Line #9 Music/DerekAndTheDominos


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/derek_and_the_dominos.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Derek And The Dominos in 1970. From left to right: Jim Gordon, Carl Radle, Bobby Whitlock and Music/EricClapton.]]
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4	->''"We were a make-believe band. We were all hiding inside it. Derek and the Dominos—the whole thing ... assumed. So it couldn't last. I had to come out and admit that I was being me. I mean, being Derek was a cover for the fact that I was trying to steal someone else's wife. That was one of the reasons for doing it, so that I could write the song, and even use another name for Pattie. So Derek and Layla—it wasn't real at all."''
5	-->--'''Music/EricClapton'''
6
7	After a successful tour backing [[GenreBusting soul-rock]] [[CreatorCouple duo]] Delaney & Bonnie, sidemen Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle, and Jim Gordon joined Music/EricClapton in the studio for his solo debut, ''Eric Clapton'', eventually teaming up to form a then-unnamed band. WordOfGod on the origin of the final name Derek and the Dominos varies[[note]] Versions include someone mishearing "Eric and the Dynamos", the combination of the names "Eric" and "Duane", etc. Everyone involved seems to have a different memory of where it came from.[[/note]], with Clapton and Whitlock giving entirely different stories, but whatever the reason, they embarked on an unheralded UK tour before heading for the US to record a debut album. Dave Mason of Music/{{Traffic\|Band}} and later Music/FleetwoodMac joined shortly after formation, though he didn't last long. With [[Music/TheAllmanBrothersBand Duane Allman]] guesting, the Dominos recorded ''Music/LaylaAndOtherAssortedLoveSongs'' in UsefulNotes/{{Miami}} during the fall of 1970, releasing the album to lukewarm critical and commercial success before embarking on a successful stateside tour.
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9	The title track's appearance on 1972 ''The History of Eric Clapton'' led to skyrocketing sales for ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs'' and [[VindicatedByHistory a critical reappraisal as one of the great albums in rock history]], but by that point [[DownerEnding the Dominos had already fallen.]] Constant cocaine and heroin use took a toll on all of the members, none more so than Radle, who died from kidney complications as a direct result. Clapton was driven into early retirement, the man once considered a god for his playing ability robbed of his skill from heroin abuse (although [[HesBack he eventually recovered]] and resumed his career). Gordon, suffering from undiagnosed schizophrenia, fatally beat and stabbed his mother and remained institutionalized until his death in 2023. Even Duane Allman, never officially a member of the band, lost his life in a motorcycle accident. Only Whitlock remained mostly unscathed (aside from a decade-long feud with Clapton), attempting an abortive solo career early in the decade before rebounding in the late [[TheNineties nineties]].
10	----
11	!! Principal Members (Founding members in '''bold'''):
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13	* '''Music/EricClapton''' - lead guitar, vocals (1970–71)
14	* '''[[Music/{{Traffic\|Band}} Jim Gordon]]''' - drums, percussion, piano, tabla, snare (1970–71; died 2023)
15	* [[Music/{{Traffic\|Band}} Dave Mason]] - guitar (1970)
16	* '''Carl Radle''' - bass, percussion (1970–71, died 1980)
17	* '''Bobby Whitlock''' - keyboards, vocals, organ, piano, guitar (1970–71)
18
19	----
20	!!Studio and Live Discography:
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22	* 1970 - ''Music/LaylaAndOtherAssortedLoveSongs''
23	* 1973 - ''In Concert''
24	* 1994 - ''Live at the Fillmore''
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26	----
27	!! Tropes:
28	* AllDrummersAreAnimals: Gordon's schizophrenia made him the most destructive band member, which turned out to be far from the worst of his issues.
29	* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Much of the album is ill-hidden subtext about Clapton's love for Patti Boyd, the then-wife of [[Music/GeorgeHarrison his best friend.]]
30	* BigRockEnding: The original Derek recording of "Layla" has an ending fitting to make it a TropeCodifier.
31	* BluesRock: ''Music/LaylaAndOtherAssortedLoveSongs'' is considered one of the masterpieces of this genre.
32	* CoverVersion: "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," "Key to the Highway," "Have You Ever Loved a Woman?," "[[Music/JimiHendrix Little Wing]]," "It's Too Late."
33	* DownerEnding: To an extent that would be ridiculous if it wasn't all true. Clapton fell into an addiction cycle that would last for another few years before his recovery. Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle crash. Bobby Whitlock and Clapton fell out and didn't communicate for years. Carl Radle died of liver complications from drink and drugs. Jim Gordon, an undiagnosed schizophrenic, murdered his mother with a hammer and remained in psychiatric care until his passing in 2023. And the sequence of tragedies extended to Rita Coolidge, who'd written the piano coda to "Layla" while she was dating Jim; in 2014 her sister Priscilla was killed in a murder suicide by husband Michael Seibert, and to add insult to injury his ashes were delivered to Rita to dispose of.
34	* EpicRocking: The studio versions of "Layla" and "Key to the Highway" break the seven minute barrier and count on their own, but several of the live cuts carry on for over ten minutes.
35	* EvolvingMusic: The version of "Tell the Truth" recorded during the ''Music/AllThingsMustPass'' sessions and during early touring was much faster and looser than the final studio version. Likewise, Clapton's recurring cover of "[[Music/RobertJohnson Crossroads]]" returned in a slowed-down style.
36	* FriendlyRival: Radle, Whitlock, and Gordon had all played on ''All Things Must Pass'' with Music/GeorgeHarrison, Clapton's best friend and the hypotenuse in his love triangle with Patti Boyd.
37	* {{Improv}}: Especially prevalent on the LiveAlbum, but the studio "Key to the Highway" is loaded with improvised soloing as well.
38	* ObsessionSong: Applies to nearly every selection on ''Music/LaylaAndOtherAssortedLoveSongs'', but especially the songs "Bell Bottom Blues" and "Layla."
39	* OneBookAuthor: Or One Album Band in this case. ''Music/LaylaAndOtherAssortedLoveSongs'' is the group's sole studio album.
40	* OneWomanSong: "Layla," one of the most famous in all of rock.
41	* PrecisionFStrike: Supposedly the origin story of "Key To The Highway." The band were jamming in the studio, Tom Dowd walked in, realized the engineer wasn't taping a group of virtuoso players playing a classic, and told him to "roll the ''fucking tape!''", which is why the song fades in.
42	* ShoutOut: From "Got to Get Better in a Little While":
43	-->"Just like [[Music/SlyAndTheFamilyStone Sly]], you got to take a stand!"
44	* SixthRanger: Duane Allman played on all but three ''Layla'' tracks and some of the concerts, but declined an "official" membership with the band.
45	* SomethingBlues: "Bell Bottom Blues."
46	* SongStyleShift: "Layla" switches from an uptempo, guitar-based blues rock torch song to a piano-centered, gospel-sounding instrumental ballad.
47	* SpecialGuest: Duane Allman for their only album plus a couple of concerts, as he declined becoming an "official" member.
48	* StepUpToTheMicrophone: "Thorn Tree in the Garden" is a solo vocal performance by Whitlock.

Context Music / DerekAndTheDominos