View source for 461 Ocean Boulevard

{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = 461 Ocean Boulevard
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Eric Clapton]]
| cover      = EricClapton461OceanBoulevar.jpg
| alt        = A house is shown along with a palm tree, on the right Eric Clapton holds his hands smiling, above him is the title and logo along with some trees
| released   = {{Start date|df=yes|1974|07}}
| recorded   = April–May 1974
| studio     = [[Criteria Studios|Criteria]] in [[Miami]], Florida
| genre      = 
*[[Blues rock]]
*[[funk]]
| length     = {{Duration|m=39|s=14}}
| label      = [[RSO Records|RSO]]
| producer   = [[Tom Dowd]]
| prev_title = [[Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert]]
| prev_year  = 1973
| next_title = [[There's One in Every Crowd]]
| next_year  = 1975
| misc       = {{Singles
 | name        = 461 Ocean Boulevard
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[I Shot the Sheriff]]
 | single1date = July 1974
 | single2     = [[Willie and the Hand Jive]]
 | single2date = October 1974
}}
}}

'''''461 Ocean Boulevard''''' is the second solo [[studio album]] by English musician [[Eric Clapton]]. It was released in late July 1974 by [[RSO Records]], after the record company released the hit single "[[I Shot the Sheriff]]" earlier in the month. The album topped various international charts and sold more than two million copies.

The album was Clapton's return to the recording studio after a three-year hiatus due to his [[heroin]] addiction. The title refers to the address on [[Florida State Road A1A|Ocean Boulevard]] in [[Golden Beach, Florida]], where Clapton lived while recording the album. Upon completing the album, Clapton and RSO head [[Robert Stigwood]] recommended the house and [[Criteria Studios]] in [[Miami]] to fellow RSO artists the [[Bee Gees]], who then moved there to write and record ''[[Main Course (album)|Main Course]]''.<ref name="good">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KugbDQHX0R8C&q=the+bee+gees+biography+how+deep+is+your+love&pg=PT826 |title=The Bee Gees - Tales of the Brothers Gibb |last=Hughes |first=Andrew |year=2009 |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=9780857120045 |access-date=11 February 2015}}</ref> The street address of the house was changed after the album's release.

A remastered two-disc deluxe edition of the album was released in 2004, which included selections from two live shows at the [[Hammersmith Odeon]], and additional studio jam sessions.

==Production==
After overcoming his [[Opioid use disorder|heroin addiction]], Clapton realized that he had wasted three years of his life, stating he had not done anything other than watch television and get out of shape. When Clapton sought help working on a farm, he began to listen to a lot of new music and old blues records he had brought with him and started to play again, even writing whole songs out of simple ideas. With these song ideas in mind, Clapton was given a demo tape by [[Carl Radle]], the former bassist for [[Derek and the Dominos]], with songs performed by Radle with keyboardist Dick Sims and drummer [[Jamie Oldaker]]. Clapton liked the recordings, calling them "simply superb".

Clapton was given time to write new material for a next album by Radle. When Clapton set to work on tracks for the upcoming studio release, he wanted to leave his songs as incomplete as possible, so that the musicians, who were going to record with Clapton in the studio, would get the chance to make them their own. After Clapton appeared in the rock opera ''[[Tommy (1975 film)|Tommy]]'', his manager at the time, [[Robert Stigwood]], contacted him about a new project. Stigwood arranged for Clapton to record at the [[Criteria Studios]] in [[Miami]], Florida, with Radle, Sims, Oldaker and record producer [[Tom Dowd]]. When the time came to record the new album, Clapton was worried about both its commercial and artistic success, noting his concept of a new album would work only when there was chemistry between the musicians. Clapton also hired guest vocalist [[Yvonne Elliman]] and guitarist [[George Terry (musician)|George Terry]] as full-time members of his group.<ref name="Clapton">{{cite book|last=Clapton|first=Eric|title=Clapton: The Autobiography|edition=1st|year=2007|publisher=[[Broadway Books]]|location=United States|isbn=978-0-385-51851-2|chapter=461 Ocean Boulevard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xUHP9sFhtvsC|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xUHP9sFhtvsC&q=frank+gore+was+nine}}</ref>

