Eric Clapton Announces New Album, ‘Meanwhile’
· Ultimate Classic RockEric Clapton has announced a new album. Meanwhile will be released first in digital form on Oct. 4 before coming to CD and vinyl on Jan. 24, 2025.
The album includes 14 songs, eight collected from singles Clapton has released over the past few years, such as the LP's opening track "Pompous Fool" and "Heart of a Child." You can see the track listing for Meanwhile below.
You can hear "One Woman" from the upcoming album below.
Meanwhile includes collaborations with Van Morrison, Bradley Walker, Judith Hill, Daniel Santiago, Simon Climie and the late Jeff Beck on "Moon River," originally released last year.
READ MORE: How Eric Clapton Opened His Heart and Made a Masterpiece With Derek and the Dominos
The album marks Clapton's first non-holiday album since 2016's I Still Do; he released the seasonal LP Happy XMas in 2018.
On Nov. 29, the all-star album Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival 2023 will be released featuring performances from Clapton, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Santana and others.
Where Is Eric Clapton Playing in 2024?
Clapton begins a South American tour today. They will be his first shows there in 13 years, with stops in Buenos Aires and Sao Paolo, among other cities. He then heads to Mexico City for one show before returning to the U.S. for three California concerts. Gary Clark Jr. will support the first batch of shows while Jimmie Vaughan takes over for the California concerts.
He'll wrap his current run of dates on Oct. 17 with an appearance at the Life Is a Carnival – A Tribute to Robbie Robertson celebration at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.
You can see the list of shows below.
Clapton’s band includes bassist Nathan East, guitarist Doyle Bramhall II, drummer Sonny Emory, keyboardists Chris Stainton and Tim Carmon, and backing singers Sharon White and Katie Kissoon.
Eric Clapton, 2024 Tour
*September 20 – Buenos Aires – Estadio Velez Sasfield
*September 24 – Curitiba – Ligga Arena
*September 26 – Rio de Janeiro – Farmasi Arena
*September 28 – Sao Paolo – VIBRA
*September 29 – Sao Paolo – Allianz Parque
*October 3 – Mexico City – Foro Sol
^October 8 – San Diego – Pechanga Arena
^October 10 – Palm Desert – Acrisure Arena
^October 12 – Los Angeles – Hollywood Bowl
October 17 – Los Angeles – Kia Forum – LIFE IS A CARNIVAL – A TRIBUTE TO ROBBIE ROBERTSON
*Gary Clark Jr
^Jimmie Vaughan
Eric Clapton, 'Meanwhile' Track Listing
1. Pompous Fool
2. Heart of a Child
3. Moon River with Jeff Beck
4. Sam Hall
5. Smile
6. Always On My Mind with Bradley Walker
7. One Woman
8. The Rebels with Van Morrison
9. The Call
10. How Could We Know with Judith Hill, Simon Climie, Daniel Santiago
11. This Has Gotta Stop with Van Morrison
12. Stand and Deliver with Van Morrison
13. You’ve Changed
14. Misfortune
22: 'The Road to Escondido' (With JJ Cale) (2006)
This collaboration album with JJ Cale – who wrote two of Clapton's most popular solo hits, "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" – pretty much confirms why he never became as huge as his disciples: He has very little presence. Derek Trucks, Billy Preston and John Mayer help out, but 'The Road to Escondido' never picks up steam, instead stalling somewhere between goodwill effort and vanity project.
21: 'Pilgrim' (1998)
Clapton was hot again after "Tears in Heaven," 'Unplugged' and 'From the Cradle,' but his first studio album made up of original songs since that '90s rebirth is a colossal dud, revisiting some old territory (there's another song about the death of his 4-year-old son) as well as some new (drum machines are all over 'Pilgrim'). Ironically, Clapton thrived in the '90s by avoiding the decade; as soon as he embraced it, he stumbled.
