Which was the best Eric Clapton sideband?
Let me get things clear from the start: Cream doesn’t count.
Cream was never an Eric Clapton backing band. If they had been, they’d be the only possible answer to the question this headline poses—purely for the sheer power and technical ability that existed in Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce.
However, Cream was the rare instance in Clapton’s historic career where he was actually “one of the boys”. Their work was a true collaboration, with each member contributing equally. Perhaps the sheer hell of being in Cream influenced Clapton’s approach going forward—making sure that if he was ever in a band again, he was either leading it or playing as someone else’s sideman.
Even with that qualifier in place, the sheer level of quality Clapton has played with over the years beggars belief. Which makes sense, really—when you’re one of the greatest guitarists ever to hold a Stratocaster, you can afford to be a little picky about the company you keep. It was like that from the very beginning, too. Not only did his breakout stint in the Bluesbreakers see him playing for John Mayall, a superlative singer and keys player, but he was also backed on bass by none other than John McVie—who would later quite literally put the Mac in Fleetwood Mac.
In later years, when Clapton’s name alone could sell out any concert hall on the planet, the names in his band may have become less glittery but no less talented. Since 2003, his lineup has included Paul McCartney’s drummer Abe Laboriel Jr, frequent lieutenants Doyle Bramhall and Willie Weeks, and quite possibly the most accomplished bass player to ever hitch up with God—Pino Palladino. However, in terms of sheer quality, both in technical skill and recorded material, there’s only one Clapton backing band that takes the top spot.
Call me a hypocrite, but to me, the honour has to go to Derek & The Dominos. Yes, they were technically a band, but considering their name was literally Eric Clapton and Friends until minutes before their debut concert, I’d argue it counts as Clapton’s project first and foremost. Bobby Whitlock might have a thing or two to say about that—he’s the only Domino with a sole songwriter credit on Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs—but so does Jimi Hendrix. Doesn’t make it Axis: Bold As Love, does it?
The fact is that the Dominos were playing to Clapton’s creative brief. The album was famously about how Clapton loved his best friend’s wife nearly as much as he loved heroin at the time, and the band’s efforts went to fulfilling that brief. Fulfil it they did by the way, all joking aside Layla is a phenomenal record, mainly due to the astonishing musicianship on display. Clapton’s guitar playing goes without saying, but for the first time in his career, he’s got someone matching him as well.
Duane Allman is arguably the unsung hero of the album. His slide work provides a rapturous yin to Clapton’s distorted, bluesy yang. Whitlock himself delivers some of the album’s most iconic moments—after all, it’s his piano work that drives the title track’s unforgettable second half. Add to that a rock-solid rhythm section of Carl Radle on bass and Jim Gordon on drums, and you’ve got a lineup that remains the envy of any band on the planet to this day.
