Slowhand [Remaster] by Eric Clapton

Pros: It's EC on SACD!
Cons: Explaining to my son why a great guitar hero sings about cocaine!

One of my favorite guitar players is also one of the best guitar players; Eric "Slowhand" Clapton. I've been lucky enough to see him in concert a few times, twice doing his own show, and once as guitarist for Roger Waters. Perhaps one of his most famous ...

Pros: Mid-career textbook on why Clapton is one of the important figures in 20th century music.
Cons: This particular lineup only around for a short time.

Now a middle-aged man who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s, I once had a lot acquaintances that claimed to have seen God (via drug induced hallucinations, no doubt). But I really did see God. On February 10th, 1978. In Oakland, California. And he...

Pros: Pros: Wonderful Tonight, Cocaine, Lay Down Sally
Cons: Cons? There are none!

If you have not yet been wooed into the world that is Clapton, then you can't start at a better place than the 1-2 punch of this album and 1974's 461 Ocean Boulevard. The two albums not only showcase Clapton's guitar prowess, but offer heavy doses into the stuff that's made him a staple at classic rock stations. This album would be a must-have for "Wonderful Tonight" alone, but it packs in "Cocaine," "Lay Down Sally," and "The Core" as well. Vital to any collection worth its weight in rock salt.