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48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
EC's Best Solo Album Gets the Royal Treatment, November 22, 2004
After all these years, I still believe that "461 Ocean Boulevard" is Clapton's best solo album. I will readily admit I'm not such a big fan of the more recent blues albums such as "Me and Mr. Johnson", which I thought was rather dull, as well intentioned as it was. But I digress.
"461 Ocean Boulevard - Deluxe Edition" has grown from the original 40 min. album to an exquisite 2CD spread (26 tracks, 142 min.), and quite comfortably at that. CD1 (15 tracks, 69 min.) brings of course the original 10 tracks, and they still sparkle today as they did 30 years ago. The remastered sound is fantastic. It has of course the hits "I Shot the Sheriff", "Willie and the Hand Jive", and "Motherless Children" (all from the original Side 1), but there really are no weak songs here. Other classics include "Let It Grow", the pensive "I Can't Hold Out", and the album closer "Mainline Florida". The 5 bonus tracks are session out-takes from the album recordings, they have appeared elsewhere before on various compilations such as "Crossroads", but are grouped together here for the first time. My fave of them is "Meet Me (At the Bottom)", a mostly instrumental jam session. CD2 (11 tracks, 73 min.) is a live album, recorded in London at the end of the 461 Ocean Blvd tour in December, 1974. After the announcer's "Well Ladies and Gentlemen, this is it, the last show of the tour, please welcome Mr. Eric Clapton and his band!", we're in for a treat. Only 3 of the 11 tracks have appeared before on the Crossroads compilations. The highlights are many, including "Let It Grow", the Steve Winwood cover "Can't Find My Way Home", a rousing "Tell the Truth", the Jimi Hendrickx cover "Little Wing", and the closer "Let It Rain", with at the end EC simply saying "bye bye, thank you" to an elated audience.
The liner notes are a bit skimpy, but that aside, everything is an A+ on this "Deluxe Edition". Let me emphasize that this is not just for the EC fanatic. Anyone interested in just plain good music will be taken aback by this album, finding Clapton at the top of his game. Strongly recommended!
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