Stigwood also paid for Clapton to live at a rental house at 461 Ocean Boulevard in the town of [[Golden Beach, Florida|Golden Beach]] near Miami.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sokol|first=Brett|url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2004-12-09/news/musical-mecca/|title=Musical Mecca: After 30 years, they still flock to that most fabled of oceanfront homes|work=[[Miami New Times]]|date=9 December 2004|access-date=9 October 2015|archive-date=11 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211055928/http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2004-12-09/news/musical-mecca/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The whole album was recorded from April to May 1974. For the recording sessions, Clapton used his [[Fender Stratocaster]] electric guitar nicknamed '[[Blackie (guitar)|Blackie]]' .<ref name="Clapton"/> For [[slide guitar]] work, Clapton used several [[Gibson ES-335]] guitars. He also played vintage [[C. F. Martin & Company|Martin]] acoustic guitars.<ref>{{cite book|first=Marc|last=Roberty|title=Eric Clapton – Day by Day: The Early Years 1963–1982 (Day-by-Day Series)|isbn=978-1617130526|publisher=Backbeat Books|edition=1st|date=14 May 2013}}</ref>

==Music and lyrics==
Ryan Book of ''Music Times'' felt the music on the album ranges from "bright blues rock" to sentimental ballads like "Let It Grow",<ref name=MusicTimes>{{cite magazine|last=Book|first=Ryan|date=17 August 2014|url=https://www.musictimes.com/articles/8898/20140817/40-years-461-ocean-boulevard-music-times-looks-back-ranks.htm|title=40 Years of '461 Ocean Boulevard': Music Times Looks Back and Ranks Eric Clapton's Classic Record|magazine=Music Times|access-date=19 July 2019}}</ref>
and [[Robert Christgau]] said it features "sleepy [[Drug withdrawal|postjunk]] funk" with intimations of sex.<ref>{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|date=4 November 1997|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv1097-97.php|title=Consumer Guide|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|access-date=19 July 2019}}</ref>

In his 2007 autobiography ''My Life'', Clapton recalls that he was very pleased with the song's lyrics and instrumental parts of "Let It Grow", which he had written himself, although music critics and also Clapton noted, that the [[melody]] and [[chord progression]] is nearly the same as [[Led Zeppelin]]'s "[[Stairway to Heaven]]". Except for "Let It Grow" and "Get Ready", a song Clapton wrote with guest vocalist Yvonne Elliman about her, the album consists of various cover versions of titles that had been in Clapton's head for a long time: "Willie and the Hand Jive", "Steady Rollin' Man" and "[[Talk to Me Baby|I Can't Hold Out]]". Clapton had first heard the song "Give Me Strength" in London in the 1960s, when he had been living with [[Charles Radcliffe|Charlie]] and Diana Radcliffe on [[Fulham Road]]. He wanted to record the song, as he thought it would be a good fit for the album. While the band was recording, George Terry brought the album ''[[Burnin' (The Wailers album)|Burnin']]'' from [[Bob Marley and the Wailers]] to Clapton's attention, stating he really liked the song "I Shot the Sheriff". He persuaded Clapton to record a version of this tune, which Clapton disliked, because of its "hardcore reggae" melody. Finally, the band convinced Clapton to put the song on the album, noting it would definitely become a hit single. When Clapton met [[Bob Marley]] years after his take on the tune was released, Marley told Clapton he really liked the cover.<ref name=Clapton/>

The album finishes with [[George Terry (musician)|George Terry's]] "Mainline Florida", which "breaks away from the established tone of the record" and features Clapton combining slide guitar with a Wah Wah.

==Marketing and sales==
''461 Ocean Boulevard'' was released in July 1974 on [[gramophone Record|vinyl]] and compact [[music cassette]] in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. RSO Records decided to release the album in territories, where it might chart and sell a lot of copies; it was released in [[Argentina]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=238504|title=Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard – Argentia|website=Eil.com |access-date=10 October 2015}}</ref> Australia, Austria, [[Brazil]], Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, in the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, in the United Kingdom, in the United States, [[Uruguay]], Yugoslavia and [[Venezuela]]. Therefore, it was one of the few pop-music albums to be legally sold in the [[USSR]]. Over the years, the album was reissued several times including in 1988, 1996 and 2004 for reunited Europe, also in [[compact disc]] format and via digital [[music download]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Eric-Clapton-461-Ocean-Boulevard/master/69859?sort=country&sort_order=asc|title=Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard – Master Release|website=[[Discogs]]|access-date=10 October 2015}}</ref>

''461 Ocean Boulevard'' is one of Clapton's most successful commercial releases, reaching the Top 10 in eight countries, and peaking at number one in three territories including Canada<ref name="RPM1"/> and the United States.<ref name="BB200"/> The album reached the Top 5 in the United Kingdom, peaking at number three.<ref name="OCC"/> In the Netherlands and Norway, the 1974 studio release reached number four<ref name="MegaCharts"/> on the national album charts.<ref name="Norway"/> In Germany and New Zealand, the album reached eleven<ref name="Germany"/> and thirty-eight respectively.<ref name="NZL"/> On the 1974 year-end charts, the studio album reached number five on the Canadian ''RPM'' chart<ref name="RPM2"/> and in the Netherlands, the album was ranked at number twenty-two.<ref name="DutchEnd"/> In the United States, the release was certified with a [[Gold disc]] for shipment figures of more than 500,000 copies.

Two singles were released; the first, "I Shot the Sheriff", was released by RSO Records in early July 1974, before the album was released.<ref name="Clapton"/> Clapton's take on the Marley tune outplayed the original version, reaching the Top 10 single charts in nine countries, becoming Clapton's only number one hit on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart.<ref name="Awards"/> In 2003, Clapton's version was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame#i|title=GRAMMY Hall of Fame|website=[[Grammy Hall of Fame Award]]|access-date=10 October 2015|archive-date=19 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219001619/http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame#i|url-status=dead}}</ref> The single was also Clapton's first single to sell well internationally, achieving Gold certifications in the United States<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database|title=RIAA – Gold & Platinum Searchable Database|website=Recording Industry Association of America|access-date=10 October 2015}}</ref> as well as a double Platinum award in Canada.<ref>{{cite book|first=Alan|last=Schmidt|title=The Canadian Book of Singles|year=1993|location=[[Montreal]]}}</ref> The second track to be released as a single was "Willie and the Hand Jive", which came out in October 1974.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Eric+Clapton&titel=Willie+And+The+Hand+Jive|title=Eric Clapton – Willie and the Hand Jive – austriancharts.at|publisher=Steffen Hung – Hung Medien|work=Ö3 Austria|language=de|access-date=10 October 2015}}</ref> Clapton slowed down the [[tempo]] for his version. Author Chris Welch believes that the song benefits from this "slow burn".<ref>{{cite book|title=Clapton: The Ultimate Illustrated History|last=Welch |first=C. |page=175|year=2011|publisher=Voyageur Press|isbn=978-0-7603-4046-2}}</ref> However, ''Rolling Stone'' critic Ken Emerson complains that the song sounds "disconcertingly mournful".<ref name="RS">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/reviews/album/2747/21353|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726145320/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/reviews/album/2747/21353|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 July 2010|title=Album Reviews – 461 Ocean Boulevard by Eric Clapton |first=Ken|last=Emerson |magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=7 October 2015}}</ref> Other critics praised Clapton's confident vocals.<ref>{{cite book|title=Crossroads: The Life and Music of Eric Clapton|last=Schumacher |first=M. |page=181|year=2003|publisher=Citadel Press|isbn=978-0-8065-2466-5}}</ref> Author Marc Roberty claimed that on this song, "Clapton's vocals had clearly matured, with fluctuations and intonations that were convincing rather than tentative as in the past".<ref>{{cite book|title=The Complete Guide to the Music of Eric Clapton|last=Roberty |first=M. |page=72|year=1995|publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=0-7119-4305-2}}</ref> Clapton's version of the song was released as a single in 1974 and reached number 26 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref name="Awards">{{cite web|title=461 Ocean Boulevard Charts & Awards|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/461-ocean-boulevard-r4033/charts-awards/billboard-single|website=Allmusic|access-date=2012-01-21}}</ref> and position 28 in the Netherlands.<ref>{{cite web|title=Eric Clapton – Willie and the Hand Jive – dutchcharts.nl|url=http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Eric+Clapton&titel=Willie+And+The+Hand+Jive&cat=s|publisher=Steffen Hung – Hung Medien|access-date=10 October 2015}}</ref>

