"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 a ...

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. 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'' (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 (band), Cream, released in September 1972. It was concurrently released with a two-LP compilation of Cream tracks, ''Heavy Cream'' ...

'' (1972), '' Just One Night'' (1980), '' Backtrackin''' (1984), '' Time Pieces Vol.II Live in the Seventies'' (1985), '' Crossroads'' (1988) and '' The Cream of Clapton'' (1995). In total, the song is featured on over 15 albums.

Critical reception

Music critic Robert Christgau 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". ''

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'' critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine says the song "isn't a blues song". In his live album ''Leon Live'', rock musician Leon Russell 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