Richard Clapton
SIX years without any new material in a cut-throat music world usually sparks assumptions of a band break-up or the end of what was a successful career in the charts.
And in Richard Clapton’s case, there’s been no new material, not even a whisper from the legendary Australian rocker since Rewired, which was released in 2006.
Clapton said personal turmoil had disrupted the making of his 21st album, Harlequin Nights.
‘‘I went through a marriage breakup at the time and I didn’t have writers block it was just I was more distracted with the personal turmoil,’’ he said.
‘‘Danny Spencer who plays guitar with me just started coming around and saying ‘‘let’s do something’’.
‘‘He and I co-wrote four songs off the album and then I just started on a role from there.’’
The album took four years to create.
Clapton said four years was a blessing in disguise.
‘‘Working over four years is a really liberating experience for me,’’ he said.
‘‘I come from an era where you are given a recording budget and you will have six weeks to do the album. At the end of the six weeks if you weren’t happy that was too bad, it was still going to come out. Where as this way you can go back and rewrite sections of songs.’’
The album includes 11 new songs, most about Clapton’s personal life.
‘‘I’m known for my socio-political comments in my music,’’ Clapton said.
‘‘Diamond Mine is quite a political album and it was the album of 2004.
‘‘However because of my circumstances at the time it [Harlequin Nights] was based on my personal life.
‘‘I think it’s a good thing as it deals with the matters of the heart.’’
Clapton is renowned for his classy song writing and this doesn’t fall short in Harlequin Nights which has received raving reviews from various publications.
He said this CD was a bookend to his 1977 album Goodbye Tiger, because they were both written about the times in which we live.
‘‘Goodbye Tiger I did 36 years ago in 1977 and that attraction to that album was speaking directly to my generation in 1977,’’ he said.
‘‘Thirty five years later and you know I’m talking about matters of the heart.
‘‘Especially for people around my age, the baby boomers, who are going through what I have gone through.
‘‘It strikes deep in the psyche.’’
Clapton will perform all his legendary songs and new hits at Castle Hill RSL on Saturday, March 2, from 8.30pm.
‘‘Capricorn Dancer and Deep Water and etc etc and all those radio hits that get played every single night so that people don’t get disappointed,’’ he said.
‘‘I tried to make it as varied as I can and try and slip in some new material.’’