During the late 1960s and 1970s, Richard Clapton performed with multiple bands across Europe before returning to Australia in 1972 to launch his solo career. His first single, "Last Train to Marseilles," appeared in October 1972 but failed to achieve commercial success, leading him to join the jazz-rock band Sun for six weeks. Prussian Blue, his debut album, arrived in November 1973, yet his initial chart breakthrough came with the single "Girls on the Avenue," which reached number two nationally in March 1975. The Girls on the Avenue album followed, as did Main Street Jive in July 1976, after which he embarked on a European tour at year's end. His contribution to the 1977 Highway One soundtrack album, "Capricorn Dancer," rose to number 20.
Goodbye Tiger, Clapton's third album, emerged in August 1977 and ranks among his strongest releases, attaining a national peak of number five that November. The ensuing year involved touring and recording sessions in Los Angeles. Two tracks from those American sessions, "Steppin' Across the Line" and "When the Heat's Off," surfaced on the November 1978 compilation Past Hits and Previews. Hearts on the Nightline, his album recorded in the United States, climbed to number 17 and initiated a national tour. Dark Spaces appeared in 1980, dedicated to rhythm guitarist Andrew Durant, who had passed away in June. Clapton performed three tracks on the 1981 Andrew Durant Memorial Concert album.
A 1982 record deal with WEA yielded The Great Escape, which reached number seven in March. The single "I Am an Island" peaked at number 20, while the compilation The Very Best of Richard Clapton also hit number 15 during that period. Another national tour ensued, featuring bassist Garry Gary Beers and drummer Jon Farriss of INXS in his backing band, an association rooted in Clapton's production of their 1981 album Underneath the Colours. In 1983 he briefly joined the Party Boys and contributed to their Greatest Hits (of Other People) album. Solidarity, his next solo album, came out in 1984, followed by another national tour. Glory Road appeared in 1987, produced by Jon Farriss in exchange for Clapton's earlier work on Underneath the Colours.
The live album The Best Years of Our Lives, recorded on April 16, 1989, was released in September of that year. Contractual difficulties occupied the next four years until Clapton secured a five-album deal with Sony. Remaining active on the touring circuit between contracts, he issued Distant Thunder in 1993 and Angeltown in 1996.
