Clapton Chronicles
ignores
Eric Clapton
's 1983
Reprise
debut,
Money and Cigarettes
(which sounded more like an
RSO
album, anyway), starting with the pair of
Phil Collins
-produced mid-'80s albums,
Behind the Sun
and
August
. Though these had a
pop
sheen, they were
album rock
holdovers.
Clapton
didn't get the balance between
hard rock
and commercial gloss right until 1989's
Journeyman
, whose featured songs --
"Before You Accuse Me,"
"Bad Love,"
"Pretending"
-- form the heart of this compilation.
was overshadowed by the phenomenal success of
"Tears in Heaven"
and 1992's
Unplugged
. Not only did
go platinum ten times, it established a new public image -- classy, stylish, and substantial. That's the image that prevails on
. His triple-platinum
blues
album
From the Cradle
is written out of the picture, with songs from movie
soundtracks
taking its place. Apart from the
Babyface
-produced
"Change the World,"
these tunes are a little too self-conscious and subdued, as are selections from 1998's
Pilgrim
. However, this deliberate move to paint
's '80s and '90s recordings as
adult contemporary
fare is accurate.
's musical journey from 1985 to 1999 was taken mostly in the middle of the road, and
certainly captures that journey, missing no major hits from the late '80s and '90s. Whether it's a necessary addition to a
collection is a matter of taste. It's certainly an excellent compliment to
Time Pieces
, his two most popular and
-oriented albums, but that might not be what every fan wants. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine