Artist: Eric Clapton
Album: Journeyman
Released: November 3, 1989
This was an album that my dad used to play when I was growing up. Clapton is one of the most renowned guitarists ever, and by this stage in his career he had already accomplished a lot. Yet, Journeyman marked a critical point in his career, both in terms of where he had been and what the future would hold.
Clapton gained fame starting in the 1960s as a guitarist/vocalist for several different groups, with Cream and Derek and the Dominos probably being the two groups with which he made his biggest mark. Each group he was with achieved success with blues and/or psychedelic rock, even if they were all short lived. Clapton launched his solo career in the 1970s, though he was dealing with drug and alcohol abuse during this time and into the 1980s. His career was in decline until working with Phil Collins on two albums in the mid-1980s: Behind the Sun in 1985 and August in 1986.
With Journeyman, it appeared that Clapton's "comeback" was complete. But what exactly did that mean? Behind the Sun and August were more pop-oriented than most of his previous work, featuring a more mainstream sound and utilizing newer music technology. Then came Journeyman, which featured many of these same characteristics; yet in many places Clapton also revived the blues/classic rock sound that first made his career.
The result was a strong and unique album that brought back some old fans and won over some new ones. "Bad Love" is probably the biggest hit from this album. This track features Phil Collins on drums and backup vocals. It's more upbeat than Clapton fans may have been used to and did not really feature that blues sound, yet it was a big success and is also one of my favorites from the album. "Pretending", the leadoff track, was also a big hit and in many respects is similar to "Bad Love". I would say those two, along with "Old Love", are my favorites. As I mentioned, several tracks on this album signal a return to the old blues/classic rock sound, and with "Old Love" I think Clapton hit a home run.
As is the case with these three tracks, the rest of the album is diverse and moves back and forth between the pop sound prevalent in the 1980s and Clapton's older blues with a more slick sound than from his earlier days. I think even on this more modern album, Clapton is stronger when he uses the blues sound. With his covers of both "Hound Dog" and "Before You Accuse Me", Clapton proves that he by no means has abandoned that sound; he does a great job with both, though I slightly prefer the former. "Hard Times" is another solid blues effort, even if it is solemn; "Running on Faith" is a little more optimistic and has more of a gospel feel. I prefer the former of those two.
I don't think the rest of the album is quite as strong. I do think that "Anything for Your Love" is interesting; I'm not a big fan of the artificial '80s sound in some places, though ironically it also features some of the best vocals and guitar playing on the entire album, making it an enjoyable song. "Lead Me On" relies on vocals perhaps more than any other track; it's a nice easy listening song, though by no means the album's best. "Run So Far" has a country feel to it; it's not bad, but it is a little repetitive. "No Alibis" and "Breaking Point" are my two least favorite; there is some decent guitar on the latter, but other than that they are pretty bland and have too much of an artificially produced sound.
Of Eric Clapton's more recent work, Journeyman is one of the better known and more successful albums. It featured a few popular singles and also marked a point in his career in which he both completely committed himself to the popular genre while also moving back to his older blues days. So, it was a comeback for Clapton, but was that as a move into a new era, or as a return to the old? It looks like the answer is both.
Track #, Name of Song, Duration, My Rating
1. Pretending (4:43) - 10/10
2. Anything for Your Love (4:10) - 8/10
3. Bad Love (5:08) - 10/10
4. Running on Faith (5:33) - 8/10
5. Hard Times (3:14) - 9/10
6. Hound Dog (2:27) - 9/10
7. No Alibis (5:38) - 7/10
8. Run So Far (4:07) - 8/10
9. Old Love (6:24) - 10/10
10. Breaking Point (5:32) - 7/10
11. Lead Me On (5:52) - 8/10
12. Before You Accuse Me (3:57) - 9/10
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