The 1976 album that made Eric Clapton abandon heavy music: “I’m past that kind of thing”
Eric Clapton didn’t claim to be the kind of musician that contained multiple different genres under his belt.
He was happy to have been carrying on the blues to another generation of music fans, but some of the best songs that he ever made weren’t all that interested in being connected to the greater tapestry of rock and roll that every other band was doing when they followed in his footsteps. He had no interest in competing with the likes of Eddie Van Halen, and that didn’t mean that he couldn’t find ways of reaching outside of his comfort zone every now and again as well.
Because while ‘Slowhand’ could have kept making the best blues that he could when performing with Cream, something had to give by the end of their time together. Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker simply weren’t the right guys to work with anymore, and even if Derek and the Dominos was a nice canopy for them to work under, that was only going to last for a few months before everything started to fall apart.
Clapton needed to go off on his own at some point, but when looking at his 1970s period, there was always something different compared to every other record he was making. He still had his fair share of blues licks under his belt, but after spending years trying to hone his craft, he wanted to become more respected as a songwriter than being known as the guy who made his guitar gently weep every single time he played.
And when you’re a songwriter, nothing is off the table. Making a blues song is something he could have done with his eyes closed, but making a reggae tune? Sure. Trying his hand at playing folk songs? Why not? Getting his twang on with some country music? Well, technically yes, but Clapton was going to need a translator when he started getting more rootsy on an album that could get him to where he needed to be.
The Band was a perfect counterpoint to what Clapton needed to work on, but making the album No Reason to Cry was also the moment where he felt like he needed to shed some of his skin, saying at the time, “I don’t really think they want a heavy metal album. At least I hope they don’t because they’re not gonna get it anymore. I’m past that kind of thing. I don’t think it lasts.” But it’s not like the fans were going to turn their backs on him for switching things up.
They wanted the chance to see him grow, and as much as the country veneer fits a little strangely on him at first, Clapton took to it like a fish in water. He was interested in making songs that had a lot more depth to them than the traditional blues songs, and even when he made his records without The Band, it was better for him to add a rootsy bounce to a song like ‘Lay Down Sally’.
In fact, there are many times where Clapton felt that a lot of the fans that went in a heavier direction were missing the point of what he was doing. Eddie Van Halen may have been making crowds roar every single time he played guitar, but even if he could lay down some of the greatest blues licks alongside his tapping skills, Clapton was much more interested in artists that had a story to tell behind their licks.
So while the fans were probably never going to see another album where Clapton was making another face-melting guitar solo like on ‘Crossroads’, it was worth it to see him be creatively satisfied a lot more than he was. He knew that there was a lot of money to be made in making the greatest rock and roll songs in the world, but the key to all of his greatest tunes was about having tracks that people will want to go back and listen to for their stories.
