Album of the Day #8: LAYLA AND OTHER ASSORTED LOVE SONGS - Derek And The Dominoes

Title: Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
Artist: Derek And The Dominoes
Year: 1970
Label: Polydor/Atco
Songs: I Looked Away [Eric Clapton & Bobby Whitlock]/Bell Bottom Blues [Eric Clapton]/Keep On Growing [Eric Clapton & Bobby Whitlock]/Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out [Jimmie Cox]/I Am Yours [Eric Clapton & Nizami]/Anyday [Eric Clapton & Bobby Whitlock]/Key To The Highway [Charles Segar & Willie Brunzy]/Tell The Truth [Eric Clapton & Bobby Whitlock]/Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad? Eric Clapton & Bobby Whitlock]/Have You Ever Loved A Woman [Billy Miles]/Little Wing [Jimi Henrix]/It’s Too Late [Chuck Willis]/Layla Eric Clapton & Jim Gordon]/Thorn Tree In The Garden [Bobby Whitlock]
Executive Producer: Tom Dowd
Produced & Arranged by The Dominoes
Thoughts: I am not a die-hard Eric Clapton fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I do realize how great a contribution he has made to Rock music. Layla, as one of my favorite songs ever, was the one album I figured I had to have, so I got it as soon as I could. It’s a magnificent piece of work, but I’ve never liked Clapton’s vocals, as they always feel like they’re buried in the mix. It’s not that that’s a bad thing…at least it gives you a better chance to hear his incredible guitar playing. The rest of the Dominoes are incredible and it makes you wish they made another one. At least the one that they did make is a double album. Personally, I love the sequencing of the album. It makes you listen to everything to get to “Layla”. Even the other single, “Bell Bottom Blues,” pales in comparison to the track. That doesn’t mean that the rest of the record is filler, it’s just that nothing in the world compares to that guitar intro…nothing.
Rating: 9/10