Song of the Day #6,092: ‘Layla’ – Derek and the Dominos

Today’s featured Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee is not Derek and the Dominos. Nor is it Eric Clapton, who is a member of the Hall three times over but not with this band (he’s in as a solo artist as well as with Cream and The Yardbirds).

Instead, I chose this song to acknowledge its producer, Tom Dowd, one of the few Rock Hall members who made it in for his engineering and producing resume.

Dowd was inducted in the Musical Excellence category, which is reserved for less heralded artists who likely won’t make it in through the voting process. These inductees are chosen by a special committee.

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Song of the Day #2,917: ‘Tell the Truth’ – Derek & The Dominos

derek_dominos_laylaI own Derek & The Dominos’ debut (and only studio) album, Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs, solely because I wanted a copy of ‘Layla.’ This must have been pre-iTunes, or maybe I found it in a bargain bin. With the exception of ‘Bell Bottom Blues,’ the other 13 tracks are a mystery to me.

So when ‘Tell the Truth’ popped up as today’s Random SOTD selection, it gave me a chance to read up on the album, which Eric Clapton, Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle, Jim Gordon, Dave Mason and Duane Allman recorded in a drug-fueled haze in Miami Beach in 1970.

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Song of the Day #2,475: ‘Layla (Piano Outro)’ – Derek & The Dominos

goodfellas_laylaFor many years, my answer to the “What’s your favorite movie?” question was Goodfellas. Martin Scorsese’s 1990 masterpiece is the pinnacle of its genre — not just mob movies, but urban crime dramas.

I’ve since gone soft and my go-to answer is now Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but Goodfellas remains in the top five, no question.

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