i noticed that many people on org bash on eric clapton.
man is a living guitar legend.
his playing in yardbirds directly influanced jimi hendrix.
he inveted hard rock with cream.
he stareted using wah wah same time as hendrix did.
he can play slow blues but also mean fast heavy rock solos.
in other word he is great .

he's a great guitarist.


i think one of the major critical problems from the pros and the fans, lately, though, is everything he's done in the last decade or thereabouts, has been really really boring. yeah, that song about his song being dead was a great song, and heartfelt, and a nice "comeback" tune, but having it followed by Unplugged and that Babyface album..... yeesh

I can dig some Cream and Blind Faith...however Ive never really found him to be that interesting on the G.Im not saying he's bad , just bland at times....

No real point in comparing him to Hendrix or Page either for that matter... They have him beat in the "inventive riff" dept.

man clapton was inventive,he invented hard rock.
he directly inspired hendrix
with his feedback fuzz guitar solos he did with yardbyrds.
if it wasn't for eric clapton there would never be jimi hendrix as we know him today,i mean he would be diffrent.
latter jimi influanced clapton.

For the folks who don't feel like reading paragraphs on why Eric Clapton's *not* overrated but are genuinely curious, run out and buy this album. B.B.'s singing up a storm, and Eric's makin' that guitar weep:



Now, for the rest of y'all, read on:

I think it's funny how folks can give props to Prince for being around so long but get shady with someone, even more a legend on the guitar (debate the skill levels if you wish, but don't miss my main point here) by most accounts, who has been around for about twice as long.

I make no bones about being a big ol' Slowhand fan. Clapton's got an amazing sound, instantly recognizable, with a fluid, smooth tone. Add to that his blistering skills on the guitar, and you have someone who deserves the accolades heaped upon him.

No, he's not as inventive as Hendrix, but he's covered a lot of ground with the blues and the styles it spawned, and he is one of the only players I can think of (besides Stevie Ray Vaughan and Phil Keaggy) so deeply schooled in the language and craft of the blues. His styles can vary -- broadly. Eric can go raw like John Lee Hooker or Rober Johnson on you, or super-smooth like Carlos Santana on ya. He's a bad, bad man.

And, while a lot of people fault the decidedly R&B turn he took in the 1990s, I rather feel he just paid homage to a broader spectrum of black music, a genre birthed by the one that made him a star. I think that explains the phat beats and heavy bass of his Pilgrim CD, as well as his use of the Curtis Mayfield's old group, The Impressions on his album Reptile. Also reference his knack for funk -- not just in the production of his songs, or guest spots with David Sanborn on Marcus Miller-produced tunes -- but also in his phrasing. That's a trait I noticed in SRV's playing -- he could kill you with a run, or sneak you with a funky phrase.

If you listen to interviews with the man, he remains humble -- often nonplussed -- about his place in music history. He fancies himself a lucky Brit who grew up loving the blues. And, he's been inconoclastically forthcoming about his usually black inspirations and musical heroes.

So, some might think he's overrated. That's fine. This is just my opinion. But, I hope the Lord blesses me to learn to play 1/2 ... OK, 3/4 ... OK, *just* as well as that man, if not better, before it's all said and done. EC's a bad, bad man.

wow great article

Ridin' with the King's a pretty decent album, as is a Me and Mr. Johnson, but neither of them are outstanding. I have to agree that most of his albums from the 80s and 90s are pretty bland to me, though Unplugged is pretty good.

But that doesn't matter, because I think Eric Clapton has more than proved himself as a true legend and innovator of the guitar with his work in the 60s and 70s, whether as a soloist, with the Yardbirds, Derek & the Dominos, Cream, or the much overlooked Blind Faith.

Unfortunately, when people think of him, they often overlook his really great guitar showcases, choosing to think instead of Layla (the main part, that solo at the end is no biggie), I shot the Sherriff, or his later boring stuff like Tears in Heaven. But his Blues work is really stellar, interesting, and played a huge role in bringing the harder guitar rock into the mainstream. He deserves credit where credit is due, especially becoming so well accepted as a master of the blues artform, always being asked to play on tributes, and always playing with the best of the best.

thebanishedone said:

thanks, i wrote it myself...

Eric Clapton is amazing.I'm currently in the process of collecting many of his albums.The stuff he did with Derek and The Dominoes is just superb.

Does anyone have his two box sets,'Crossroads' and 'Crossroads 2' (which consists of mostly live recordings from the 70s?).I'm thinking of getting these.

thebanishedone said:

Cream aside, Clapton's music is like him - dreary, chinless, soulless middle of the road crap that goes on way too long. And he's refused to apologise for the racist comments he made on stage in 1976. Wanker.

www.anl.org.uk/04-rar.htm
[Edited 10/20/04 0:49am]

Shapeshifter said:

Really? You really think Eric Clapton is racist? Eric Clapton? REALLY?

savoirfaire said:

If you click on the link I posted, you'll see that The Anti-Nazi League was founded in the UK as a direct consequence of Clapton's comments - made at a time of great racial tension in the UK. They branded Clapton a racist. Still do.

