Eric Clapton’s “461 Ocean Boulevard” is one of those special albums that has a timeless appeal. It is considered by many as Clapton’s finest solo album.
From a production standpoint, it can sound a little dated. It may come accross as lacking a certain amount of energy due to its subdued laidback feel. The guitar work isn’t dazzling as one might expect. So why is it special? Well, sometimes brilliant work is understated. There is nothing forced, contrived or musically calculated. This is an album that is authentic in its lyrical content, musical landscape, and message.
“461 Ocean Boulevard” was issued in 1974 following a very dark period for Clapton. Since 1970, he had been nursing a debilitating heroin addiction. After the break-up of Derek and The Dominos, Clapton remained pretty much inactive and in seclusion other than a brief guest appearance at George Harrison’s Concert For Bangladesh. In early 1973, Pete Townshend orchestrated a comeback concert event at the Rainbow Theatre in London to get Clapton out of hibernation and back on stage. Soon thereafter, Clapton convened with producer Tom Dowd to go over material for his second solo album.
Up until that point, Clapton was a guitar hero. His inspired and innovative playing had spanned a handful of legendary projects and bands such as his stint with John Mayall and as a member of super-groups Cream and Blind Faith. His 1970 landmark album, “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs,” with Derek And The Dominos only added to his legend. Anyone expecting the guitar heroics of the past was in for a great surprise upon hearing the release of “461 Ocean Boulevard.”
That isn’t to say there wasn’t some fantastic playing on “461,” but it was different. It was laidback. The volume was low. There was a lot of slide. The explosive bursts of notes from past glories were replaced with tasteful chords and licks. Clapton was transforming himself into an artist concerned with economical songcraft.
The album starts off with a bang with the scuffle groove of “Motherless Children.” This is one of the album’s most energizing pieces and the heaviest guitar track. But the true tone of the album is set with the second tune, “Give Me Strength.” This is one powerful cut. It is a very subtle track musically with a slow bluesy acoustic guitar as the lead instrument along with a soulful organ track and slide guitar in the background. You can hear Clapton’s anguish in his painful delivery. You hear a man struggling to regain a sense of direction.
Clapton then ventures into formerly unchartered territory with his renditions of Reggae staples “Willie And The Hand Jive” and the hit “I Shot The Sheriff.” From here there are stabs at Soul with “Get Ready” to sweet love songs like “Please Be With Me.” He even revs it up again with the guitar work-out “Mainline Florida.”
But the real gem of this album is the beautiful “Let It Grow.” It is a simple song. Yet it is such a powerful statement. The lyrics are somewhat minimal and undemanding, but the message is genuine. And it really is a pretty self-reflective piece from that era in his life. Clapton did not do much writing in the early 70’s during his mini-retirement, but this is one of the few songs that came out of that dark period. It is almost an extension of “Give Me Strength.” He was a tortured soul and putting his faith in love gave him hope. It truly is a majestic piece.
Standing at the crossroads, trying to read the signs
To tell me which way I should go to find the answer,
And all the time I know,
Plant your love and let it grow.
Let it grow, let it grow,
Let it blossom, let it flow.
In the sun, the rain, the snow,
Love is lovely, let it grow.
Looking for a reason to check out of my mind,
Trying hard to get a friend that I can count on,
But there's nothing left to show,
Plant your love and let it grow.
Chorus
Time is getting shorter and there's much for you to do.
Only ask and you will get what you are needing,
The rest is up to you.
Plant your love and let it grow.
Chorus
Chorus
Musically, it is beautiful with an attractive array of notes, layers of acoustic and electric guitars, piano and organ, sensitive backing harmony vocals, and a soft soulful lead by Clapton. It definitely is one of the finest tracks in his solo catalogue.
Upon release, even with the startling change in musical direction, the album hit number one on the charts and went gold within a month. Eric Clapton had rebounded with a high artistic achievement that would help propel him to continued stardom for the next 3 decades. Over thirty years later, “461 Ocean Boulevard” still has that timeless appeal of a classic.*
*The story doesn’t end there. In 2004, Universal issued a Deluxe Edition of “461 Ocean Boulevard” that was augmented with session outtakes (all of which had been available on previous archival releases, but were at least finally in one place) and a second disc comprised of two live performances from December 1974 at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. The sound quality on this release is fantastic and with the addition of the bonus material, it makes this amazing album a total must-have for any Rock fan.
