rockofallages81-tvgda

Let us now talk about Eric Clapton (boo). His fourth solo album, No Reason To Cry, was unofficially a collaboration between himself and The Band. The album was even recorded at The Band’s own studio in Malibu, called “Shangri-La.” The property wasn’t originally theirs, but it was leased by The Band in the Seventies and converted to a recording studio by producer Rob Fraboni. The changes were made to the specifications of The Band and frequent collaborator Bob Dylan. As a result, Bob Dylan and all members of The Band contributed to No Reason To Cry while Rob Fraboni co-produced the album. When the album was released in August 1976, it was a commercial success, reaching the top 10 on the album charts in the UK and the Netherlands. The first single, “Hello Old Friend,” was also something of a hit, peaking at #24 on the Hot 100.
Does that mean the album is good? Well, I thought it was alright, and the album still reviews decently well to this day. But I have also seen some unenthused reviews of the album that basically call it average at best. Your mileage may vary, in other words.
Readers may have noticed that we’ve only featured soft rock albums so far. We will get to some heavier records, but soft rock is just what AOR stations preferred. If you like Clapton’s brand of Seventies soft rock, you might have a reason to check out No Reason To Cry.