Something Way Worse: Derek and the Dominos

Artist: Derek and the Dominos

Album: Layla and other Assorted Love Songs

The one-year whirlwind of a band Derek and the Dominos had a crew that ranged from rock gods (Eric Clapton) to convicted murderers (Jim Gordon), and only ever dropped one album. But that album remains one of my all-time favorites. Blues rock and blue-eyed soul carried this album to rampant critical acclaim but minimal public reception. Although it ranks among the best albums of all time by VH1 and Rolling Stone, few valued Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs at its initial release.

Derek and the Dominos was a star-studded group with Eric Clapton (of Cream) and Duane Allman (of The Allman Brothers Band) taking the lead. The Dominos name kept themselves deliberately unrecognizable, which played its part in keeping this album from the top of the charts. Clapton admits himself that he hid behind the façade of Derek, as the Layla he was talking about was George Harrison’s wife, Patti Boyd. Derek and the Dominos, never meant to be a full band, fell apart with the death of Duane Allman in 1971. But Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, sporting two of the greatest guitarists of all time (Clapton and Allman,) could never fall into the weeds of one-off, unimportant albums.

“Layla,” by far the most well-recognized song off the album, distinguishes itself with its iconic guitar solo and desperate lyrics. But that song feels like the least important one to me right now, as this album has gems in it that usually hide behind the formidable “Layla.” Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs starts slow and unassuming with “I Looked Away,” which, in any other album, would stand out with Clapton’s desperate vocals and stinging guitar solo. But this folky song merely introduces us to what would be one of the greatest rock albums of all time.

The second song, “Bell Bottom Blues” is, admittedly, my favorite song of all time. The track starts off with slow guitar strums backed by an organ that eventually crescendo into the loud and emotive cries of “Do ya wanna see me crawl across the floor to you? Do ya wanna hear me beg you to take me back?” Responsive guitar licks quickly answer these lyrics. The desperation in Clapton’s vocals comes from a genuine place, as most of the songs on this album are written for his good friend George Harrison’s wife, who Clapton had fallen in love with.

The Dominos mix in a couple covers. “Little Wing” stands tall as as a tribute to the recently deceased Jimi Hendrix, and comes along with the R&B hit “It’s Too Late” and blues standards like “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out,” “Key to the Highway,” and “Have You Ever Loved a Woman.” Clapton transforms these familiar ballads into his own with his trademark guitar solos and supercharged vocals.

The originals, outside of “Layla,” carry this album beyond the multitude of covers. The third track on the album “Keep on Growing” is a funky aside from the emotional and desperate love present on so many of the other tracks. The only slight dud in this album, the fourth track, a laid-back and Beatles-esque song titled “I Am Yours,” is consistently overshadowed by “Anyday,” a powerful fifth installment with compelling vocals that somehow overpower Clapton’s commanding guitar. After this musical nirvana, the album descends into a string of covers that is finished off by “Layla:” Clapton’s masterpiece.

But that’s not where the album ends. After the blissful piano trails off to finish “Layla,” a quiet and almost mythical sounding guitar chimes in to start “A Thorn Tree in the Garden,” a sad and acoustic ballad sung by Bobby Whitlock, the back-up vocalist for the rest of the album. This little ditty serves as the cherry on top of the rest of the ambitious album.

Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs, partially because of the short and treacherous tenure of the band that released it, and partially because of the mystery of its members, does not get as much recognition that I feel it deserves. This album should be hailed as one of the best rock albums of all time, and more people should give it a serious listen.