20: 'Riding With the King' (With B.B. King) (2000)
Like Clapton's later collaboration with JJ Cale, 'Riding With the King' seems more like a payback to a major inspiration than an album with any real purpose. Clapton and B.B. King trade licks, but there's little passion beneath their showy solos. They've both been down this road hundreds of times before. This latest trip offers nothing new.
19: 'Old Sock' (2013)
From the atrocious selfie cover art to the casual interpretations of songs by Leadbelly, the Gershwins and JJ Cale (again), this mostly covers album sounds like it was quickly recorded after everything else on the summer itinerary had been crossed off. Guest spots by Steve Winwood, Paul McCartney and Chaka Khan pop up for no good reason other than to point out that Steve Winwood, Paul McCartney and Chaka Khan will show up on an Eric Clapton album in 2013 if he calls.
18: 'The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale' (2014)
Clapton and a bunch of his famous friends (including Mark Knopfler, Willie Nelson and Tom Petty) got together to pay tribute to singer-songwriter JJ Cale, who died in 2013. They stay away from "After Midnight" and "Cocaine," which Clapton covered, and focus instead on an extensive catalog of songs that stretches back to the '60s. It's loose and laid-back, but not a whole lot of it will convince you as to why Cale was so revered by other artists.
17: 'Back Home' (2005)
Does anyone remember the most forgettable album Eric Clapton ever made, a set of blah originals and lifeless playing? Nope.
16: 'Reptile' (2001)
In between two blues-based projects (a collaborative album with B.B. King and a Robert Johnson tribute), Clapton recorded this flat and uninspired soft-rock album. There's another JJ Cale song, a James Taylor cover and a bunch of new originals that barely register. The opening title track instrumental is nice, though.
15: 'August' (1986)
After 'Behind the Sun' shoved Clapton into the '80s, he recruited Phil Collins once again to produce, play drums, sing and polish up a new batch of songs. It's one of Clapton's slickest-sounding records, not necessarily a good thing from a guy who walked away from the Yardbirds because they were having hits. In a decade in which Clapton desperately tried to reclaim his past fame, 'August' is a low point, a blurry bid for relevance in an era in which he simply didn't matter.
14: 'Another Ticket' (1981)
Clapton followed the relatively mellow and clean-sounding 'Slowhand' and 'Backless' LPs with this leaner and meaner record, his last Top 10 outing for more than a decade. Guitarist Albert Lee supplies some fancy interplay with Clapton, who invokes the blues in deeper shades than he had for much of the '70s. Too bad so many of its songs are forgettable.
13: 'No Reason to Cry' (1976)
Bob Dylan and the Band helped Clapton on his fourth solo album, and those collaborations are about the only time it sparks. The guest list is huge, and the playing is impeccable. But there's not much on 'No Reason to Cry' that stands out. Clapton would return the next year with a pared-down band and sharper focus for 'Slowhand.'
12: 'There's One in Every Crowd' (1975)
Following the commercial and critical success of '461 Ocean Boulevard,' Clapton rushed back into the studio to record this follow-up, which mostly plays around with similar styles and sounds (including some ill-advised reggae covers). The result is a messy, tossed-off and hurried record. It didn't help matters that Clapton was sinking into another dark period of drugs and alcohol.
11: 'Behind the Sun' (1985)
Phil Collins' stamp is all over 'Behind the Sun,' an often-overblown attempt to return Clapton to favor following the commercial disappointment of 'Money and Cigarettes.' The result is one of Clapton's most divisive albums, spurred by the record's heavy synth backing and polished tracks. Sill, Clapton fires off some piercing solos, and – despite its rocky and pieced-together history – it falls together more smoothly than to be expected.
10: 'Rush' (1992)
Nobody remembers the movie Clapton wrote the score for (it's about two undercover cops who become junkies), or even the soundtrack itself. But 'Rush' yielded one of his most timeless songs, the mournful elegy "Tears in Heaven," written for Clapton's 4-year-old son, who died in a tragic accident in 1991. The rest of the album is mostly instrumental, and features some of Clapton's most impassioned playing in years.
