Eric Clapton Finds Some of His Pre-1980s Albums “Embarrassing” for a Heartbreaking Reason

Those who have followed Eric Clapton for a while likely know him for his contributions to rock and blues. However, if you know his story, you’re also no stranger to Clapton’s personal battles with addiction.

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Clapton actually revealed that, between 1973 and 1981, his addictions especially impacted him musically. He explains that this was due to “the state” he was in at the time of recording these projects.

“I would like to have gone back and extracted all of the alcohol out of my body,” he said in a 1989 interview. “I can listen to that album and say, ‘Well, there’s coke on that one. There’s brandy on that.’ I can hear the state that I’m in.”

He even admitted, “It’s a little embarrassing from about 1973 to about 1981, I was engaging in a lot of stuff far beyond what my health could allow.”

Clapton’s solo albums that were released during this time included 461 Ocean Boulevard, There’s One In Every Crowd, No Reason To Cry, Slowhand, Backless, and Another Ticket, if you were curious.

Eric Clapton’s Journey to Sobriety

Real fans of the guitarist know that Clapton’s drug use really started around the late 60s. Around this time, he played for several different bands, including Cream, under which he released four albums. 

In 1971, things escalated to a new level of concern when Clapton collapsed onstage during a benefit concert. At the time, he was in the early stages of heroin withdrawal. He did stop using during his relationship with Pattie Boyd in the 70s, as Transcend Clinic reports. However, Clapton was quick to substitute the drugs for alcohol.

Then, in 1986, with model Lori del Santo, Clapton welcomed the birth of his son, Conor. It was after this he realized he needed to really make a change.

In his autobiography, he writes, “By that time it had begun to sink in that I was a father, and that it was time for me to grow up. I considered all my previous irrational behavior to have been reasonably excusable because it had been conducted with consenting adults. Whereas with this tiny child, who was so vulnerable, I suddenly became aware that it was time to stop f***ing around.”

Since seeking treatment in 1987, Clapton has embraced sobriety fully, even after enduring the death of his four-year-old in 1991. He shared in 2007 that he has no regrets, except for what his addictions might have taken from him musically.

“I don’t know that I can honestly regret any of it safely,” he told NPR, “Because it’s brought me to where I am. My life would not be the same, and I would not have what I have today, were [it not] for the fact that I went through all this stuff.

But I suppose if I do have any regrets, it is that musically I lost something there.”

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