To answer your question: I personally don't think he's a racist. I never said that. I pointed out that he made racist comments he's refused to retract. In fact in an interview with Uncut magazine last year he stood by what he'd said. Had he said those kind of things today, his career would have been over.

Like I said, he's a wanker.
[Edited 10/20/04 1:20am]

thebanishedone said:

Face it, Clapton's been coasting on great stuff he did in the period 1965-1971; since then he's boring

thebanishedone said:

Eh? You mean he'd be more dead or less dead?

Regardless of whether he is a decent guitarist (to me, his acoustic bluesy stuff seems more interesting than his lead solo guitar jerking off), the main issue for me is that his SONGS are so so so so so sooooo dull. Combined with his bland voice, his naff dress sense (from designer stubble and Armani cheese-fests to Post-50's Grandad trying to look 15 hoodies) and the session musos he surrounds himself with, he says absolutely nothing to me, I'm afraid. Dull, dull, dull

Eric is a guitar legend. He's made some great music and has had a long, impressive career. He definitely deserves props IMHO!

DavidEye said:

Run, do not walk, to your local music store and buy BOTH. You will not be disappointed!

RocknRollDave said:

I'm going to go with RocknRollDave on this one. How could you possibly get into a guitar argument with someone named RocknRollDave?!?!?!?!

P.S. Same goes for Steve Vai.

Thunderbird said:

Cheers Thunderbird!

...and, yup, Steve Vai is a tedious widdly-diddly merchant too.

I should know, I am Rock N Roll Dave.

Clapton is waaaaay overrated, he has copied Buddy Guy's sound ,he has a terrible voice ...no one ever talks about that. i mean he is supposed to be singing the blues ???..doesn't sound to convincing to me.

and when it comes to fuzz toned guitar solo's ..see IKE TURNER in the 50's !!or Johnny guitar watson in the 50's !!!



peace
mark

kokomo said:

Totally agree about his voice. I mean, the man has been through a lot of shit and should be able to sing the blues as good as anybody but.....

jackflash said:

Thank you for that post.

Much like MrTation I find Clapton the solo artist bland, but his work in Blind Faith and Cream are what people need to check out if they're at all interested.

Even leaving Hendrix out of the equation, when I listen to players like Jeff Beck, Vernon Reid, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Nile Rodgers, etc. Clapton fails in the PASSION dept. And yes, you can include Prince's live playing too. Clapton's fine, he serves whatever purpose his fans want, obviously. But music is part of the arts. Give me passion, instead of punching the clock to start work.

I said it, stand by it, and ain't takin' it back.

ThreadBare said:

everybody here knows that wendy and sus sing backing vocals on half the tracks on this thing.....and a couple of doyle bramhall ii songs are covered...

DavidEye said:

Yeah, I currently have them in my vehicle along with his newest album, 'Me and Mr. Johnson.' and greatest album (in my opinion), 'John Mayall's Blues Breakers.'

I think they are great... It's always interesting to hear various versions of pre-recorded songs. I highly recommend them.

people who say that clAPTON havent ,
touched their soul are the one that never heard derek and the dominos,
blind faith,live at filmore,eric clapton rainbow concert,
many more...
people who say that clapton havent touched their soul only heard :cocaine ,wonderful tonight and layla...
he is tour the force live,
ok sometimes he is unispired but who isn't.
prince also have bad days.
go and listen to clapton's version of little wing,stone free,or his composition with blind faith "presence of the lord",
any live version of river of tears,i shout the sherif,after that i wouldn't be so sure if you'll say something in the same vain.

Jimi was impressed by Eric's playing on the Bluesbreakers album with John Mayall. Jimi liked Jeff Beck's playing in the Yardbirds.

He once told Jeff he got some of Third Stone From The Sun from Happenings Ten Years Time Ago.

Frank Zappa used the wah wah pedal first. Eric used it next.

Here in America I think Axis came out before Disreil Gears (excuse the spelling) which was recorded first so people thought Eric was copying Jimi with the wah wah.

The great part about listening to Jimi, Eric and Jeff play is they are different and they all sound different even when playing blues or even hearing them on Strats. Jeff switched to a Strat for "Beck Ola" and Eric for "Derek And The Dominoes"

cranshaw62 said:

Speaking of overrated....

That album was such a letdown to me when I got it. I kept thinking to myself, "Is that all there is??" It's so OF it's time, and not in a good way. Jimi's still ahead of his 34 years after his death. His playing is otherworldly.

Supernova said:

Jimi rules, Clapton drools.
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(friggin' sig)

They've only got about 38 pennants and 26 championships to go. Now!




tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

nikkhendrix said:

I'm gonna "hint" to my girlfriend that I want these sets for Christmas

daddywhoLOVESpooping said:

Thanks for the info!


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[Edited 10/21/04 2:36am]