clapton has been among my favorite players for a long time. when i first heard "wheels of fire" i was blown away. i had all of cream's lps.

that being said, i can't say that i love every song he's put out during his career. then again, that's probably true of most artists.

Eric is my favorite of all time... YMMV

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Hey, Boy Blue is back!

I'll share my opinion on the subject. Back in the early 80s I picked up the guitar cause I wanted to be Clapton. I was listening to Cream and my favorite album back then with John Mayall. Even through the 80s Clapton was still doing a great job, but from the 90s on he lost his touch and got way too boring and does not impress me at all! I won't even get into how horrible his tone is.

I mean listen and watch him here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6IGH53PZ6Y

What happened?? Anything I hear or watch of him lately just plain sucks! No soul no feel, it's like he's not even into it anymore. Was it the alcohol? Who knows!


Say what?? Did you forget what Muddy, BB, Albert, Freddie, Buddy, were doing back then! Where exactly do you think he got most of his licks from??? As far as I know he got a LOT from these guys, specially Freddie! If you don't have Freddie's 1934-1976 CD I suggest you get it and listen to Clapton then playing with Freddie, specially Gambling Woman Blues.

Peter Green is someone just as good, if not better than Clapton back then, that doesn't get as much credit as Clapton gets.

thank you. i didnt make it to the second cd yet. had g.friend things to do.
you might not believe this but i honestly want to like clapton.
so many do and i think they might be hearing something ive just not picked up on yet. can i call him a god? i just dont think so at this point.
i will sa that listening to the first cd i have found a few more ongs of his i like. i do like the fact that the disks give me his career's "bests" in order.
this way i can pick a time line that i like best.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

Do like him, here is a story: winter of 67, late January/early February my band the DeFenders is having a special rehearsal on a Friday for an up-coming gig at a very popular teen club named The Cellar an old automobile dealership building in a Suburb of Chicago large enough for about 300-350 teens, on Fridays they would squeeze in 400, but, on this particular Friday, this 16 y/o guitar player (me) had a date with a 14 y/o American beauty(we will call her little Suzy to protect the innocent). My band said if I didn't rehearse that I would be fired, more on that later. The only way little Suzy's parents will let her go out on a date with me is if her older Brothers Joey and Johnny will Chaperone, my Bros, my Mates, I love them and they love me, perfect because Johnny's Catalina has an enormous back-seat. This supposed to be rehearsal Friday, were are we all going on our date? The Cellar. Who is playing? The Cream! Do I care? How could I? When Joey and Johnny went into the club, I spent the next 2 hours trying to fight off the toughest little kitty I ever went out with (thee best make-out date in world history I thought), she was relentless. Truthfully though I wasn't resisting that much because I did like her and yes she/we had fun. I did get to see them the following year at a much larger venue, the old Colosseum which isn't there anymore (condos). way cool jr, Eric was just like us. He was playing teen clubs on that 1st American tour having fun just like us. He listened to all of the old blues artists just like us his interpretation is all him, and I always thought, very cool. Everybody gets old and changes but I'll bet if you look into his eyes you will see that young guitar player that came over to entertain us. So, I got fired from my own band, looked for and found a bass guitar player and drummer that could both sing and kicked my old bands butt in a battle of the bands at a Chicago teen club, called the Bat Cave, 2 months later, I really liked playing in a band in those early years. Let us know how you like the rest of the CDs Bro.

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

Can't agree with that at all....

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"Another day in paradise!"

You're using an outake from "The Last Waltz" during which his guitar strap came off to prove your point? Who can tell where they were physically and emotionally by that moment in the perfomance. Every player has their lacklustre moments. Suppose you review his playing in "Queen of Spades" during the '07 Crossroads.

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"Another day in paradise!"

You are aware that one of Eric's favorite photographs is that of the dog urinating on the wall inscribed as such. Someone else quoted the CD
"There's One In Every Crowd." The working title of that was "The World's Greatest Guitarist.....There's One In Every Crowd." Just another tongue in cheek response of his to his celebrity.

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"Another day in paradise!"

It was Clapton and Cream's Disraeli Gears more than Jimi or other contemporaries that inspired me to rock harder on guitar . . . and to buy a wah pedal.

cedarblues

i dont know bro, i liked the video you posted.
i thought his playing was actually pretty good there and his tone wasnt
so bad.
ok guys i know what we can do here, post me up some of your fav videos of eric. i know you got them.
sucks, i just found a link that was titled
freddie king/eric clapton "hideaway", and its some other band doing a cover. sh@t. im really digging freddie right now. that would have been a sweet video as hideaway is probably my fav blues tune.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

You really have to go back to the live shows of Hendrix, Cream etc. They were live without a lot TOYS and prerecorded effects they use today on stage. They were there as is. It really shows even more today when you listen for the gaps or blank spots in the music. There are none. The enhanced digitals today don't hide anything. It really proves that they are, or were as for Hendrix, that DAMN GOOD!

Way cool, if you are looking for the 'wow' factor, I have to suggest the song 'Crossroads'. Most everyone has heard it, but it stands up to many listeners ears as one of the greatest live tracks ever. The version in particular that I'm talking about was recorded in 68' when he was with Cream.

In my opinion, if that song dosen't get your blood boiling, then nothing will.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejPi8D8LFnI

In particular, what I love is of course the RIDICULOUS solo after the second verse, then, just as amazing, how tight the band is, and how smoothly they jump back into the groove like it was no big deal. Amazing to my ears. Should be the same version on your records.

Hey phreddybee; Absolutely right!

No offense, but you need to educate yourself, don't expect us to educate you. Do your own legwork.

I am a fan of Clapton (although, admittedly, I didn't care for his last few solo albums as much as other work) and I put him in the "upper echelon" category...if you've ever seen him live, you would understand. His ground-breaking, genre-expanding work of the 1960s puts him as a legend, and he solidified that legacy at different points in his life.

...and though you didn't "bash him", you did d@mn him with faint praise and that's almost as bad.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

[
I've heard him say, in interview, that he's never tried to repeat that solo and, doesn't think he's got the present day chops even to try. What's more, he's done that piece in a variety of different ways. It's evolved over these many years, as has his treatment of Cocaine.
Might as well as compare apples and oranges when it comes to Hendrix and Clapton. Townsend said it best in the classic story commenting to Clapton:
"I've just seen a guy who is going to put us both out of business."
Taking nothing away from the other two, each innovators in their own right, Hendrix was in a league unto himself, and they would have been the first to agree.

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"Another day in paradise!"