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Free Lunch for Jan. 21 & 23 is Clapton's Latest Album

By Sean Phipps

Chattanooga, TN – When you hear the phrases "rock legend" or "musical genius," only a few names come to mind. Eric Clapton is definitely one of these names. His career, spanning nearly 35 years, has earned Clapton the respect and admiration of an entire planet. He is the only man to have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 3 times. Once for his work with "Cream," the second for his contribution to the "Yardbirds" and then again for his career as a solo artist. He has also won numerous Grammy's including "Best Pop Album" in 1998 for the "Pilgrim" album and 1992's "Unplugged."

This week's Free lunch is Clapton's latest album for Reprise Records. "One More Car, One More Rider," a live two-disc set, is Clapton's first live album since the intimate and widely acclaimed "Unplugged."

His musical genius is evident from the start of the show. With a simple "Hello" to his fans, Clapton proceeds to take listeners on the musical ride of their lives. The magic can be felt from the opening riffs of the bluesy "King of the Highway" into the bossa nova tempo of "Reptile," an instrumental gem from his 2001 release of the same name. From then on, it's Clapton like we've never heard him before. A little blues here, a little rock & roll there..."One More Car, One More Rider" is an immaculate portrayal of exactly why Clapton is, indeed, a Legend.

Clapton told Reprise Records that his diverse taste in music could be credited to his early obsession with American Rock & Roll and the Blues. ""The merest glimpse of Bo Diddley or Chuck Berry would send me into frenzies of delight," Clapton told Reprise Records. "So when I found the stuff that was behind it, Muddy Waters, and beyond that, Robert Johnson, and beyond that, the work song, it did something to me emotionally."

These were the influences that led him to pick up the guitar and ultimately expand the limits of guitar playing to a new level. His latest release is a compilation of Clapton's mastermind in a live setting.

Recorded in Los Angeles and Tokyo during his 2001 tour, "One More Car, One More Rider" showcases Clapton's diverse taste in music while subsequently mesmerizing audiences with a succession of hit songs. Disc 1 of the two-disc set includes some of Clapton's standards like "Tears in Heaven," and "Bell Bottom Blues," most of which are performed on the acoustic guitar. Other songs such as "My Father's Eyes" and "Change the World" are recorded live for the first time. "Reptile," the title song from his 2001 release, is one of the highlights of the album.

But fans of a heavier Clapton from his early days with "Cream" and "the Yardbirds will definitely not be disappointed. Clapton proceeds to shed the acoustic guitar and replace it with several "electric" standards on Disc 2 including "Layla," "Cocaine," and the Cream anthem "Sunshine of your Love." Also present are several blues efforts such as "I Want a Little Girl" and " Got You on My Mind" and a Clapton's rendition of Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg's Oscar-winning song "Somewhere over the Rainbow" from the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz."

The name of the album was based on a phrase Clapton heard a fairground ride barker say. He heard the man yelling "One More Car, One More Rider" in order to allow the last seat on the ride to be filled. The phrase stuck in Clapton' s head and consequently became the title of the album.

For more information on the album, visit www.Claptononline.com