Today we have Derek and the Dominoes' sole studio album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. Released in 1970, the double album is often considered Eric Clapton's greatest musical achievement. Derek and the Dominoes consisted of Eric Clapton on lead guitarist and vocals, Bobby Whitlock on keyboard and vocals, Carl Radle on bass, and Jim Gordon on drums. While he did not officially join the band, Duane Allman (from the Allman Brothers Band) played slide guitar on nearly all the album's songs. The band would break up during a follow-up session and Clapton would return to working on his solo career. The majority of the songs were written by Clapton and Whitlock. Like the album's centerpiece "Layla," the album focuses on love and the pain that comes with it. This was largely inspired by Clapton's infatuation with George Harrison's then-wife Patti Boyd, whom Clapton would later marry later in 1979.
Despite the legendary status Clapton has in classic rock, he didn't have a fully undeniable--influential, sure, but not undeniable--album until now. In retrospect, it was because Clapton never had a fire under his ass that could inspire such passionate songwriting, singing, and playing. Now, he's got a woman he needs to win over--a woman married to George Harrison for that matter, which makes his pleas all the more desperate and his pain all the more agonizing. However, it's not just the passion that bleeds from this masterpiece. Clapton has also assembled a band whose playing blows most bands out of the park--Radle and Gordon supply a solid foundation that allows for Clapton and Allman to soar off and create the most intense and explosive guitar work of either of their careers. And whether its a perceived security alongside Whitlock or not, Clapton has never sounded more comfortable and passionate at the mike--he and Whitlock trade vocals as well as Clapton and Allman trade licks. Clapton should try pretending to be someone else more often. A
