Terms Of Endearment....

On the 17 of March 1991, the affectionately known, ‘Slow Hand From Surrey’, Mr Eric Clapton released an album entitled ‘Reptile.’ No, not a collection of songs denoting our scaly skinned friends but a very personal and affectionate album dedicated to his uncle Adrian, who died a year before this album was produced.

Clapton is renown for reflecting on his roller coaster life through his music. Using personal highs and lows throughout his life, he has brought us insight, wisdom and inspiration over his extensive career proving to us that his a human being with ups and downs just the same as the rest of us.

This album is purely based on that reflection. Each song, in its strong, bluesy theme, has been hand crafted and attributed to each passing, yet path turning encounter with these fascinating people Clapton met through his early life who used the term of endearment ‘reptile,’ as we would use the words, ‘scallywag’ and ‘moosh,’ when speaking about/to loved ones of a diverse nature! These very ordinary, yet well thought of, people appear to us in Clapton’s ‘rogues’ gallery.’ We are taken through a very thought provoking, winding road of these interesting characters, each thought about, and penned with the usual, very personal touch that only an artist such as Eric Clapton can create.

Moving through the different sections of blues throughout his career, starting out with the dirty themes of blues rock, he had been influenced before his days of Cream by Chicago waves of the genre. Settling into a British blues style, he has spurned other contemporary artists to keep blues alive and well in this country. Using the same basis blues set, electric guitars were introduced to create the modern sound over the top of the traditional Muddy Waters style. Such artists were Clapton’s heaviest influences and he often paid tribute to these past exponents in his sets.

As with all Clapton albums, were are treated to something rather special. The sleeve, in itself, is a personal album of photographs of past and present faces, friends and warm acquaintances. Even the middle page showing the titles and credits of each track, uses a black and white backdrop of a photograph of Clapton’s boyhood town, Ripley in Surrey circa 1910. Every inch of this sleeve is touching and reminiscent. We immediately are prepared to expect the very best tribute to a life from within this album.

Using familiar artists, there are some old friends who appear in this album. We recognise and are pleased to see the appearances of Billy Preston and Paul Carrack as backing musicians. We also note his backing singers are a hefty lot called The Impressions. Namely; Fred, Cash, Sam, Vandy, Ralph and Willie Jr.

The opening track, it must be said, will probably take die hard Cream fans somewhat be surprise. ‘Reptile’, the title track of this splendid album was written by Eric Clapton and performed by himself, Steve Gadd on drums, Pino Paladino on bass., and the well known Genesis front man Paul Carrack on gently whispered keyboards. Tropical, light as a feather and smooth in its theme, it will take you to a peaceful shore with lapping waters. Soothing and quiet, it will find a place in your mind and ease away the troubles of you day. It doesn’t give a indication of the rest of the album, but it will prove to be an unusual instrumental piece and not totally out of place. However, the second track hit’s the right nerve and takes us straight into a rolling hard blues rock theme from the days of John Mayall’s Blues breakers. Also touching on the Peter Green era of Fleetwood Mac, it is a rocking piece of British, slow blues. Each section, predictable and reminds the listener of a hundred other famous blues tracks. Nevertheless, it plays along in a cheeky theme with its swaying guitar riffs and skipping drum backing track. ‘Got You On My Mind,’ was written by Joe Thomas and Howard Biggs. A little on the Chas n’ Dave angle, it is still pleasing, although perhaps too dated for contemporary blues rhythms.

‘Travellin’ Light,’ will take you back to the fairly recent days of ‘Behind The Mask,’ which was the half compilation album of Clapton back in 1987. What will spring to mind with this track is a certain Chris Rea rock sound that comes across in strong tones. It includes the usual exceptional guitar playing of Clapton. He lowers his vocal to a Rea level, a touch Lee Marvin, if it could be said. Sultry and meaningful, we discover with this album, that even though all these tracks are somewhat musically linked, they are very different from each other. It is yet another album that proves the adaptation of the artist in question to spread his musical wings from one genre to another, yet still sound inevitably Clapton.

‘Believe In Life,’ winds the momentum down a notch or two and we are reminded of the initial first track. This time, with vocal, the mood is a reflection of the opening song. This time we are met with gentle harmonious vocals and soothing lyrics. A love song full of sunset romance and smooth themes. Written again, solely by Clapton, we are introduced to the smooth sounds of his backing group, The Impressions who actually do, I must say, a perfect imitation of Clapton’s voice. Smoothing his lead into theirs, they are hardly noticeable on first hearing the track. A competitive moment in this album were we can sit back and let this mood flow over us. Picked up on a gentle note towards the end of the track, the backing vocals become a touch more prominent and this lifts the song onto a chanting level of repetitive lyrics. Perfectly produced, it fits beautifully into this eclectic album.

For interested blues fans, they will be delighted to hear the introduction of this next track. ‘Come Back Baby,’ should pretty much speak for itself. Slowed beyond any happy emotion, this Ray Charles song is produced in a style that Charles would have been proud off. Clapton doesn’t attempt to imitate Charles to the point of irratingness, but what he does do is do the track justice by giving it all the right blues themes to built it up to a crescendo of a guitar solo at the break. We’ll be swaying to the grinding rhythms of this sectioned song. The blues will hit you right in the stomach. Hankies at the ready….

The next track appears as a composition from Simon Climie (of Climie Fisher fame) and Dennis Morgan. This track is straightened out where the previous had left a mess in your mind. It is the first time, we get to hear an echoed backing vocal where it is strong and they overpowered Clapton’s vocal. What is interesting is a beautifully played acoustic guitar break. The string arrangements in this particular track is by Nick Ingman. Soulful and desperate in its mood, it is a catchy, but not offensive piece. The track ends with a ramble up and down the keyboards by one of the greatest piano players of the twentieth century, Mr Billy Preston, who appeared, as an added interest, on ‘Get Back,’ by The Beatles.