9: 'Backless' (1978)
Basically a sequel to 'Slowhand,' which returned Clapton to the top of the charts after a few fallow years, 'Backless' repeats its predecessor's formula, right down to a JJ Cale cover. It cracked the Top 10, as did a single, "Promises." The perfect album when you need more 'Slowhand.'
8: 'Eric Clapton' (1970)
Clapton's first solo album was squeezed between his only records with Blind Faith and Derek and the Dominos, and included much of the backing band that appeared with him on Delaney & Bonnie & Friends' 'On Tour With Eric Clapton,' which also came out in 1970. It's a little rough in spots, but its best songs – "After Midnight," "Blues Power" and "Let It Rain" – rank among Clapton's best solo work.
7: 'Me and Mr. Johnson' (2004)
Following his commercial comeback in the early '90s (thanks to the dual hits "Tears in Heaven" and 'Unplugged'), Clapton spent most of the next two decades paying tribute to his influences ('From the Cradle,' 'The Breeze') or making albums with them (the JJ Cale and B.B. King collaborations). This is the best of them, a stripped-down collection of songs written and originally recorded by blues legend Robert Johnson – whose "Cross Road Blues" gave Clapton one of his signature hits. The 14 tracks here as reverential as they are exciting.
6: 'Clapton' (2010)
This surprisingly sprightly album takes Clapton all over the place – from blues and jazz to rock and standards. And it flows as effortlessly as any of Clapton's classic works as he covers Hoagy Carmichael, Irving Berlin and, once again, JJ Cale. As Clapton settles into his autumn years, this self-titled, and quite personal, record sounds like a casual stroll through a past you never knew was a part of him.
5: 'Money and Cigarettes' (1983)
Out of rehab and working with a new band, Clapton jolts 'Money and Cigarettes' with renewed interest in the music that inspired him to pick up a guitar in the first place. The flashes of excitement here come from a blues foundation, not necessarily the music itself. Unfortunately, it didn't sell too well, so Clapton's next outing was with Phil Collins, who pushed him into the '80s – and into one of his most alienating periods.
4: 'From the Cradle' (1994)
On a commercial roll once "Tears in Heaven" and 'Unplugged' returned him to the spotlight, Clapton's first album since his chart-topping early '90s run was a straight-up blues record, stuffed with cuts by artists he'd idolized for years (like Elmore James and Muddy Waters). While Clapton never tops the original recordings, his passion for the project is palpable. And rewarding: 'From the Cradle' became his first No. 1 studio album since '461 Ocean Boulevard' 20 years earlier.
3: 'Journeyman' (1989)
Clapton ended a rough decade with one of his best albums, a mix of '80s production polish and some mighty explosive guitar fireworks. Newly sober, he sounds in control of his career again. Even with a large guest list and slick period touches, 'Journeyman' sounds like an era-defining statement by an artist ready to move on.
2: 'Slowhand' (1977)
Clapton's sixth album would spawn three Top 40 singles, but more significantly it returned the guitar god to rock 'n' roll's front ranks, a spot he had drifted from in the years leading up to 'Slowhand.' A renewed attention to songcraft, as well as to his playing and backup band, helped push the album to No. 2 and carried commercial success into the early '80s. The mix of sturdy rockers, laid-back guitar jams and adult pop worked so wonderfully that Clapton returned the following year with an album that sounded almost exactly like it.
1: '461 Ocean Boulevard' (1974)
Four years following his solo debut, and after kicking a nasty heroin addiction, Clapton returned with one of his all-time greatest records and the first No. 1 under his own name. Unlike Derek and the Dominos' 'Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs,' the last LP he released before his hiatus, '461 Ocean Boulevard' is a less tortured work and features Clapton at his most playful, rolling through covers like "Willie and the Hand Jive" and "I Shot the Sheriff" (his only No. 1 single) with laid-back charm.