Eric Clapton Slowhand 35th Anniversary 180g LP

Eric Clapton has been in the spotlight for close on 50 years and the portrait of his artistry is a complex one — from his early days as a guitar icon to a songwriter of great sensitivity, as well as an interpreter of everything from blues and jazz to rock and country music. He has fashioned albums in many different styles and with many different themes, yet few have the sense of oneness that pervades Slowhand.

Slowhand was recorded at Olympic Studios in South West London in May 1977 and was produced by Glyn Johns. Released in November 1977, Slowhand was the most successful album of Clapton's '70s studio recordings. It reached No.2 on the Billboard chart, where it stayed for five weeks, spending a total of seventy-four weeks on the American album chart.

Slowhand features "Wonderful Tonight," "Lay Down Sally" and "Cocaine" - songs that are still heard regularly on radio and at Eric Clapton's live shows. So long after its release is a great recommendation and testimony to its place in Clapton's canon. The album includes cover versions of songs written by some of his favorite songwriters (JJ Cale, John Martyn, Don Williams, Arthur Crudup) along with original compositions by Eric Clapton.

Slowhand was the nickname given to Clapton by the Yardbirds. On this quintessential Seventies album, he mixes candlelit love songs and guitar-hero riffs; 'Cocaine' and 'Wonderful Tonight' are the hits, but don't overlook 'Next Time You See Her,' a tender melody loaded with a death threat to a lover's suitor.

This is laid-back virtuosity — although Clapton and his band are never flashy, their playing is masterful and assured. That assurance and the album's eclectic material make Slowhand rank with 461 Ocean Boulevard as Eric Clapton's best albums.