Derek and the Dominos: Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970) [Blu-ray]

Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (рус. Лэйла и другие песни о любви) — единственный студийный альбом группы Derek and the Dominos, вышедший в 1970 году. Его нередко называют самым значительным музыкальным достижением Эрика Клэптона.

In the world of rock there are recordings that truly resonate in historical importance and continue to cast an enduring shadow of influence. Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs is one of the most steadfastly revered musical treasures of its era. Its famous title track is still hailed as an essential rock guitar anthem, a signature tune of rock’s leading guitar hero, Eric Clapton. Recorded in 1970 by Derek and the Dominos, the group was comprised of Clapton and top American musicians Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle and Jim Gordon. Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs music offers a timeless blend of rock, electric blues and Southern gospel influences that has shaped generations of roots-oriented musicians.

Derek and the Dominos came together at a very special time and place, riding a late ‘60s wave of interest in roots music and blues-based rock and roll. In 1969, Clapton found inspiration playing in the loose, family-like structure of Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, an American, R&B-influenced entourage whose 1969 U.K. tour hit the British music scene with seismic proportion.

Despite the tongue-in-cheek, spontaneously chosen name, Derek and the Dominos represented a sincere effort to recreate the friendly, leaderless vibe and easy, groove-driven sound Clapton had enjoyed in ’69. The foursome originally featured Delaney and Bonnie’s rhythm section, keyboardist/vocalist Whitlock, bassist Radle and drummer Jim Gordon, plus Clapton on vocals and guitars. They first came together in late spring of 1970, developing their sound while performing on George Harrison’s breakthrough solo album, All Things Must Pass (their studio jams pushed the album to a three-disc package.) That June, Derek and the Dominos premiered publicly in London. By August they began recording their debut album at Criteria Studios in Miami, with legendary producer Tom Dowd in the control room.

Layla and Other Love Songs, the double-album that Derek and the Dominos recorded over the next 6 weeks showcased the creative singing and songwriting axis formed by Clapton and the Memphis-born Whitlock, who had grown up around the city’s legendary Stax Studios. The confluence of their respective experiences, British blues-rock and Southern American R&B, generated a number of gospel-inflected tunes that featured their intertwined voices harmonizing much in the fashion of a rock-world Sam & Dave, and are among the most representative and covered tunes of that era: “Anyday,” “Keep On Growing,” “Tell the Truth,” “I Looked Away” and “Why Does Love Got To Be So Bad.”

Треклист:
1. I Looked Away
2. Bell Bottom Blues
3. Keep on Growing
4. Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out
5. I Am Yours
6. Anyday
7. Key to the Highway
8. Tell the Truth
9. Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?
10. Have You Ever Loved a Woman
11. Little Wing
12. It's Too Late
13. Layla
14. Thorn Tree in the Garden