Bell Bottom Blues is, arguably, the second best known song from Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. I have to say a few words about the title track before proceeding. Yes, it's a great song, but I get tired of that endless second half of piano and slide guitar. It's like McCartney's Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey - I enjoy the first part, but the second part gets annoying ("Admiral Halsey notified me, la la la la blah couldn't get to sleep."). I had a friend growing up who always missed the first part of Layla if it was on the radio, heck even when we saw Clapton in concert he went to pee and got back to our area during the second part of Layla. I started calling the song Layla/Jeff's Tune in my friend's honor.
Bell Bottom Blues is my favorite song from the album (but not my favorite Derek and the Dominos tune). Eric Clapton sings it with such pain and longing (for George Harrison's wife, Pattie Boyd, like pretty much every song on the album, right?), I really feel for him:
I don't want to fade away.
Give me one more day, please.
I don't want to fade away.
In your heart I want to stay.
The music is great, of course. Duane Allman does not play on it, having joined up with the recording sessions after it was completed. I really dig Carl Radle's bass throughout, mostly his melody during the fade away section. Clapton plays a really sweet solo that starts at 2:18.
No comments:
Post a Comment