3 Derek And The Dominos Tracks You Must Hear if You Only Know “Layla”

Most casual Eric Clapton fans know “Layla”. Perhaps even a few of them know the song but don’t know the band that recorded it, and if you told them who recorded it, they might say, “But I thought his name was Eric.”

In 1970, Clapton formed Derek And The Dominos with Bobby Whitlock on keyboards and vocals, bassist Carl Radle, and drummer Jim Gordon. He chose the band name because he didn’t want his name to overshadow the music. The epic “Layla”, which also features Duane Allman on slide guitar, remains a blues-rock standard. However, the band’s one and only album, Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs, contains quite a few tracks worth knowing. So let’s look at three of the other assorted love songs you might have missed.

“Bell Bottom Blues”

“I don’t want to fade away / In your heart I want to stay,” Clapton sings about George Harrison’s wife, Pattie Boyd. He punctuates his feelings for Boyd with guitar licks that echo Harrison’s playing, which makes for an intriguing classic rock love triangle. The track brings to mind “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, the Harrison-penned Beatles tune featuring an uncredited Clapton on lead guitar. And the weeping continues here with Clapton’s earnest hook.

“Little Wing”

A reading of Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing” opens the LP’s fourth side. It’s a triumphant rework transforming the psychedelic R&B of the original into a Southern rock jam. Together, Allman and Clapton construct a wall of guitars that soar, yearn, collide. The cover showcases the power of Whitlock, Radle, and Gordon—highlighting why Clapton didn’t want to overshadow his short-lived group.

Well, she’s walking through the clouds,
With a circus mind that’s running ’round.

“Have You Ever Loved A Woman”

Freddie King recorded “Have You Ever Loved A Woman” in 1960. It was written by Billy Myles and has since become a regular feature in Clapton’s live sets. On this rendition, the guitarist stays true to his hero as he and Allman pay homage to King and connect Chicago’s electrified blues to its Southern roots. It seems Clapton found a blues cover that further reflected his aching feelings for Boyd.

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