Eric Clapton - Journeyman

good effort by the legend

Clapton returns in 1989 with another huge followup to his huge phil collins produced behind the sun (1985) & August (1986). This album was even bigger than those 2. The refreshed clapton of the 80s continued his modesty & invited a plethora of musicians including collins, cray, daryl hall, david sanborn, chaka kahn, ray cooper, george harrison, pino palladino, nathan east, phillinganes & many more to complement his playing. This album was made a little inconsistent by the fact that there were so many guest muscicians (typical of 80s clapton). Clapton loves playing with a diverse list of musicians. His buddy phil collins played drums on "bad love" & the same year clapton played on "wish it would rain down" on phil's #1 album but seriously. They maintained their muscial relationship throughout the 80s. Great tunes here are pretending, bad love, no alibis, & running on faith. The album touches on a few musical styles including rock, pop, blues, & adult contemporary. His vocal performances are probably some of his best ever here especially on no alibis & pretending. On "no alibis" daryl hall helps on backing vocals & the result is incredible. Hall is a very underated musician & vocalist largely due to his poppy hall & oats stuff. Journeyman, along with collins's "but seriously" & "we can't dance" (1991 final genesis studio album) are 3 of the last great sophisticated albums in rock history. In the 90s grunge, rap, & heavy metal really triggered the decline of musicianship which has held on to present day (2008) - too bad. The late 80s & early 90s was really the swan song for intelligent rock. Buy this piece of rock history. June 22, 2008

one of my favorites from Clapton

Eric Clapton is a true legend. An amazing guitarist, songwriter, singer, historian, and crucial member of several Hall of Fame worthy bands. I saw the Journeyman tour twice in 1989/90 and those were great concerts, and that may influence my opinion, he was on fire that year. Journeyman is a great Clapton album and I'd put it up there with Layla, the Cream albums, his self-titled "solo" album, and Slowhand. If you are a Claptonhead and don't have Journeyman, you should get it ASAP. Stinging blues, soaring pop, and the riff of bad Love is just awesome.

Standout tracks: Pretending, Bad Love, Anything For Love, Running on Faith, Before You Accuse Me August 17, 2007

Have a Little Faith

If for no other reason but the debut of the classic "Running On Faith" this Clapton venture deserves a space on any music lover's shelf. At the end of the 1980's what was left to say? Many classic artists put in two cents in 1989; Dylan, Joel, the Stones, Ronstadt, Henley, each with different views and widely different results. Clapton combined the blues with some old fashioned rock and roll to create a worthy farewell to the excess of the 80's.

" Pretending", the first track and single from the album, is a rocker with some electric influence. Typical " you've done me wrong" song. " Bad Love" was the second single, again, nothing profound but easy on the ears. " Running on Faith" is one of Clapton's best songs. Period. The Gospel choir at the end is an affirmation of faith in action. " Old Love" is another song that lilts along with a haunting message. Everyone has one of these painful ghosts.

" Journeyman" is a far cry from " Slowhand", but it does offer a tale of a rocker aging gracefully. March 7, 2007

Good, Not Great

When I first got this album, I really wasn't expecting much. Clapton was never the bloke I turned to when I wanted to rock out. Upon the first listen, I concluded that Clapton cannot rock. He's too firmly rooted in the blues to really crank it out, and his later work consolidates this fidgetyness with a tendency to add an unecessary gloss to his work.

"Pretending" and "Bad Love" are the closest thing to 'rock' one finds on this album. Muffled wah-wah-ing takes place in front of a dated rhythm sequencer's noises. Elsewhere, the album incorporates the gaudiest 80s technology in the worst possible manner. It's like the cheesiest Miami Vice episode meeting sappy lyrics. But, to be fair, I'm fond of cheesy 80s machine music... it just doesn't gel too well with Clapton.

Some tracks are too bluesy for my tastes, while others try too hard ("Breaking Point"!).

In the end, I must admit that I don't hate the record. However, the mix of sounds doesn't coalesce into a nice whole. I suppose, however, that it's infinitely better than the Boys 2 Men rip off that was 1998's "Pilgrim." Bleh. November 15, 2006

My Bridge to the Blues

I bought this album in cassette form years ago. At the time I really didn't know much about EC other than his association with the Beatles, his track on the Back to the Future soundtrack, and the intriguing guitar duel on George Harrison's Cloud 9 title track.

Having gone through most of his work since, surprisingly, this album remains my favorite. In a nutshell, it was a great first impression.

Even though you can hear George playing and singing backup on "Run so Far" on this album, it came as a poignant surprise to find out that it was George's own song, and to hear his version of it on his final, posthumous album. November 11, 2006

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