'461 Ocean Boulevard'

For one of the 1,001 records I should listen to before I die, it's a pretty boring album, probably included because it's Eric Clapton's only solo record on the list and Clapton's apparently someone considered important.

There's probably not a more overrated musician -- although extremely good -- and certainly someone that I don't feel leads a group, or exerts himself as a solo artist very well. Meanwhile, Derek and the Dominoes, The Yardbirds, Blind Faith and Cream are all much more accomplished, polished and generally better.

461 Ocean Boulevard is a collection of blues standards, a Bob Marley cover, a couple of hippie callbacks and an album full of warbled lyrics. It was recorded with Clapton coming off of heroin and taking up alcohol instead. He wouldn't be right for another decade and by then he'd encounter another lifetime of heartbreak.