Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 08/20/1996
Run Time: 43:21
461 Ocean Boulevard is
Eric Clapton's second studio solo album, arriving after his side project of
Derek and the Dominos and a long struggle with heroin addiction. Although there are some new
reggae influences, the album doesn't sound all that different from the
rock,
pop,
blues,
country, and
R&B amalgam of
Eric Clapton. However,
461 Ocean Boulevard is a tighter, more focused outing that enables
Clapton to stretch out instrumentally. Furthermore, the
pop concessions on the album -- the sleek production, the concise running times -- don't detract from the rootsy origins of the material, whether it's
Johnny Otis'
"Willie and the Hand Jive," the traditional
blues "Motherless Children," Bob Marley's
"I Shot the Sheriff," or
Clapton's emotional original
"Let It Grow." With its relaxed, friendly atmosphere and strong bluesy roots,
461 Ocean Boulevard set the template for
Clapton's '70s albums. Though he tried hard to make an album exactly like it, he never quite managed to replicate its charms.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
;)
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