"Blues Power" is the second solo single by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...

rock musician Eric Clapton, off his 1970 debut studio album '' Eric Clapton''. It was released in 1970 as a 7" vinyl gramophone record under

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

. The song never reached any of the music charts worldwide.

Composition and release

The song features a

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

style tempo and singing by Clapton, with the music and lyrics being stopped frequently with a pause between chosen lines. The song is in the key of

C major C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor a ...

. Besides being released on the studio album and as a single in 1970, the track is included on various live and compilation albums: ''

The History of Eric Clapton ''The History of Eric Clapton'' is a compilation double LP, released in 1972 by Polydor Records in the United Kingdom, and Atco Records in the United States. It features Eric Clapton performing in various bands between 1964 and 1970, including ...

'' (1972), ''

Eric Clapton at His Best ''Eric Clapton at His Best'' is a two-LP compilation of Eric Clapton's work after he left his earlier band Cream, released in September 1972. It was concurrently released with a two-LP compilation of Cream tracks, ''Heavy Cream'', along with ...

'' (1972), '' Just One Night'' (1980), ''

Backtrackin' ''Backtrackin is a two-disc compilation album by Eric Clapton spanning the years 1966 to 1980. It was released in 1984. The compilation contains all of Clapton's best known songs with Cream, Blind Faith, Derek and the Dominos, and his solo 197 ...

'' (1984), ''

Time Pieces Vol.II Live in the Seventies ''Timepieces Vol. II Live in the Seventies'' is a live album released in 1983 by Eric Clapton. Track listing #"Tulsa Time" (Danny Flowers) – 4:02 #" Knockin' on Heaven's Door" ( Bob Dylan) 06:27 - Previously unreleased #"If I Don't Be There ...

'' (1985), ''

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

'' (1988) and '' The Cream of Clapton'' (1995). In total, the song is featured on over 15 albums.

Critical reception

Music critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

notes that the songs "Bottle of Red Wine" and "Blues Power" do not deserve classic status, and goes on to criticise Clapton's performance on the song: "a party song called "Blues Power" from a man with a hellhound on his trail". ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

'' critic

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...

says the song "isn't a blues song". In his live album ''Leon Live'', rock musician

Leon Russell Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock and ...

used the beginning few lines of the song, which he co-wrote, on his own song "Shoot Out On The Plantation".

References

{{authority control 1970 singles 1970 songs Eric Clapton songs Polydor Records singles Songs written by Eric Clapton Songs written by Leon Russell Song recordings produced by Delaney Bramlett