Five great albums by bands that went bad
By Lee Vowell
Derek and the Dominos - Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)
Eric Clapton might not have done anything horribly wrong, other than those who disagree with some of his political views. There are loads of people with bad ideas of the world, but that doesn't make them the kind of people who would directly hurt others. The reason Derek and the Dominos is on this list is not because of Clapton.
This record itself is brilliant. Clapton had a bunch of help, too, even though he wrote most of the original songs. Duane Allman sat in on all but three songs, so Derek and the Dominos was truly a supergroup. The theme of the record is a little odd, however, as Clapton wrote the tracks about George Harrison's wife who Clapton was madly in love with. Creepy Clapton.
The reason the album is here is because of drummer Jim Gordon. Gordon also has a co-writing credit of the iconic song, "Layla." He plays the outro piano part as well as the drums on the track. Gordon murdered his grandmother, claimed voices told him to do it, and then only spent 16 years in prison for the crime. He died in jail in 2023.
The Clash - London Calling (1979)
This album is not only the best Clash record, but one of the best humankind would ever produce. There are some punk tunes on the LP, of course, but what makes the album truly work is the number of genres - reggae, jazz, rock, dance hall - that the band not only attempts but masters. There are far too many gems of genius to list here from the record because this article would turn into exactly that: A list.
While the band was fantastic, and Joe Strummer an important part of that, Strummer also had a bit of a temper. The guitarist got into fights with all kinds of people. That is just rock and roll, right? Strummer's greatest offense, though, might have been striking a person at one of the Clash's concerts in 1980 with his guitar.
Strummer did have a funnier offense in 1977 when he was accused of stealing a pillowcase from a Holiday Inn. If he was guilty of that then many of us would be found guilty of the same kind of act. Seriously. Those hotel towels are great!