From a production standpoint, it can sound a little dated. It may come accross as lacking a certain amount of energy due to its subdued laidback feel. The guitar work isn’t dazzling as one might expect. So why is it special? Well, sometimes brilliant work is understated. There is nothing forced, contrived or musically calculated. This is an album that is authentic in its lyrical content, musical landscape, and message.
“461 Ocean Boulevard” was issued in 1974 following a very dark period for Clapton. Since 1970, he had been nursing a debilitating heroin addiction. After the break-up of Derek and The Dominos, Clapton remained pretty much inactive and in seclusion other than a brief guest appearance at George Harrison’s Concert For Bangladesh. In early 1973, Pete Townshend orchestrated a comeback concert event at the Rainbow Theatre in London to get Clapton out of hibernation and back on stage. Soon thereafter, Clapton convened with producer Tom Dowd to go over material for his second solo album.
Up until that point, Clapton was a guitar hero. His inspired and innovative playing had spanned a handful of legendary projects and bands such as his stint with John Mayall and as a member of super-groups Cream and Blind Faith. His 1970 landmark album, “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs,” with Derek And The Dominos only added to his legend. Anyone expecting the guitar heroics of the past was in for a great surprise upon hearing the release of “461 Ocean Boulevard.”
That isn’t to say there wasn’t some fantastic playing on “461,” but it was different. It was laidback. The volume was low. There was a lot of slide. The explosive bursts of notes from past glories were replaced with tasteful chords and licks. Clapton was transforming himself into an artist concerned with economical songcraft.
The album starts off with a bang with the scuffle groove of “Motherless Children.” This is one of the album’s most energizing pieces and the heaviest guitar track. But the true tone of the album is set with the second tune, “Give Me Strength.” This is one powerful cut. It is a very subtle track musically with a slow bluesy acoustic guitar as the lead instrument along with a soulful organ track and slide guitar in the background. You can hear Clapton’s anguish in his painful delivery. You hear a man struggling to regain a sense of direction.
Clapton then ventures into formerly unchartered territory with his renditions of Reggae staples “Willie And The Hand Jive” and the hit “I Shot The Sheriff.” From here there are stabs at Soul with “Get Ready” to sweet love songs like “Please Be With Me.” He even revs it up again with the guitar work-out “Mainline Florida.”
But the real gem of this album is the beautiful “Let It Grow.” It is a simple song. Yet it is such a powerful statement. The lyrics are somewhat minimal and undemanding, but the message is genuine. And it really is a pretty self-reflective piece from that era in his life. Clapton did not do much writing in the early 70’s during his mini-retirement, but this is one of the few songs that came out of that dark period. It is almost an extension of “Give Me Strength.” He was a tortured soul and putting his faith in love gave him hope. It truly is a majestic piece.
Standing at the crossroads, trying to read the signs
To tell me which way I should go to find the answer,
And all the time I know,
Plant your love and let it grow.
Let it grow, let it grow,
Let it blossom, let it flow.
In the sun, the rain, the snow,
Love is lovely, let it grow.
Looking for a reason to check out of my mind,
Trying hard to get a friend that I can count on,
But there's nothing left to show,
Plant your love and let it grow.
Chorus
Time is getting shorter and there's much for you to do.
Only ask and you will get what you are needing,
The rest is up to you.
Plant your love and let it grow.
Chorus
Chorus
Musically, it is beautiful with an attractive array of notes, layers of acoustic and electric guitars, piano and organ, sensitive backing harmony vocals, and a soft soulful lead by Clapton. It definitely is one of the finest tracks in his solo catalogue.
Upon release, even with the startling change in musical direction, the album hit number one on the charts and went gold within a month. Eric Clapton had rebounded with a high artistic achievement that would help propel him to continued stardom for the next 3 decades. Over thirty years later, “461 Ocean Boulevard” still has that timeless appeal of a classic.*
*The story doesn’t end there. In 2004, Universal issued a Deluxe Edition of “461 Ocean Boulevard” that was augmented with session outtakes (all of which had been available on previous archival releases, but were at least finally in one place) and a second disc comprised of two live performances from December 1974 at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. The sound quality on this release is fantastic and with the addition of the bonus material, it makes this amazing album a total must-have for any Rock fan.
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