Clapton introduces the track with a touch of shuffle in his riff but the laid back tone of the album ends up translating to a more mournful vibe. Unlike with 'Sheriff,' Clapton switches direction dramatically on his version of Johnny Otis's 'Willie and The Hand Jive.' As you would expect, the original 'Hand Jive' is a rock 'n' roll call to the dance floor. Part of featuring upwards of five covers on your album is finding a new approach to each. We'd be curious to see this track open the album with 'Motherless Children' closing, a reversal of roles. Peter Frampton maybe.but not on this record. Problem lies in that 'Mainline Florida' breaks away from the established tone of the record, case in point being Clapton's use of a talk box during his outgoing solo. Backing vocals, the hammond organ and of course the headliner's guitar all break down into one last jam. The closing track suggests that Clapton was looking to go out hot, and he whips out all the rock 'n' roll tricks to do it. 'Sheriff' is a great song on both albums, but Clapton was just riding on the reggae legend's legwork. Slowhand and many a blues rocker before him littered their albums with new renditions of classics (half of 461 Ocean Boulevard applies) but those tracks have typically fallen out of popularity by then, whereas Bob Marley's original version had only been out a year before Clapton covered it. We'll start this list off by rubbing Clapton fans the wrong way. The climate comes out in Clapton's work, ten tracks ranging from bright blues rock to, well, 'Let It Grow.' The album has continued to gain acclaim over the years, promoting a slew of extended rereleases, but upon its 40th anniversary Music Times is looking back and ranking the ten original tracks on the classic album. Instead, the guitarist took to Criteria Studios and recorded his acclaimed album 461 Ocean Avenue, named after the rental home in which Slowhand resided while taking advantage of the Florida sun. But his trip to Miami was far from a holiday. Eric Clapton was due for a vacation after successfully kicking heroin during 1974.

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