‘Find Myself,’ takes on a different mood again, and we find an element of rag time melody to this number. It’s all cloth caps and whippets, the sort of thing Granddad would have liked to listen to. It’s swinging back to the days of Clive Dunn but with the presence of a slide guitar. Too country to some, it is still enhanced by the deep feelings in Clapton’s voice. Written by Clapton, we find a number of solo projects on this album. He is known for not just solely composing an album but incorporating other artist to test out new works too. The innovator of showmanship, he allows each of his featured musicians to take a turn in the limelight. Gentle to the point of almost falling asleep. It appeals to the lethargic of us. Lacking any true spirit of rock Clapton style, it will relax you to not moving at all…Bearing in mind that we had already discovered other artists appearing almost unnoticed on this album, this next track, ‘I Ain’t Gonna Stand For It,’ will be recognisable to most of us as the hit penned by Stevie Wonder. Funky, Clapton style, it works, surprisingly on this album. It is the touch that was needed to enlighten this album as it could have quite imaginably gone down the pan of too much slow blues! Jumpy, and well defined as a Wonder number with Clapton additions, it is strangely suited to Clapton’s vocals and arrangement. However, as much as I am not keen on Wonder, this track should have been given back to him. I am not at all in favour of big artists covering equally big artists’ work. I usually think it’s a bit of a cop out, then it will appeal to many people, however. We can not be doing a Wonder cover without the statutory rhythm guitar, funky riff at the break. It doesn’t, although appear to be out of place here.

This next track, again, will be a surprise, but also reminds us of how extraordinary Clapton really is. We are introduced to Billy Preston and his magical finger work on the keyboard of a piano. Clapton changes his vocals to suit each genre he takes on. His voice sounds clear and somewhat hollow through the speakers. We shouldn’t’ have ever doubted that this man couldn’t sing, he can and with this sort of extra slow blues arrangement at a ‘midnight’ time of the mind, the backing vocals hold up right this track with their emotional ooo’s and arrh’s. Clapton’s voice becomes ragged and in pain, yet this track is just as well produced as any other. We fall into the hands of this next track like a fallen Autumn leaf. Written by Eric Clapton, Climie and Dennis Morgan, it transports us to a softer, more middle of the road plain. Gentle on the drum and quiet on the guitar, it is Chris Rea time again. Not a bad thing really, as these types of mellow blues themes have been carefully split up in this album so as not to bore us totally. ‘Second Nature,’ still is very Clapton. He has the ability to take a genre, any genre and turn it into his own…

‘Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight,’ is the first of that last four final tracks of this album. It is a James Taylor record that will probably turn a few noses up at the sheer mention of that Taylor name, and me too, I might add. Again, this blues theme runs like a twisting river through this album. We can now see a pattern forming, which, as the listener, I don’t mind, but I also feel that a good album should not become predictable. This track, we could see coming a mile away. Typical of Taylor, I shouldn’t have to say anything more than that. It’s slow. It’s moody. It’s bloody James Taylor….! Clapton gets hold of it, turns it around, adds his lyrics, then suddenly, we forget Taylor and like the kids in the Bisto advert, we sigh with relief…

‘Modern Girl,’ is another project solely by Clappers. Dreamy and thoughtful, it rambles a looping riff at the opening and the bass line, whispering in the backing track, holds the whole thing together. Wistful and far away, its distant subject is uplifting and out of all the tracks on this album, this is the one, I felt, is the most attentive, sincere and emotion provoking of all the pieces on this album. I do believe it is the very light hint of strings in the backing track that gives it depth, emotion and frames the piece like a picture. We can almost imagine the girl in question. A very posing track, it will surround you with haunting impressions of the subject.

On a totally different scale completely, we are then thrown into the rocking raunches of ‘Superman Inside,’ which we find practically thrashy compared to the rest of the tracks here. Tonnes of clashing cymbals and cheeky organ fumbles, it is Clapton, as most of us will know him. Yet, all this noise, may whip up some ‘good time’ notions in our heads, nothing actually prepares us for the last, and certainly not least track on this album. Top bring us right down to Earth, he paints a clear picture now of what the whole album was all about in the first place.

So far, we have merely experienced a reflective, yet celebration filled album which has made us stomp our feet, clap our hands and forget what the subject in mind here. Clapton in ‘Son And Sylvia,’ takes us through the photograph of the back cover of the album. His uncle, ‘son’ as he was called and his wife, Sylvia. This track is a joyous and also thankful piece of instrumental tribute to two very loving, fond family members, who, yes, will mean nothing to us, but we can feel, imagine and know what these two young people in the photograph, enjoying their first trip to the seaside actually meant to Clapton, and in that, we feel honoured, and perhaps a little uncomfortable listening to this track. Simply only for the feeling that we may be intruding on something so obviously very personal.

Within this album Clapton reaches out to his listeners and gives us back a little piece of his childhood and the people that were in it, although, they do not jump out at us through this music. What we do get to feel is someone who can take the very special people in his life and create imaginative and inspiring pieces of musical tribute to them.

So, thanks, Slow Hand…

You old reptile, you!


EC - guitar
Steve Gadd - drums
Pino Paladino - bass
Paul Carrack - keyboards
Billy Preston - piano/organ
Nathan East - bass
Vocals - EC and The Impressions
Plus a whole host of other musicians who take a turn at everything left or swapped!
Produced by EC and Simon ‘Rise To The Occasion’ Climie
2001 Reprise Records
Bought for five pounds Music Zone, Worthing.

©m.duffy (sam1942) 2006.