Money and Cigarettes

The first album Eric Clapton recorded after emerging from a prolonged battle with alcoholism, 1983's Money and Cigarettes got its title from the fact that Clapton felt those were the only things he had left at that point in his life. To start a process of musical rebuilding, Clapton hired a rhythm section from the Deep South (drummer Roger Hawkins and bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn) and retained the services of two of his favorite guitarists: British whiz Albert Lee and American stylist Ry Cooder. Clapton’s renewed energy is evident from the outset of “Everybody Outghta Make a Change.” As a vocalist and a guitarist, he's a man revived, even though it’s clear he was still negotiating his way in the world after a scarring battle. “Ain’t Going Down” is emblematic of the album’s outlook: “But I ain’t got time, I just could not live that way/I’ve got to step outside myself/I’ve still got something left to say.” You can feel the pleasure Clapton took in playing with an assembled group of R&B aces. The atmosphere of delight is evident not only in the wily rendition of “Crosscut Saw” but in the surging swing of “The Shape You’re In,” “Man Overboard," and “I’ve Got a Rock ‘N’ Roll Heart.”