No Reason to Cry

No Reason to Cry is the fourth full-length studio album by Eric Clapton, released by RSO Records in 1976. The album was released in compact disc format on 25 October 1990.

No Reason to Cry
Studio album by
Eric Clapton
Released27 August 1976
RecordedDecember 1975 – May 1976 at Shangri-La Studios, Malibu and Village Recorders, Los Angeles[1]
GenreRock
Length45:59
LabelRSO
ProducerRob Fraboni
Eric Clapton chronology
E. C. Was Here
(1975)		 No Reason to Cry
(1976)		 Slowhand
(1977)
Singles from No Reason to Cry
  1. "Hello Old Friend"
    Released: October 1976
  2. "Carnival"
    Released: January 1977

Recording

The album was recorded at The Band's Shangri-la Studios in March 1976, and included involvement from all five members of The Band; Rick Danko shared vocals with Clapton on "All Our Past Times," which he co-wrote with Clapton. The album also includes a duet with Bob Dylan on his otherwise unreleased song "Sign Language." The booklet in Bob Dylan's box set The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 describes his involvement in this album: "Dylan dropped by and was just hanging out, living in a tent at the bottom of the garden. He would sneak into the studio to see what was going on. Dylan offered his new, unrecorded song "Seven Days" to Clapton. Clapton passed on it, but Ron Wood took him up on the offer and released it on his third solo album Gimme Some Neck".[2] The song "Innocent Times" is sung by Marcy Levy, who also shared vocals with Clapton on "Hungry."[3]

Chart performance

No Reason to Cry is one of Clapton's most internationally successful albums from the 1970s. The release reached the Top 30 in seven national music album charts, hitting Top 10 in United Kingdom (peaking at No. 8) and in the Netherlands, where it topped out No. 9. The album was certified platinum in the United Kingdom. In Norway and the United States, the album charted at No. 13 and No. 15 respectively, while in New Zealand and Sweden, it reached No. 18 and No. 24 respectively.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Christgau's Record GuideB–[5]

For his review, AllMusic critic William Ruhlmann awarded the release 3.5 of five possible stars, commentating: "No Reason to Cry is identifiable as the kind of pop/rock Clapton had been making since the start of his solo career", adding "the most memorable music on the album occurs when Clapton is collaborating with members of the Band and other guests". Finishing his review, Ruhlmann called the release "a good purchase for fans of Bob Dylan and the Band, but not necessarily for those of Eric Clapton".[4] Rolling Stone journalist Dave Marsh finds, the album recordings are "much more mélange than masterpiece".[6] Robert Christgau rated the album with a "B-" and calls the album "a well-made, rather likable rock and roll LP", noting the "singing is eloquent and the instrumental signature an almost irresistible pleasure".[5]

Track listings
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Beautiful Thing"Rick Danko · Richard Manuel4:26
2."Carnival"Eric Clapton3:44
3."Sign Language"Bob Dylan2:58
4."County Jail Blues"Alfred Fields4:00
5."All Our Past Times"Eric Clapton · Rick Danko4:40
6."Hello Old Friend"Eric Clapton3:36
7."Double Trouble"Otis Rush4:23
8."Innocent Times"Eric Clapton · Marcy Levy4:11
9."Hungry"Marcy Levy · Dicky Simms4:39
10."Black Summer Rain"Eric Clapton4:55
Total length:45:59
1990 CD Bonus Track[7]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Last Night"Walter Jacobs4:52
Total length:50:51

Personnel

The listed personnel was taken from the album's liner notes. The back cover also thanks additional people, who worked on the album, without specifying what their contribution was.[8]

Chart positions

Weekly charts
Chart (1976) Peak
position
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[9] 3
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] 9
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[11] 18
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[12] 13
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[13] 24
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 8
US Billboard 200[15] 15

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[16] Platinum 300,000^
United States — 300,000[17]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Eric Clapton - No Reason To Cry". Discogs. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  2. Dylan, Bob (1992). The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 [Rare & Unreleased] 1961–1991. Columbia Records (Compact Disc #47382).
  3. "Album – No Reason To Cry". Eric-clapton.co.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  4. "No Reason to Cry – Eric Clapton | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  5. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: C". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 23 February 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  6. "Eric Clapton No Reason To Cry Album Review | Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  7. "NO REASON TO CRY – Where's Eric!". Whereseric.com. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  8. Clapton, Eric; RSO Records (1976). "Liner Notes / Back Cover". No Reason to Cry (LP Liner Notes). United States: RSO Records. pp. 1–2. RS-1-3004 0698.
  9. "Eric Clapton". Hitlisten (in Danish). Danskehitlister.dk. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  10. "Dutchcharts.nl – Eric Clapton – No Reason To Cry" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  11. "Charts.nz – Eric Clapton – No Reason To Cry". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  12. "Norwegiancharts.com – Eric Clapton – No Reason To Cry". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  13. "Swedishcharts.com – Eric Clapton – No Reason To Cry". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  14. "Eric Clapton | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  15. "Eric Clapton". Billboard. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  16. "British album certifications – Eric Clapton – No Reason To Cry". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 February 2020. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type No Reason To Cry in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  17. "49 Gold LPs in Top 100" (PDF). Cashbox. American Radio History Archive. 6 November 1976. p. 18. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
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