Eric Clapton - Forever Man (2015) LP

Compilation album of songs from the British guitarist's solo career spanning three decades. The album debuted at #8 in the UK Albums Chart and features the songs 'Motherless Child', 'Terraplane Blues' and 'Sweet Home Chicago' as well as collaborations with J.J. Cale and B.B. King.

Seven decades of life, five on stage. Eric Clapton, god of the six strings, has made to coincide the release of this triple compilation with a double in the no less than mythical Madison Square Garden to celebrate his birthday and demonstrate that age is merely an accident along the journey. Three enormous discs—fifty songs—with the first part dedicated to studio recordings, another with live performances and the third—the best— monographic with some of the jewels of the blues that have passed through his guitar since 1983, the “cut-off” year imposed by his record company.

That the third chapter is the best is a mere question of taste. The selection of songs made by the executives from Reprise also, however in the case of Clapton three discs fall short to summarize the last three and half decades of his career discos plagued by hundreds—surely even thousands without exaggerating too much—of collaborations with many other companions along the road. Just remembering his hand to hand with Steve Winwood on the same New York stage makes one’s hairs stand on end. So, it was mission impossible to please everyone. Just to choose the version of, for example, Sunshine of your love, could take years of debate among fans despite circumscribing themselves to the later years of the 80’s.