The Blues Bloggers

If this were your first exposure to Eric Clapton, a bit of bewilderment would be in order. This is the legendary guitar icon? This is (as his early apostles once proclaimed) God? Ranging from the mid-'80s through the late '90s, The Clapton Chronicles owes less to the groundbreaking blues-rock of Clapton's '60s and '70s classics than to the polished-to-a-glare pop of Phil Collins, who produced one of the tracks included in this 14-song anthology. His reinterpretation of his greatest recording--the once-gripping, now-placid "Layla"--perhaps best illustrates Clapton at middle-age: Who wants to bask in his darkest period? Not Clapton, who converts his surging, purging charge into a soothing stroll. And perhaps not fans of such docile MOR fare as "My Father's Eyes," "Tears in Heaven," and the two new tracks, "Blue Eyes Blue" and "Get Lost."

Track List:

   1. "Blue Eyes Blue" (Diane Warren) – 4:42
   2. "Change the World" (Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Tommy Sims) – 3:55
   3. "My Father's Eyes" (Eric Clapton) – 5:24
   4. "Tears in Heaven" (Clapton, Will Jennings) – 4:33
   5. "Layla" [Unplugged] (Clapton, Jim Gordon) – 4:37
   6. "Pretending" (Jerry Lynn Williams) – 4:43
   7. "Bad Love" (Clapton, Mick Jones) – 5:14
   8. "Before You Accuse Me (Take a Look at Yourself)" (Ellas McDaniel) – 3:57
   9. "It's in the Way That You Use It" (Clapton, Robbie Robertson) – 4:11
  10. "Forever Man" (Williams) – 3:11
  11. "Running on Faith" (Williams) – 6:26
  12. "She's Waiting" (Clapton, Peter Robinson) – 4:58
  13. "River of Tears" (Clapton, Simon Climie) – 7:21
  14. "(I) Get Lost" (Clapton ) – 4:21

Bonus Tracks:

   1. "Wonderful Tonight" (Live) (Clapton) - 5:27
   2. "Tearing Us Apart" (With Tina Turner) (Clapton, Greg Phillinganes) - 4:17