Nine limited edition albums from the catalog of Eric Clapton, including his 1970 album Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs with Derek And The Dominos, are set to be released on Japanese SHM-CD (Super High Material CD). The rest of the chosen albums make up the first decade of Clapton’s solo work, from 1970’s self-titled record to 1981’s Another Ticket. The albums are being released June 27th.
The reissues will be packaged in paper-sleeves featuring replicas of the original LP artwork, with a Japanese obi-strap and Japanese lyric translations. The list of included albums features Derek And The Dominos’ Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs (1970), Eric Clapton (1970), 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974), There’s One In Every Crowd (1975), No Reason To Cry (1976), Slowhand (1977), Backless (1978), Just One Night (1980), and Another Ticket (1981).
Following his run with one great band after another, Clapton’s solo debut featured a collaborative approach. Duo Delaney & Bonnie, Leon Russell, Jim Gordon, Bobby Keys, Rita Coolidge, Stephen Stills, and more acclaimed peers can all be heard on the record. The musicians heard in the rhythm section would join Clapton again later that year to make a record under the name Derek And The Dominos. They only released one album as a band, but in that short time together they made history with “Layla.”
Clapton’s first solo number one came with his next album, 461 Ocean Boulevard, four years later. It topped the Billboard chart for a whole month, in part thanks to the massive success of his featured cover of Bob Marley and the Wailers’ “I Shot The Sheriff.”
During this period of early solo work, Clapton synthesized influences from many fellow artists. “I spend my time listening to people and being heavily influenced by them,” he told Sounds magazine while making 1976’s No Reason To Cry. “Then it comes time to record and I go down to the studio, try something new and it comes out as me again.”
Buy the Eric Clapton SHM-CD releases now.
