharp | Cream | 2:46 |
| 4. | "I Want to Know" | S. MacLeod (Paul Jones) | Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse | 2:14 |
| 5. | "Sunshine of Your Love" | Jack Bruce/Pete Brown/Clapton | Cream | 4:11 |
| 6. | "Crossroads" | Robert Johnson | Cream | 4:14 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Spoonful" | Willie Dixon | Cream | 16:43 |
| 2. | "Badge" | Clapton/George Harrison | Cream | 2:45 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sea of Joy" | Steve Winwood | Blind Faith | 5:19 |
| 2. | "Only You Know and I Know" | Dave Mason | Delaney & Bonnie | 4:18 |
| 3. | "I Don't Want to Discuss It" | Beth Beatty/Dick Cooper/Ernie Shelby | Delaney & Bonnie | 5:40 |
| 4. | "Teasin'" | Curtis Ousley/Delaney Bramlett | King Curtis | 2:15 |
| 5. | "Blues Power" | Clapton/Leon Russell | Eric Clapton | 3:11 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tell the Truth" | Clapton/Bobby Whitlock | Derek and the Dominos | 3:19 |
| 2. | "Tell the Truth – Jam" | Clapton/Whitlock | Derek and the Dominos | 9:27 |
| 3. | "Layla" | Clapton/Jim Gordon | Derek and the Dominos | 7:06 |
On the U.S. Atco LP SD2-803, track 3, "Tales of Brave Ulysses" is replaced with:
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3. | "Tribute to Elmore" | Clapton/Jimmy Page | Eric Clapton andJimmy Page | 3:00 |
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | USBillboard 200 | 6[6] |
