Classic Rock,Metal,Oldies 101: Eric Clapton : Crossroads (Box Set)

Monday, March 30, 2026

Eric Clapton : Crossroads (Box Set)

Eric Patrick Clapton

(born March,30th 1945)

is an English

rock and blues guitarist,

singer,

and songwriter.

He is regarded as

one of the most

successful and influential

guitarists

in rock music.

Clapton ranked second in

Rolling Stone's list

of the

"100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time"

and fourth in Gibson's

"Top 50 Guitarists of All Time".

He was named number five

in Time magazine's list of

"The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players"

in 2009.

After playing in a number

of different local bands,

Clapton joined

the Yardbirds

from 1963 to 1965,

and

John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers

from

1965 to 1966.

After leaving Mayall,

he formed the power trio

Cream

with

drummer

Ginger Baker

and

bassist/vocalist

Jack Bruce,

in which Clapton

played sustained

blues improvisations and

"arty, blues-based

psychedelic pop".

After four successful albums,

Cream broke up

in November 1968.

Clapton then formed

the blues rock band

Blind Faith

with Baker,

Steve Winwood,

and

Ric Grech,

recording one album

and performing

on one tour

before they broke up.

Clapton then toured

with

Delaney & Bonnie

and recorded his

first solo album

in 1970,

before forming

Derek and the Dominos

with

Bobby Whitlock,

Carl Radle

and

Jim Gordon.

Blind Faith,

the band only

lasted one album,

Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs,

which includes

"Layla",

one of Clapton's

signature songs.

Clapton continued to

record a number of

successful solo albums

and songs over

the next several decades,

including a

1974 cover of

Bob Marley's

"I Shot the Sheriff"

which helped reggae

reach a mass market

the country-infused

Slowhand album

(1977)

and the pop rock

of 1986's

August.

Following the death

of his son

Conor in 1991,

Clapton's grief was

expressed in the song

"Tears in Heaven",

which peaked at

number two

on the

Billboard Hot 100

and appeared on his

Unplugged album.

In 1996

he had another

top-40 hit

with the

R&B crossover

"Change the World".

In 1998,

he released the

Grammy award-winning

"My Father's Eyes".

Since 1999,

he has recorded a

number of

traditional blues

and blues rock albums

and hosted the

periodic

Crossroads Guitar Festival.

His latest studio album,

Meanwhile,

was released in 2024.

Clapton has received

18 Grammy Awards

as well as the

Brit Award

I WENT DOWN TO

THE CROSSROADS

FELL DOWN TO MY KNESS

ASKED THE LORD ABOVE

FOR MERCY

WOO-OOH

SAVE ME, IF YOU PLEASE

Crossroads

is a 1988

music collection

box set

of the work of

Eric Clapton

released by

Polydor Records

The set includes

his work with

The Yardbirds,

John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers,

Cream,

Blind Faith,

Delaney & Bonnie & Friends

and

Derek and the Dominos,

as well as

his solo career.

Several live or

alternative studio recordings

were previously unreleased.

Anthony DeCurtis

contributed the

liner notes to the album,

and

The Rolling Stones

guitarist

Ronnie Wood

painted the album's cover.

Mitchell Kanner

designed the

package and,

along with

Michael Bays,

art directed the package.

Crossroads

was mastered by

Greg Calbi

and compiled by

Bill Levenson.

The four-disc box set

sold more than

four million

copies worldwide

and was

presented with

six awards,

including

two Grammy Awards

awarded in 1989.

With high

commercial success

and positive

critical response,

this is Clapton's

most-purchased

box set to date.

Critical Reception

The critics for

Billboard magazine

noted mostly

the production work,

besides the compilations

track listing stating:

"Compiler Levenson has

unearthed some

superb rarities

for the set,

and

Anthony DeCurtis

contributes

intelligent annotation.

Classy package

and bounty of

unheard material

will attract

Slowhand's legion of fans".

Rolling Stone journalist

David Fricke

really liked the

boxed set

and awarded

the release

an extremely rare

five-star rating

in April 1988.

In his review for

the American

music website

AllMusic,

critic

Stephen Thomas Erlewine

presented the album

with five out of five

possible stars,

rating the release as

an AllMusic

top album

TRACKLIST

CD 1

Boom Boom

(with The Yardbirds)

Honey in Your Hips

(with The Yardbirds)

Baby What's Wrong

(with The Yardbirds)

I Wish You Would

(with The Yardbirds)

A Certain Girl

(with The Yardbirds)

Good Morning Little Schoolgirl

(with The Yardbirds)

I Ain't Got You

(with The Yardbirds)

For Your Love

(with The Yardbirds)

Got to Hurry

(with The Yardbirds)

Lonely Years