==Critical reception and legacy==
{{Album ratings
|rev1=[[AllMusic]]
|rev1Score={{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="Allmusic">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=461-ocean-boulevard-mw0000649978|pure_url=yes}}|title=461 Ocean Boulevard – Eric Clapton |first=Stephen Thomas |last=Erlewine|work=AllMusic|publisher=[[Rovi Corporation]]|access-date=7 October 2015}}</ref>
|rev2 = ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''
|rev2Score = {{Rating|4|4}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Kot|first=Greg|author-link=Greg Kot|date=21 February 1993|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1993/02/21/its-a-roller-coaster-career-from-blues-to-pop-and-back/|title=It's A Roller-coaster Career From Blues To Pop And Back|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=11 November 2015}}</ref>
|rev3 = ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|Christgau's Record Guide]]''
|rev3Score = A<ref name="CG">{{cite book|author-link=Robert Christgau|last=Christgau|first=Robert|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=[[Ticknor & Fields]]|isbn=0-89919-025-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/christgausrecord00robe_1/page/82 82] |chapter=Eric Clapton|chapter-url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=1190 |access-date=11 November 2015|url=https://archive.org/details/christgausrecord00robe_1|url-access=registration}}</ref>
|rev4=''[[Creem]]''
|rev4Score=A–<ref name="RC">{{cite journal|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/crm7409.php|title=The Christgau Consumer Guide|date=September 1974|first=Robert|last=Christgau|journal=[[Creem]]|access-date=7 October 2015}}</ref>
|rev5 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
|rev5Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|year=2011|title=[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|edition=5th|isbn=978-0857125958}}</ref>
|rev6=''[[MusicHound|MusicHound Rock]]''
|rev6score={{rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Graff |editor1-first=Gary |editor2-last=Durchholz |editor2-first=Daniel |title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Farmington Hills, MI|year=1999|isbn=1-57859-061-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/238 238] |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612|url-access=registration }}</ref>
|rev7 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
|rev7Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Considine|first=J. D.|author-link=J. D. Considine |chapter=Eric Clapton |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t9eocwUfoSoC&pg=PA165|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|title=[[The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]|year=2004|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|isbn=0743201698}}</ref>
|rev8=''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
|rev8Score={{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Uncut">{{cite web|first=Nigel|last=Williamson|url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/eric-clapton-461-ocean-boulevard|title=Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard – Uncut|publisher=Time Inc. (UK) Ltd.|work=uncut.co.uk|date=1 December 2004|access-date=9 October 2015|archive-date=17 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617015556/http://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/eric-clapton-461-ocean-boulevard|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev9      = [[Tom Hull (critic)|Tom Hull]]
| rev9Score = C<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hull|first=Tom|author-link=Tom Hull (critic)|date=April 1975|url=http://www.tomhull.com/ocston/arch/rekord1.php|title=The Rekord Report: First Card|magazine=Overdose|access-date=June 26, 2020|via=tomhull.com}}</ref>
}}
Reviewing for ''[[Creem]]'' in September 1974, [[Robert Christgau]] said: "As unlikely as it seems, Clapton has taken being laid-back into a new dimension. Perhaps the most brilliant exploration of the metaphorical capacities of country blues ever attempted, way better than Taj Mahal for all of side one. On side two, unfortunately, he goes a little soft. But I'll settle for two questionable live albums if he'll give us a solo record as good as this every three years."<ref name="RC"/> He later expanded on this praise in ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]'' (1981):

{{blockquote|By opening the first side with '[[Mother's Children Have a Hard Time|Motherless Children]]' and closing it with 'I Shot the Sheriff', Clapton puts the rural repose of his laid-back-with-Leon music into a context of deprivation and conflict, adding bite to soft-spoken professions of need and faith that might otherwise smell faintly of the most rural of laid-back commodities, bullshit. And his honesty has its reward: better sex. The casual assurance you can hear now in his singing goes with the hip-twitching syncopation he brings to [[Robert Johnson]]'s 'Steady Rolling Man' and [[Elmore James]]'s '[[I Can't Hold Out]]', and though the covers are what make this record memorable it's on 'Get Ready', written and sung with [[Yvonne Elliman]], that his voice takes on a mellow, seductive intimacy he's never come close to before.<ref name="CG"/>
}}

In 1974, journalist Ken Emerson at ''Rolling Stone'' called Clapton's guitar work unnotable and criticized Clapton for hiding behind his other musicians, whom Emerson deemed less than capable. Emerson also questioned Clapton's decision to play a [[dobro]] on the album, but called "Let It Grow" a highlight. Emerson considered Clapton's re-arrangement of "Motherless Children" to be too upbeat for a sombre song.<ref name="RS"/>

In a retrospective review for [[AllMusic]], critic [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] calls the studio album a "tighter, more focused outing that enables Clapton to stretch out instrumentally" and adds that the "pop concessions on the album [as well as] the sleek production [and] the concise running times don't detract from the rootsy origins of the material". Finishing his review, Erlewine notes, the ''461 Ocean Boulevard'' "set the template for Clapton's 1970s albums". The critic awarded the release four and a half out of five possible stars.<ref name="Allmusic"/> For the ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]'' magazine review of the album's 2004 deluxe edition, [[Jon Pareles]] called the Eric Clapton of the [[Cream (band)|Cream]]-era superior to the Clapton of the ''461 Ocean Boulevard''-era, because of what Pareles describes as strained singing on ''461 Ocean Boulevard''. Pareles also described Clapton's remake of "I Shot the Sheriff" as a copy with no original arrangement; he also praised the song "Let It Grow", but criticized it for sounding too much like "Stairway to Heaven".<ref name="Blender">{{cite web|url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reissue/53004/461-ocean-boulevard-deluxe-edition.html|title=Review: Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard (Deluxe Edition)|first=Jon|last=Pareles|date=1 November 2004|work=Blender.com|publisher=Alpha Media Group|access-date=7 October 2015}}{{Dead link|date=June 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In a retrospective review for ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'', [[Nigel Williamson]] considered that with ''461 Ocean Boulevard'', Clapton "rediscovered the primacy of music in his life".<ref name="Uncut"/> Critic Ryan Book from ''The Music Times'' likes the track listing very much and thinks that "the climate comes out in Clapton's work, ten tracks ranging from bright blues rock to, well, 'Let It Grow'."<ref name="MusicTimes"/> Eduardo Rivadavia at ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' calls the release a "watershed solo LP" and notes the popularity of the album, stating it is a "wanted man". The journalist finished his review by calling ''461 Ocean Boulevard'' the album in which Clapton's "incomparable talents and this inspired song set were finally captured".<ref name="Ultimateclassicrock">{{cite web|first=Eduardo|last=Rivadavia|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/eric-clapton-461-ocean-boulevard/|title=40 Years Ago: Eric Clapton Releases '461 Ocean Boulevard'|publisher=Diffuser Network|work=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=27 July 2014|access-date=9 October 2015}}</ref>

''Rolling Stone'' placed the album at No. 411 on its 2012 list of the [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]], commenting that Clapton had "returned from heroin addiction with a disc of mellow, springy grooves minus guitar histrionics", which "paid tribute to [[Robert Johnson]] and [[Elmore James]]".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/eric-clapton-461-ocean-boulevard-20120525|title=500 Greatest Albums: 461 Ocean Boulevard – Eric Clapton |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=31 May 2012|access-date=7 October 2015}}</ref> The album was included Robert Dimery's book ''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]''.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Robert |last1=Dimery |first2=Michael |last2=Lydon |title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition |date=7 February 2006|publisher=Universe|isbn=0-7893-1371-5}}</ref>

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
|headline=''461 Ocean Boulevard'' — {{nobold|Side 1}}<ref name="Discogs">{{cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/Eric-Clapton-461-Ocean-Boulevard/release/7023592|title=Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard (Vinyl, LP, Album) |website=Discogs|access-date=10 October 2015}}</ref>
|title1=[[Motherless Children]]
|writer1=[[Traditional music|Traditional]]  {{small|([[arrangement|Arranged]] by Eric Clapton · [[Carl Radle]])}}
|length1=4:55
|title2=[[Give Me Strength]]
|writer2=Eric Clapton
|length2=2:51
|title3=[[Willie and the Hand Jive]]
|writer3=[[Johnny Otis]]
|length3=3:31
|title4=Get Ready
|writer4=Eric Clapton · [[Yvonne Elliman]]
|length4=3:50
|title5=[[I Shot the Sheriff]]
|writer5=[[Bob Marley]]
|length5=4:30
}}
{{Track listing
|headline=''461 Ocean Boulevard'' — {{nobold|Side 2}}<ref name="Discogs"/>
|title1=[[I Can't Hold Out]]
|writer1=[[Willie Dixon]] {{small|(original album credit: "By [[Elmore James]], [[arrangement|Arranged]] by Eric Clapton")}}
|length1=4:10
|title2=Please Be with Me
|writer2=[[Scott Boyer]]
|length2=3:25
|title3=Let It Grow
|writer3=Eric Clapton
|length3=5:00
|title4=Steady Rollin' Man
|writer4=[[Robert Johnson]] {{small|([[arrangement|Arranged]] by Eric Clapton)}}
|length4=3:14
|title5=Mainline Florida
|writer5=[[George Terry (musician)|George Terry]]
|length5=4:05
}}
{{track listing
|headline=''461 Ocean Boulevard'' — {{nobold|Original compact disc release}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whereseric.com/eric-clapton-discography/eric-clapton-solo-audio-recordings-studio-all-recordings-ordered-release-14|title=461 Ocean Boulevard|website=Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine|access-date=10 October 2015}}</ref>
|title1=Motherless Children
|writer1=Traditional  {{small|(Arrangement by Eric Clapton · Carl Radle)}}
|length1=4:55
|title2=Better Make It Through Today
|note2=from ''[[There's One in Every Crowd]]''
|writer2=Eric Clapton
|length2=4:07
|title3=Willie and the Hand Jive
|writer3=Johnny Otis
|length3=3:31
|title4=Get Ready
|writer4=Eric Clapton · Yvonne Elliman
|length4=3:47
|title5=I Shot the Sheriff
|writer5=Bob Marley
|length5=4:25
|title6=I Can't Hold Out
|writer6=Elmore James
|length6=4:14
|title7=Please Be With Me
|writer7=Scott Boyer
|length7=3:26
|title8=Let It Grow
|writer8=Eric Clapton
|length8=5:00
|title9=Steady Rollin' Man
|writer9=Robert Johnson
|length9=3:14
|title10=Mainline Florida
|writer10=George Terry
|length10=4:09
|title11=Give Me Strength
|writer11=[[Music plagiarism#cite_note-100|Louise King Mathews]]
|length11=2:54
}}
{{track listing
|headline=''461 Ocean Boulevard'' Deluxe Edition (2004) — {{nobold|Disc 1}}<ref name="thebestofwebsite">{{cite web |first=Barry |last=Small |url=http://www.thebestofwebsite.com/Bands/Eric_Clapton/Reviews/461_Ocean_Blvd.htm |title=461 Ocean Blvd |website=The Best of... Website |access-date=9 October 2015 |archive-date=28 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928141551/http://www.thebestofwebsite.com/Bands/Eric_Clapton/Reviews/461_Ocean_Blvd.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|title1=Motherless Children
|writer1=Traditional {{small|(Arrangement by Eric Clapton · Carl Radle)}}
|length1=4:55
|title2=Give Me Strength
|writer2=Eric Clapton
|length2=2:54
|title3=Willie and the Hand Jive
|writer3=Johnny Otis
|length3=3:31
|title4=Get Ready
|writer4=Eric Clapton · Yvonne Elliman
|length4=3:47
|title5=I Shot the Sheriff
|writer5=Bob Marley
|length5=4:25
|title6=I Can't Hold Out
|writer6=Elmore James
|length6=4:14
|title7=Please Be With Me
|writer7=Charles Scott Boyer
|length7=3:26
|title8=Let It Grow
|writer8=Eric Clapton
|length8=5:00
|title9=Steady Rollin' Man
|writer9=Robert Johnson
|length9=3:14
|title10=Mainline Florida
|writer10=George Terry
|length10=4:09
|title11=Walkin' Down the Road (Session Out-Take)
|writer11=[[Alan Musgrave]] · [[Paul Levine]]
|length11=5:17
|title12=Ain't That Loving You (Session Out-Take)
|writer12=[[Jimmy Reed]]
|length12=5:30
|title13=Meet Me (Down at the Bottom) (Session Out-Take)
|writer13=[[Willie Dixon]]
|length13=6:59
|title14=Eric After Hours Blues (Session Out-Take)
|writer14=Eric Clapton
|length14=4:23
|title15=B Minor Jam (Session Out-Take)
|writer15=Eric Clapton
|length15=7:11
}}
{{track listing
|headline=''461 Ocean Boulevard'' Deluxe Edition (2004) — {{nobold|Disc 2}}<ref name="thebestofwebsite"/> Live From the Hammersmith Odeon, London. December 4th and 5th, 1974
|title1=[[Smile (Charlie Chaplin song)|Smile]]
|writer1=[[Charlie Chaplin]] · [[Geoffrey Parsons (lyricist)|Geoffrey Parsons]] · [[John Turner (lyricist)|John Turner]]
|length1=4:39
|title2=Let It Grow
|writer2=Eric Clapton
|length2=6:23
|title3=[[Can't Find My Way Home]]
|writer3=[[Steve Winwood]]
|length3=4:49
|title4=I Shot the Sheriff
|writer4=Bob Marley
|length4=7:49
|title5=[[Tell the Truth (Derek and the Dominos song)|Tell the Truth]]
|writer5=Eric Clapton · [[Bobby Whitlock]]
|length5=7:03
|title6=[[The Sky Is Crying (song)|The Sky Is Crying]] / [[Have You Ever Loved a Woman]] / [[Ramblin' on My Mind|Rambling on My Mind]]
|writer6=Elmore James · [[Billy Myles]] · Robert Johnson
|length6=7:23
|title7=[[Little Wing]]
|writer7=[[Jimi Hendrix]]
|length7=6:49
|title8=Singin' the Blues
|writer8=[[Don Robey]] · [[Joe Medwick (blues musician)|Joe Medwick Veasey]]
|length8=7:42
|title9=[[Badge (song)|Badge]]
|writer9=Eric Clapton · [[George Harrison]]
|length9=8:36
|title10=[[Layla]]
|writer10=Eric Clapton · [[Jim Gordon (musician)|Jim Gordon]]
|length10=5:26
|title11=[[Let It Rain (Eric Clapton song)|Let It Rain]]
|writer11=Eric Clapton · [[Bonnie Bramlett]]
|length11=6:33
}}

== Personnel ==
{{unref-section|date=April 2022}}
{{div col}}
* [[Eric Clapton]] – lead vocals, guitars, [[Dobro]] (A2, B2, B3), slide guitar (A1, B1, B5) 
* [[George Terry (musician)|George Terry]] – guitars (A1–A5, B2, B3, B4, B5), backing vocals (A5, B2, B3, B4, B5), slide guitar (A1)
* [[Albhy Galuten]] – piano (A1, A5, B3, B4, B5), electric piano (A4), [[ARP synthesizer]] (B3), [[clavichord]] (B4)
* Dick Sims – organ (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, B1, B3, B4, B5)
* [[Carl Radle]] – bass
* [[Jamie Oldaker]] – drums (all tracks, except A2, B2, and B4), percussion (B2)
* [[Yvonne Elliman]] – backing vocals (A3, A5, B2, B3, B5), co-lead vocals (A4)
* [[Al Jackson Jr.]] – drums (A2)
* [[Jimmy Fox]] – drums (B4)
* Tom Bernfield – backing vocals (B3, B5)

== Production ==
* [[Tom Dowd]] – producer
* Bill Levenson – compilation producer on ''Deluxe Edition''
* Ron Fawcus – engineer
* Andy Knight – engineer
* Karl Richardson – engineer
* Suha Gur – mastering
* Darcy Proper – mastering at [[Sterling Sound]] (New York, NY).
* Bob Defrin – art direction, design 
* [[David Gahr]] – photography
* Ryan Null – photo coordination
{{div col end}}

==Charts==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Weekly charts===
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!Chart (1974–1975)
!Peak<br/>position
|-
! scope="row"| Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}</ref>
| 2
|-
!scope="row"|Canadian Top Albums/CDs ([[RPM (magazine)|''RPM'']])<ref name="RPM1">{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.3849a&type=2&interval=20&PHPSESSID=m89iq841abagb37ld9c0fdc1f3|title=RPM – Item Display: Top Albums/CDs – Volume 22, No. 2, August 31, 1974|work=[[Library and Archives Canada]] |access-date=7 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310013838/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.3849a&type=2&interval=20&PHPSESSID=m89iq841abagb37ld9c0fdc1f3|archive-date=10 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|1
|-
{{Album chart|Netherlands|4|album=461 Ocean Boulevard|artist=Eric Clapton|rowheader=true|refname=MegaCharts|access-date=7 October 2015}}
|-
! scope="row" | Finnish Albums ([[Official Finnish Charts|Suomen virallinen lista]])<ref>{{cite book|url=https://musiikkiarkisto.fi/oa/_tiedostot/julkaisut/sisaltaa-hitin.pdf#page=48|first=Timo|last=Pennanen|year=2021|title=Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021|section=Eric Clapton|page=48|publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava|location=Helsinki|language=fi}}</ref>
| 10
|-
{{Album chart|Germany|11|album=461 Ocean Boulevard|artist=Eric Clapton|rowheader=true|refname=Germany|id=10242|access-date=7 October 2015}}
|-
{{Album chart|New Zealand|38|album=461 Ocean Boulevard|artist=Eric Clapton|rowheader=true|refname=NZL|access-date=7 October 2015}}
|-
{{Album chart|Norway|4|album=461 Ocean Boulevard|artist=Eric Clapton|rowheader=true|refname=Norway|access-date=7 October 2015}}
|-
!scope="row"|UK Albums ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]])<ref name="OCC">{{cite web|url=http://umdmusic.com/default.asp?Lang=English&Chart=B&ChDay=&ChMonth=&ChYear=&ChBand=&ChSong=461+Ocean+Boulevard|title=British Albums Chart Position for "461 Ocean Boulevard" |website=Ultimate Music Database|access-date=7 October 2015}}</ref>
|3
|-
!scope="row"|US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]<ref name="BB200">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=eric-clapton-p64692/charts-awards/billboard-albums|pure_url=yes}}|title=Eric Clapton – Billboard Albums|work=AllMusic|publisher=Rovi Corporation|access-date=7 October 2015}}</ref>
|1
|}
{{col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!Chart (1974)
!Position
|-
! scope="row"| Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=426}}</ref>
| 18
|-
!scope="row"|Canadian Top Albums/CDs ([[RPM (magazine)|''RPM'']])<ref name="RPM2">{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.3891&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062|title=RPM – Item Display: Top Albums/CDs – Volume 22, No. 19, December, 28 1974|work=[[Library and Archives Canada]] |access-date=7 October 2015}}</ref>
|5
|-
!scope="row"|Dutch Albums ([[MegaCharts]])<ref name="DutchEnd">{{cite web|url=http://www.dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1974&cat=a|title=Jaaroverzichten 1974 (Album)|publisher=Steffen Hung – Hung Medien|work=GfK Dutch Charts|language=nl|access-date=10 October 2015}}</ref>
|22
|-
! scope="row" | German Albums ([[GfK Entertainment charts|Offizielle Top 100]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-1974|title=Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts|date=1974|publisher=[[GfK Entertainment Charts]]|language=de|access-date=2 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612213157/https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-1974|archive-date=12 June 2018}}</ref>
| 50
|-
!scope="row"|US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1974/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1974|magazine=Billboard|access-date=17 April 2021}}</ref>
|88
|}
{{col-end}}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|title=461 Ocean Boulevard|relyear=1974|relmonth=07|region=United States|award=Platinum|certyear=1974}}
{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{YouTube|oE_4MwkdKBQ|Mainline Florida}}

{{Eric Clapton}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Eric Clapton albums]]
[[Category:RSO Records albums]]
[[Category:1974 albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Tom Dowd]]
[[Category:1970s covers albums]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at the Hammersmith Apollo]]