Reptile

by

Eric Clapton

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When Eric Clapton and B.B. King planned the production of the album that would eventually become "Riding With The King," they scheduled three months of studio time - much to B.B. King's team's surprise because the King of Blues usually takes much less than that to finish an album. And lo'n behold, they were done in roughly a month, recording almost exclusively live, with very little editing involved. So Clapton decided to "tag on" an album of his own and take advantage of the outstanding group of musicians they had assembled, and the magical atmosphere of the cooperation with them. He had however, he says, "underestimated" how big exactly the effect of B.B. King's presence had been, and things just didn't seem to go together anymore as they had before. Besides, there didn't seem to be a real theme and a purpose to the album. So he took a break from recording and, when meeting with relatives in Canada, was reminded of his uncle Adrian (a.k.a. "Son") who had recently passed away, and whom he hadn't seen at all during the last years before Adrian's death; although growing up, this had been one of the most influential persons in his life. Like those of many outstanding musicians, Eric Clapton's albums often reflect the stage he is in in life; and remembering his uncle, it suddenly became clear to him that his new album had to be a re-examination of his early years, and of his relationship with "Son," a "local James Dean," as Clapton recently described him to Rolling Stone Magazine, and a true "Reptile" (i.e., "one of the guys") of his native Ripley.

I think it is important to take an album for what it is and not look for things which, given the album's history and meaning to the artist who has recorded it, cannot be there. This is obviously neither "Layla" nor "Fresh Cream" nor "Journeyman." Clapton has long since made his mark on blues and rock music, with these and other albums, with and without psychedelia (and he has never really been comfortable with the God-like status to which he was elevated early on anyway). He is no longer chasing Pattie Harrison. He has overcome drug and alcohol abuse; recovery from the latter prompting the doubtlessly difficult separation from his family in Ripley, including and in particular his uncle Adrian. He has founded "Crossroads" and taken control of both his private and his business life. His personality has evolved, and he doesn't exclusively have to rely on his music any longer to express what he wants to say. ("The only personality I had was within my fingers," he told Rolling Stone Magazine about his years with Cream and Blind Faith. "I could play it, but I couldn't say it. When we didn't have a song, I'd just think, 'Let's get stoned.' Which we did when we didn't know what we were doing.")

"Reptile" reflects the joy of Eric Clapton's cooperation with outstanding musicians such as long-time friends Andy Fairweather Low, Billy Preston, Steve Gadd and Nathan East (who have also joined him for what Clapton - sadly, very sadly - maintains is his last world tour - special kudos, though, to Billy Preston who, back from the hospital bed and his fight with chronic liver disease, literally danced on the stage when I saw them) ... and, yes, the Impressions, whom Clapton values so much that he has already announced that they will be featured on his next album, too. Clapton has called "Reptile" an "electric unplugged album" (with an "unplugged" feeling, but "plugged in" instruments) and compared its production to that of "461 Ocean Boulevard," his comeback studio album of 1974, in that during the recording of both albums, he and the other musicians would jam a lot, just playing songs of other artists they liked, and a fair share of those covers eventually made it into the final cut of the album. J.J. Cale's "Travelin' Light," Ray Charles's "Come Back Baby," James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" and Stevie Wonder's "I Ain't Gonna Stand For It" are examples here, and Clapton impresses his very own mark on each of them. And although he took some time to remix the album after the initial recording, it still maintains much of the atmosphere present during its production (witness, for example, that spontaneous "Have mercy!" at the end of "Come Back Baby.")

But the album wouldn't be named for Eric Clapton's uncle (and dedicated to him and his wife Sylvia) if it wasn't, in large parts, also about the singer-guitarist's re-evaluation of the things that influenced him in his youth. Hence, songs such as the instrumental title track (which is a bossa nova because, Clapton says, he just loves Brazilian music), the closing and likewise instrumental "Son & Sylvia," "Believe in Life" and, of course, "Find Myself," written early on but finding its true purpose only when the album took its final direction. Despite all this, and its tributes to different musical styles - including those favored by Clapton's uncle - the one thing this album is not is "retro" (Clapton actually fought the record company to keep it from going down that path). It's as much a catalyst for its maker's emotions and state of mind as any of his other albums over the course of the past decades; it's also, blues and beyond, just plain good music ... and incidentally, as if this needed any emphasis at all, Clapton's powers as a guitarist are still fully in place, as not only evidenced on this album but also during his most recent live appearances (with the added benefit of a large screen, concert venue permitting, giving fans an up-and-close view of the man's fretboard wizardry). His latest album should be enjoyed on its own merits, not on those of his numerous past laurels, uniquely important as they are - and on these terms, there is plenty to enjoy indeed.

Also recommended:

Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs

Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert

Crossroads

Unplugged

One More Car: One More Rider (CD & DVD Set)

Riding with the King

Dedicated to his uncle, this CD is certainly one of the most heartfelt projects that Clapton has ever done. The album's cover has a picture of Eric when he was about 8 years old and there are family photos scattered across the liner notes.

As for the music, it seems like Clapton couldn't decide precisely what kind of album he wanted to make; so he throws in a little bit of everything. As with most of his albums, there are covers galore. "Got You on My Mind" is a nice rollicking R&B number from the 1950s, featuring Billy Preston on organ and The Impressions on backing vocals. He raids J.J. Cale's vault one more time for "Travelin' Light." Listening to Clapton cover James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" is certainly an odd surprise. The covers of songs by Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, on the other hand, are much less successful because Clapton, as great as he is, just is not in their league as a vocalist.

Clapton wrote or co-wrote seven of the fourteen tracks. "Believe in Life," "Second Nature," and "Modern Girl" are along the lines of the Soft Rock hits he had in the 1990s. "Find Myself" almost sounds like a Tony Bennett tune. The title track "Reptile" is a Soft Jazz instrumental. "Superman Inside" is the one real rocker. As this overview suggests, Clapton probably intended this CD to sound like an encapsulation of his career and an attempt to satisfy his many audiences.

In the end, your reaction to this album may depend upon what kind of Clapton fan you are. If you prefer the Clapton of the nineties, then you will eat this CD up. But if you prefer Clapton the guitar god of the 1960s and early 70s, then this offering will strike you as pleasant but a little underwhelming.