Track Listing

1. I Shot The Sheriff
2. After Midnight
3. Knockin' On Heaven's Door
4. Wonderful Tonight
5. Layla
6. Cocaine
7. Lay Down Sally
8. Bell Bottom Blues
9. Promises
10. Let It Rain
11. Let It Grow

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #100343 in Music
• Released on: 2004-06-15
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered

Album Description
The 20th Century Masters series is the best-selling single-artist line in music history and is being re-released by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) in its ground-breaking, environmentally-friendly packaging format. A first for the music industry, the standard package (both sleeve and tray) will be completely paper-recyclable, continuing the company's long-standing commitment to being "green."

To further reduce the amount of paper in the Eco-Pack, the CD booklet will no longer be offered. Official liner notes are easily accessible on the Internet at http://www.ilovethatsong.com/green.

UMe is the first North American music company to replace the traditional jewel case with recycled paperboard sleeves and the plastic tray with trays made from PaperFoam®, a new packaging technology from Shorewood Packaging, a business of International Paper, that is paper-recyclable and biodegradable. Shorewood Packaging is the first North American packaging supplier to produce disc trays from PaperFoam®.

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Customer Reviews

Clapton excels with his roots in blues, rock and country--but Clapton's worthy of better than this CD "retrospective."
Eric Clapton remains one of the most respected musicians we've ever seen. His vocals and music are beautifully arranged works of art that appeal to many people because of his roots in R&B, rock and country. Clapton even helped to introduce America to reggae with his cover of Bob Marley's song entitled "I Shot The Sheriff." Many people know this to be true, so then why is this CD so lacking as a retrospective?

Don't get me wrong: The CD has great tracks on it: the passionate ballad entitled "Layla;" the high-spirited rendition of J. J. Cale's "After Midnight;" the reggae influenced hit "I Shot The Sheriff;" and the memorable ballad entitled "Bell Bottom Blues." The sound throughout is excellent even on my portable CD player. Clapton performs with great sensitivity and passion; and look for both Rita Coolidge and Yvonne Elliman on back-up vocals on several songs on this album.

However, a big problem arises pretty quickly. There is no music on this retrospective "best of" CD after 1978. Clapton is credited with performing great music for a long, long time since 1978--why isn't any of that represented here? The CD clocks in at an anemic 47 minutes; the producers certainly could have added one or two more songs. No "Tears In Heaven?" No "Sunshine Of Your Love?" I agree with the reviewer who writes that the CD entitled The Cream of Clapton is a much better choice--and a much better buy. You get a lot more Clapton for your money for just $1.50 more--and the sound quality will be good, too.

The liner notes do boast some great pictures of Clapton; and Scott Schinder contributes a essay about Clapton's career. Unfortunately, Schinder's essay about Clapton's work ends with Clapton's late `70s work. I guess he couldn't write about Clapton's artistry if it wasn't on this disc. (Sigh.)

If you merely want a brief introduction to Eric Clapton's earlier work during the 1970s, then this IS a CD for you to consider. However, you'll get a much better feel for Clapton's artistry if you choose The Cream of Clapton and/or Clapton Chronicles - The Best of Eric Clapton. Clapton fans will be disappointed in the brevity of this album. The sound is great; and the song selection is also very good; so I give this four stars. This cannot be a five star review. Sorry, 20th Century Masters, but you've got to come up with something much more comprehensive than this to score a grand slam!

Essential Clapton
I was looking for a reasonably priced Clapton hits package to put on my mp3 player. This turned out to be a winner. With "Layla," "Wonderful Tonight," "Cocaine," and "Lay Down Sally," this disc includes most of my favorites. It also includes his wonderful cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." The only one that appears to be missing is "Tears in Heaven." But every song on here is a classic song, and if you are on a budget, this makes for a great start to a vast Clapton collection.

P.S.: Some other reviewers are complaining that there is no Cream on this CD. That is true, but there is a seperate 20th Century Masters collection for Cream.

not bad, but incomplete.
Is it just me or are "greatest hits" and "best-of" albums always a frustrating ordeal? They almost always leave off some of the hits and/or include new(non-hits) or live versions in their place. Take the new "20th Century Masters" Eric Clapton best-of disc; instead of just chronicling all of his solo hits(from his Polygram/RSO years), it also includes two tunes from Derek & the Dominoes("Layla" and "Bell-bottom Blues"). Two great songs to be sure, but their inclusion meant no room for the solo hits "Hello Old Friend"(1976) and "I Can't Stand It"(1981). But I suppose with Derek & the Dominoes being practically synonymous with Eric Clapton, not having them represented(especially "Layla") would be considered a heinous omission. A much better choice if you're considering a Clapton hits compilation is 1995's "The Cream of Clapton". It's a pretty good overview(1966-1981) covering his Cream, Blind Faith, Derek & the Dominoes as well as all his solo hits(on Polygram). I thought, finally, a greatest hits album with every hit when I bought it a few years back, but beware: no "Lay Down Sally"!?!?! ARRRGGG!!!