461 Ocean Blvd. (Deluxe Edition)

This 1974 release, his first studio album in four years (and first since kicking his heroin problems), announced the arrival of a new Clapton: desperately trying to shed his guitar-god reputation, he emerged as a more polished, more focused mainstream rocker. Sure, there are still a number of blues covers and ample six-string wizardry to be found here (\"Motherless Children,\" \"Steady Rollin\' Man\"), but there\'s also a laid-back, easy flow. Clapton\'s own songwriting (\"Give Me Strength,\" \"Let It Grow\") showed a newfound emotional maturity, and his cover of Bob Marley\'s \"I Shot the Sheriff\" (amazingly, a chart-topping single) found him expanding his musical horizons. *461* balances Clapton\'s guitar mastery, songwriting skills, relaxed vocals, and refined taste as well as anything he\'s recorded.