SHAZAM

The 1984 two-disc compilation Backtrackin' is an ambitious attempt to offer an overview of Eric Clapton's then 20-year career, divided into four separate themes, two per CD. The first disc is devoted to Singles and History and the second to Classics and Live. Sometimes the divisions between these themes seem a little tenuous -- some of the Classics seem like Hits, for instance -- and even at this generous running time there are big hits missing (as are the Yardbirds and Bluesbreakers; this is just culled from material recorded for Polydor and RSO), but overall this is a very good sampler of Clapton's first two decades of work. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi