Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs is the only studio album by the English–American rock band Derek and the Dominos. It was released on November 9, 1970, as a double LP by Polydor and Atco. The band features Eric Clapton on guitar and vocals, Bobby Whitlock on keyboards and vocals, Carl Radle on bass, and Jim Gordon on drums. Duane Allman played lead and slide guitar on most of the tracks.
Clapton formed the Dominos after leaving Cream and Blind Faith. In 1970 he teamed up with Whitlock and the other two members, then went to Criteria Studios in Miami to record the album. Allman joined after Clapton saw him perform; the two guitarists bonded and pushed the music in a powerful new direction. The album’s centerpiece, the title track “Layla,” grew from Clapton’s love for Pattie Boyd, who was George Harrison’s wife at the time.
The music mixes Clapton–Whitlock originals with blues and rock covers. It includes several well-known songs such as “Layla,” “Bell Bottom Blues,” and “Have You Ever Loved a Woman,” along with blues covers like “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” and a version of Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing.” The album was produced by Tom Dowd.
The cover features a painting by Frandsen de Schomberg, chosen because Clapton felt a likeness to Pattie Boyd. The image was kept unadorned on the sleeve. In 46 years of later legal action, the painter’s family was awarded compensation related to the design. The painting later gained renewed public attention when it was sold at auction in 2024 for nearly £2 million.
Layla was not a big commercial hit at first—especially in the UK—but it became a major artistic achievement. In the United States it peaked at number 16 on the Billboard chart and eventually earned Gold status. Over the years, the album’s reputation grew; it is now widely regarded as Clapton’s greatest work and a landmark in blues-rock. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000, and critics have repeatedly praised its emotional intensity and tight, fusioned playing, especially Allman’s guitar work.
The Dominos toured to support Layla, and a 1973 live album, In Concert, captured performances from that era. The project helped cement Clapton’s post-Cream superstardom and left a lasting influence on rock music. Since then, Layla has been released in many reissues and formats, including deluxe editions with extra tracks and anniversary editions that explore the album’s sessions and outtakes.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 12:23 (CET).