Artist: Clapton, Eric
Label: Reprise Records
Release: 1989
After a decade of nonstop touring and a handful of albums marked by commercially minded, more or less unsuccessful attempts to chase the trendy shifts of the eighties, guitar legend Eric Clapton finally learns, at the turn of the decade, how to work the current “show bussiness” tricks. Journeyman puts every piece of the mosaic in its right place at last. Clapton’s way of communicating, which over the years has grown more and more focused on direct, punchier melodic wholes, follows the tried-and-tested Cray recipe (just in case, Phil Collins and good old George Harrison are still in a generous mood here) and opens a new chapter. Or, if you like, it once again lays a chorus of eminent musical names at the guitarist’s feet, names Clapton, as countless times before in his career, roughly steers by in his search for musical perfection. Eric learned how to handle simpler musical approaches long ago, first to some extent under the wing of the great teacher Mayall, and later during his solo wanderings on Backless and Slowhand. Self-confidence and ease keep reminding us of that, both expressed in the total self-control of Eric’s playing, which last conjured that magic balance of all these elements so masterfully back in the days of the legendary Derek And The Dominos.
Journeyman is really an autobiographical journey. Through stormy moments on one side and serene ones on the other, it successfully captures the life of an unusual man, an album built on a rough foundation and woven with tales of personal wrecks and other, similar human shortcomings. It’s just the right stuff for radio-oriented easy-going rock, sprinkled with listenable pop elements as well as clipped blues touches that keep obligingly dictating a “caricature” of a legendary musician’s personal ID card. Blues elements, the purest kind, come knocking jealously right at the start on the listener-friendly Pretending, where light pop lines keep running into approaches evidently inspired by Freddie King. These two seemingly incompatible ingredients quickly find common ground. You can admire their cheeky stroll hand in hand once more on the brilliantly conceived Breaking Point, a majestic demonstration of Eric’s artistic vision. After years of creative vegetating, surrounded by all the woes of an unenviable, turbulent existence, the guitarist, bravely and above all without a shred of shame, gathers every hard-won lesson in conscientious study, which probably explains Running On Faith. The heartiness of that one, and the stunning sensuality of Charles’ Hard Tmes, can be credited with successfully pushing through the entirely unnecessary Hound Dog, definitely the lowest point of this sensational musical document.
The changeable, turbulent nature of Clapton’s inner self, buried for years behind the façade of the guitarist’s naturally self-confident image, pours its eruptive peak into Bad Love, a strong-charactered personal confession dressed up in a more modern look better suited to the new circumstances, which cunningly breaks in the middle in the manner of Badge. Its co-author, the great Beatle George Harrison, this time carries the burden of responsibility for Run So Far, which in its (let’s be honest) far too predictable pop-rock direction, in many ways recalls the much more successful No Alibis. The opposite picture of Bad Love’s enthusiastic optimism is its “sister” Old Love, which, with its shameless use of the colorful palette of Cray-style approaches, backed by markedly emphasized guitar playing, conjures up memories of one and only Pattie Boyd one last time. Eric wraps up his renewed treatment of his great love with a barely containable guffaw, the unscrupulous slandering of Before You Accuse Me. The song, one of those lucky ones Clapton, with his trademark fire and energy, deigned to bestow with his unique sensuality, fittingly closes the proud announcement of the guitarist’s by far strongest album of the eighties.
Lineup
Eric Clapton: vocals, guitar
Robert Cray: guitar
Jerry Williams: guitar, backing vocals
George Harrison: guitar, backing vocals
Nathan East: bass, backing vocals
Darryl Jones: bass
Pino Palladino: bass
Greg Phillinganes: keyboards
Alan Clark: Hammond
Jeff Bova: synthesizer
Jim Keltner: drums
Jimmy Bralower: drums
Steve Ferrone: drums
Phil Collins: drums
Production
Russ Titelman
Track list
1.Pretending
2.Anything For Your Love
3.Bad Love
4.Running On Faith
5.Hard Times
6.Hound Dog
7.No Alibis
8.Run So Far
9.Old Love
10.Breaking Point
11.Lead Me On
12.Before You Accuse Me
Trajanje albuma: 56.59
