August is a good-time album. It's Clapton at the peak of his pop stardom. Beats are snappy and danceable (unusual for Clapton), even though the lyrics are frequently about unhappy love affairs (usual for him). Clapton's career was languishing until the Live Aid concert in July 1985. That one performance launched him into the stratosphere. August was his best-selling album to that point in his career. Yes, it sold more records than the iconic Slowhand.

It's almost impossible to talk about this album without the visual creeping in because of the innumerable videos shot during the two-year promotion tour. The best of these is the concert-length Eric Clapton and Friends, which is available on DVD. Clapton looks like he's having so much fun, and he's so cute (personal opinion). Find the video of his duet with Tina Turner, and you'll see what I mean. He's like a little boy awestruck by the elemental force that is Turner.

Please forgive the digression. Now I'll get back to the review of the album. He sings with what I call his "power voice," all out all the time. You might think he would have damaged his throat, but this was before he proved with From the Cradle that his voice is indestructible.

Tearing Us Apart with Tina Turner is the rocker from the album that made it big. Miss You is as good, maybe better because of the sophisticated lyrics, even though its riff and rhythm are not as infectious. A very angry man is telling his unfaithful lover that he'll get along fine without her. Whether she goes or stays doesn't seem to matter much, even though he'll miss her: "I can't forgive you, but I'm gonna miss you." At the end he does a 180 degree switch when he says, "I'm gonna miss the ground you walk on. I'm gonna miss the air you breathe." He sings these lines so softly that you might miss the most important part of the song.

Clapton's guitar takes precedence, as it should, but his genius with lyrics is mostly ignored. As a couple of examples, in Hold On it says "There are thistles growing in my pillow" to describe the anxiety of love. Grand Illusion (which he didn't write but probably collaborated on) is one powerful image after another: "I used to chase the warm winds of desire back to where my young heart burned like a fire." He says his life has been a grand illusion, but we know he is only halfway through a life that is very real.

I only have a few complaints, but they are serious ones. There are no long guitar solos; the guitar work is mostly as intermezzo. There are two that are close to qualifying, though. The sound quality is flawed; it fades in and out. Someone forgot to tell Phil Collins that the role of the drummer in a band is to support the star, and that isn't Collins. His drumming too often overwhelms Clapton's singing and, an even greater sin, his guitar work. Finally, whoever suggested the ridiculous wide-legged stance that is so not Clapton (the visual again) should be flayed.

The exquisite and moving Holy Mother requires a completely separate review. That it is dedicated to Richard Manuel makes it even more poignant. I'm not much into analyzing songs in terms of a performer's life because I believe a work should be able to stand on its own without the need for outside support. But, here the back story seems to be a man who has lost his faith until he is in desperate need of grace. His progression back is reflected in some moving lines: "I have seen the stars fall from the sky," "somehow I know you're still there," "I've cursed your name a thousand times, I've felt the anger running through my soul," and the most moving, "when my hands no longer play, when my voice is still and I fade away, Holy Mother, then I'll be lying in, safe within your arms." However, his emotions are best expressed in the passionate solo that ends the song. We can only hope that he kept the strength, security, and faith he finds by the end of this song for when he'll need it to survive a monstrous grief, the death of his son.

Brand	N/A
Rating	4.5 (453 ratings)
Price	$7.31
Category	Rock Guitarists

August

Description