Friday's Playlist: Layla and Assorted Songs For Pattie Boyd

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Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, the seminal double LP by Eric Clapton's short lived band Derek & the Dominos, is as legendary for the music it contains as it is for the painting that adorns its cover and the circumstances that led to its writing and recording. It's a necessary item for any music lover's collection: if you like blues, rock, soul, guitar, love songs, then you owe it to yourself to listen to this masterpiece.

The story of the record' conception is well-known, but is worth repeating. Clapton was in love with his best friend's wife Pattie, and put all of his soul and talent into crafting a record inspired by that unrequited love. Of course, his best friend was none other than George Harrison who had already written quite a few beautiful songs inspired by the same woman.

Pattie would end up divorcing George and marrying Eric before divorcing him as well in the late eighties. George and Eric remained friends through it all, the former Beatle even referring to his friend as his "husband-in-law".

As such, Pattie Boyd-Harrison-Clapton is one of the most important muses in rock music. Imagine being the woman for whom were written songs like the Beatles' Something and Layla!

To complicate matters, Ronnie Wood also used to be in love with Boyd when she was with George and they even engaged in a few swinging sessions (and I'm not talking about the musical kind) with Wood's girlfriend who he had nabbed from ... Eric Clapton. You couldn't write a soap opera like that.

This playlist is obviously heavy on Beatles and Clapton songs. We usually like to feature more diversity, but this is what the topic required. Enjoy, comment, share!