Clapton hired Cale’s compatriots (Carl Radle, Dick Sims, Jim Oldaker), covered his songs (“After Midnight,” “Cocaine”), and did everything he could to promote Cale’s distinctive blueprint into one of the most beloved and recognizable songforms in all of rock. We know him for his amazing tunes like Crossroads and Layla. Released in March 1982 on RSO (catalog no. He is one of the greatest rock and roll guitarists of all time. Time Pieces: The Best of Eric Clapton, a Compilation of songs by Eric Clapton. Who could have predicted that the man once defined by “Sunshine of Your Love” would within a few years inhabit the wiry reggae of “I Shot the Sheriff” and in turn use that rhythm to revitalize a Bob Dylan standard (“Knockin’ on Heaven's Door”)? “Layla,” of course, marked a pinnacle of guitar bacchanalia, but the most defining element of this collection is J.J. Before his solo career, he was an unreplaceable member of the band The Yardbirds and Cream. The song was written as an appeal to Pattie Boyd, who was Clapton’s girlfriend at the time and went on to become his first wife.

Having already proved his mettle as a guitarist, Clapton used these years to hone his songwriting and study various forms of rhythm and group interplay. According to Rolling Stone, the best Eric Clapton song of all time is Layla, as it topped the magazine’s reader’s poll. True to its title, Timepieces encapsulates the period from 1970 to 1978, when Clapton was-to put it very simply-in the zone.

Clapton’s legacy as a guitar hero was secured as early as 1966, but it was his '70s output that confirmed his place in the hall of rock 'n' roll’s greatest figures.

The best eric clapton songs