|
by William Ruhlmann
When he gave a speech inducting the Band into the Rock & Roll Hall
of Fame, Eric Clapton said that after he heard their debut album, Music
from Big Pink, he wanted to join the group, the fact that they already
had a guitarist in Robbie Robertson notwithstanding. In the winter of
1975-1976, when he cut No Reason to Cry at the Band's Shangri-la Studio
in Malibu, California, he came as close as he ever would to realizing
that desire. Clapton is a musical chameleon; though some of No Reason
to Cry is identifiable as the kind of pop/rock Clapton had been making
since the start of his solo career (the best of it being "Hello Old
Friend," which became his first Top 40 single in two years), the
most memorable music on the album occurs when Clapton is collaborating
with members of the Band and other guests. He duets with Band bassist
Rick Danko on Danko's "All Our Past Times," and with Bob Dylan
on Dylan's "Sign Language," as Robertson's distinctive lead
guitar is heard rather than Clapton's. As a result, the album is a good
purchase for fans of Bob Dylan and the Band, but not necessarily for those
of Eric Clapton. [The CD reissue adds a bonus track, "Last Night,"
which is a traditional 12-bar blues song credited to Clapton.]
|
