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Pilgrim

Eric Clapton - Pilgrim Audio CD

A fair review of the Eric Clapton "Pilgrim" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Eric Clapton reviews here, or go back to the Eric Clapton tabs.

Band: Eric Clapton
Title: Pilgrim
Rating:

Release Date: 1998-03-10
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: My Father's Eyes 2: River of Tears 3: Pilgrim 4: Broken Hearted 5: One Chance 6: Circus 7: Goin' Down Slow 8: Fall Like Rain 9: Born in Time 10: Sick & Tired 11: Needs His Woman 12: She's Gone 13: You Were There 14: Inside of Me

Eric Claptons' " Pilgrim"

It is combination of fresh takes on some of my favorits and some mew great songs Clapton is KING. purchased Eric Claptons' Pilgrim" CD and it lived up to the promo on Amazon.

Guess you had to be there
Well Pilgrim is one of those for me. Seriously, everyone has a handful of albums or CDs that the whole thing just echoes or conjurs up an experience in your life and you swear the artist must have been right there and witnessed it because the song hits so close to home, and not just a song but the whole album. I always have been a Clapton fan, and I had read somewhere recently it wasn't received very well so I thought I would check the old amazon reviews and try to get a feeling. I was glad to see a lot of positive reviews and more than a little taken a back at how mean the negative ones were.
Back to Pilgrim. I can't explain it but this CD reaches out and touches the soul. I know that just because an album does it for one person, doesn't mean it will do it for all, but this is one of the few I think could pull it off if you give it a real chance. I can't say if its like Journeyman, or Cream or the Dominos days, I don't think that would be fair because it is so much different but still soooooooooooooooooo Clapton. This isn't full of party hard licks like Layla. But its not totally void of that either. The guitar playing is subtle yet you can't stop hearing it because it sticks. This is an album that can induce healing and peace even when the songs descibe loss. Its a journey, and that's what Pilgrims do.

Give this CD a real chance, I'll bet when you get done you are somewhere between a smile and a wince. Not about the quality of the album,that will no longer be in in dispute, but the qualiity of the things in your own life you had forgotten.

A real blues!
What the hell? Who was "blue" in the 90's. This is a real heartfelt blues statement, from the 90's. Eric Clapton was and here it is for all to hear. It is a very dark, emotional record. Clapton is letting it all out for everyone to see/hear. It is music from a man who has experienced the ultimate loss baring his soul. As someone with children, still alive and well, it is a record that is hard to listen on the level of losing what is most dear to you. It is is that bare bones. As someone who is a music lover and great fan of Clapton, it is what the blues is all about! Pouring your heart and soul into the music. A brilliant record!

A lot of people here are pissing about no great guitar playing. Listen closer. Nuance and subtlety make a great player and this record has it in spades.

From a artist who has made many brilliant musical statements, this is one of his best!.

A stunning pleasant departure for Eric
How could this 70s guitar hero, blues guy, etc, turn out such a slow, moody, romantic CD? Wow. I rediscover this CD every couple of years, and it gets stuck in my CD player. The audio mix is incredible.

Whatever he did, I wish he'd do it again. This is one of the top 10 CDs in the world for me. River of Tears just tears me up. Over and over. . .

And talking about tearing me up, his voice has matured so much! Pinched off with emotion. He's come so far from the Layla days, or Delaney Bonnie et all.

I'm a Pilgrim for Pilgrim
As the REO Speedwagon song "Riding the Storm Out" says, "I'm not missing a thing". I just read ALL the 1-star reviews of this album to see if I could find "what I've been missing". This is a great album, and this review is mainly written as a rebuttal to the critical ones. "Layla" is the Clapton album this reminds me most of. In fact, to me the comparison is obvious, and they may rank as my two favorite Clapton albums. Both are testaments of pain, and each feature some of Eric's best singing. The nature of the pain, and the singer's response to it are vastly different, but that is what happens when the singer ages from 25 to 53, and on "Pilgrim" you can hear more resolution to life's struggles, as befits his age.

Eric's voice has never sounded better, before or since. On "Layla" his singing is raw and passionate, but listen to the first verse of "Brokenhearted". That subtlety of execution is not something you hear in any early Clapton recordings, and it's heart-wrenching. The man has really learned how to sing, and he does a masterful high-pitched soul wail on "Pilgrim" and "Inside of Me", that one reviewer correctly notes as a send-up of Curtis Mayfield. And for those who complain "where's Eric's guitar?", well, not only are there three cut-up blues rockers (although the strings on "Sick and Tired" seem almost deliberately out of place, like a spoof), but listen to what he is doing with the guitar on each song - great guitar doesn't have to be loud or even up-front in the mix. And the acoustic work on "Circus" is reminiscent of the lively melancholy of "Can't Find My Way Home" on "Blind Faith". Some reviewers seem to find a preoccupation with the loss of Eric's son Conor (as if the loss were somehow unworthy of it), but only "My Father's Eyes" and "Circus" fit that category, and neither is maudlin, as "Tears in Heaven" could be considered. There are many other sources of Eric's pain, and if you read his recent autobiography, you will find ample testimony to fit many of these songs, especially "You Were There". One reviewer wasn't sure "who this is about", and it might be in part about a friend, but "Lord, you were there through the days of wine and madness when I always put you down" (I'm paraphrasing) suggests something more. Many reviewers complain about the drum tracks. Maybe a live drummer would have added a little more color to the album, but these songs are not fertile ground for a Ginger Baker anyway. The album does have a "late 90s sound", but so it is with many classic works by Clapton and others - they are identifiable with their times.

To sample the range that this album offers, check out these tracks: "Brokenhearted" for it's exquisite beauty, "Circus" for the masterful acoustic picking, "She's Gone" for raw blues power, and "Inside of Me" for Eric the soul man. Might as well throw in "My Father's Eyes" for its reggae-like rhythm and sharp pop sensibility. If I have a criticism of Eric Clapton's discography, it would be that some of his albums sound like he's on cruise control. He's so good, he can turn out an enjoyable album without breaking a sweat. This is not to deny their quality or enjoyability, but "Pilgrim", like "Layla" is not such an album. He sweats here, and bleeds. And it's a must for your Clapton collection. .

You can see a complete list of all Eric Clapton discography, or go back to the Eric Clapton tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.