Blues Power
| "Blues Power" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Eric Clapton | ||||
| from the album Eric Clapton | ||||
| B-side | "Bottle of Red Wine" | |||
| Released | 1970 | |||
| Recorded | Early 1970 | |||
| Genre | Rock · blues rock | |||
| Length | 3:08 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Clapton · Leon Russell | |||
| Producer(s) | Delaney Bramlett · Tom Dowd | |||
| Eric Clapton singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Blues Power" is the second solo single by British rock musician Eric Clapton, off his 1970 debut studio album Eric Clapton. It was released in 1970 as a 7" vinyl gramophone record under Polydor Records.[1] The song never reached any of the music charts worldwide.
Composition and release
[edit]The song features a rock and roll style tempo and singing by Clapton, with the music and lyrics being stopped frequently with a pause between chosen lines. The song is in the key of C major.[2] Besides being released on the studio album and as a single in 1970, the track is included on various live and compilation albums: The History of Eric Clapton (1972), Eric Clapton at His Best (1972), Just One Night (1980),[3] Backtrackin' (1984), Time Pieces Vol.II Live in the Seventies (1985), Crossroads (1988) and The Cream of Clapton (1995). In total, the song is featured on over 15 albums.[4]
Critical reception
[edit]Music critic Robert Christgau notes that the songs "Bottle of Red Wine" and "Blues Power" do not deserve classic status, and goes on to criticise Clapton's performance on the song: "a party song called "Blues Power" from a man with a hellhound on his trail".[5] AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine says the song "isn't a blues song".[6]
In his live album Leon Live, rock musician Leon Russell used the beginning few lines of the song, which he co-wrote, on his own song "Shoot Out on the Plantation".
References
[edit]- ^ "Eric Clapton – Blues Power – austriancharts.at". Ö3 Austria Top 40 (in German). Stefan Hung – Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ "Blues Power Chords by Eric Clapton | Songsterr Tabs with Rhythm". songsterr.com. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ "Review: Eric Clapton – Blues Power" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 85, no. 43. 25 October 1980. p. 85. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 30 May 2020 – via American Radio History.
- ^ "Blues Power – Eric Clapton | Listen, Appearances, Song Review | AllMusic". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Eric Clapton > Eric Clapton [Polydor, 1970]". Robert Christgau. robertchristgau.com. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ "Eric Clapton – Eric Clapton | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved August 16, 2015.