In Praise Of Eric

Dude;
You seem to like to take offense....
I feel like Clapton did some great work with Cream and Derek and the Dominos, but I find more often than not his pop solo stuff to be boring and very middle of the road (there are exceptions - "The Core" for example), and his blues, as RenatoNYC pointed out, is pretty derivative.
He did break some ground for acceptance of blues, and popularizing hot lead guitar, but plenty of guys do it better. Among his contemporaries, give me Beck or Page any day.
So feel free to insult me for my opinion as well..........


Tom

Yes, I take offence. Derivative of whom?
Clapton absolutely defined "rock" guitar with the Beano album.
Not gonna waste my time [mod edit]
 
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Ok, first off, I am a BIG Clapton fan, and think he deserves all of the praise heaped upon him. Most of that praise comes from his early days, setting the tone for a new generation of players. Sure, he evoked the playing of Muddy, Robert Johnson, Buddy Guy, et al; but isn't that the pioint? Someone has to move it forward, after all. There is no denying that he influenced many a young lad, and lass, to pick up the guitar and play, or just listen and appreciate what they weren't being exposed to in the first place. For some, it stopped at Clapton, for others, they found the link through him to "where it all began." Either way, Clapton was hugely influential on a generation of players. Love him, or hate him; worship him or loathe him, there's no disputing that.

Now, to add a little thought to the process, I'd posit this: John Mayer is the current version of Eric Clapton. Now, before you get your undies in a bunch, think about it. They both are CAPABLE of blistering, soulful, laid back, over the top, behind the beat, etc. etc etc, but they both chose to follow the pop path to "success". Let me also say this; I am not saying that Mayer is as good as, or is GOD, or....or....or....I am also not saying that Clapton is any of those things either. From an observational standpoint, these are extremely gifted individuals who chose to follow an artistic vision with pop leanings while eschewing the virtuosity. Either way, I feel fortunate to have been around at the same time both of these artists were providing joy to those that were/are willing to listen.

Turn it up!

can somebody help me off my soapbox? That made me a little dizzy............
 
Ok, first off, I am a BIG Clapton fan, and think he deserves all of the praise heaped upon him. Most of that praise comes from his early days, setting the tone for a new generation of players. Sure, he evoked the playing of Muddy, Robert Johnson, Buddy Guy, et al; but isn't that the pioint? Someone has to move it forward, after all. There is no denying that he influenced many a young lad, and lass, to pick up the guitar and play, or just listen and appreciate what they weren't being exposed to in the first place. For some, it stopped at Clapton, for others, they found the link through him to "where it all began." Either way, Clapton was hugely influential on a generation of players. Love him, or hate him; worship him or loathe him, there's no disputing that.

Now, to add a little thought to the process, I'd posit this: John Mayer is the current version of Eric Clapton. Now, before you get your undies in a bunch, think about it. They both are CAPABLE of blistering, soulful, laid back, over the top, behind the beat, etc. etc etc, but they both chose to follow the pop path to "success". Let me also say this; I am not saying that Mayer is as good as, or is GOD, or....or....or....I am also not saying that Clapton is any of those things either. From an observational standpoint, these are extremely gifted individuals who chose to follow an artistic vision with pop leanings while eschewing the virtuosity. Either way, I feel fortunate to have been around at the same time both of these artists were providing joy to those that were/are willing to listen.

Turn it up!

can somebody help me off my soapbox? That made me a little dizzy............
Here, here!
 
Well, ya see, Gary Moore doesn't do it for me the same as Joe Bonamassa. There's too much going on all the time for my taste, I prefer my blues simple just like me.

funny, because gary moore is one of joe bonamassa's hero's.
 
It's hard to know what to say about the concept that ec's blues playing, never mind all the other stuff, is derivative. Personally I think when he plays at his best it's very tasteful. His career has so many highlights it's hard to know what to pick on for blues, there is the really early teenage stuff with John may all, there are the blues songs with cream, there is blues galore with Duane Allman on Derek and the dominoes, there is an outstanding blues song on the Escondido album he cut with just Cale, there are the excellent blues rock tracks on 461 ocean boulevards, but my favorite is the very straight "derivative" blues "London howlin wolf" sessions cut with Charlie watts, Bill wyman, etc in 1968.

If you listen to that record as I must have done probably more than 500 times you won't her Ec being a hero, just playing and leading the band. Its derivative but no one, and I mean none else could ot ever has played the songs any better. He and the band made a very aging howling wolf sound outstanding, aided by some fantastic production.

For my money Stevie Ray Vaughan by comparison was far more limited and derivative although also very talented. But I expect others have other opinions
 
funny, because gary moore is one of joe bonamassa's hero's.
And, as was pointed out to me last night, Bonamassa has got a serious attitude problem, he's a big headed b*****d with his "how not to impress at parties lines".
 
I want to thank the people who made some negative comments about Ec because it gave me a reason to go back and listen to some of his music.

"crossroads". It may be derivative but I doubt you'd get Albert King volunteering to do it. FReddy maybe. The timing on the live version is outstanding.

Bell Bottom blues, not one of my favorite Clapton tracks but would be hard to describe it as derivative blues

"Let it grow".. The greatful dead would be happy to have this in their repertoire

Clapton's spiritual "swing high sweet chariot" Ray Charles would love to be able to it so well.
There are so many others......
 
I agree that EC has put out a lot of junk that, IMO, has tarnished his legacy. There is also a mine of great stuff out there, though. If some of it is derivative I say, "So what?" A ton of great music is derivative. Keep in mind that these British guys were all trying to emulate the old American bluesmen. They'd probably take "derivative" as a compliment. EC put a polish on the old blues licks and has much greater vocabulary and dynamic ability. All things I appreciate greatly and helped make me the player that I am.

Everyone should listen to the live recordings. I enjoy the live Cream material far more than the studio albums; off the charts jamming. The Derek and the Dominos at the Fillmore recording is excellent as well.
 
As one of the previous negative commentators, let me go back and qualify/clarify.
I take nothing away from the contributions EC has made to music. Could Led Zeppelin have blasted right out of the gate the way they did if Cream hadn't come first? Would Zeppelin have even gotten a record deal (or if so, would it have been more restrictive) had Cream not shown that experimental, blues based rock could sell big?
Eric has been involved in quite a few timeless songs/bands/albums. Badge, Layla, Tales of Brave Ulysses, The Core, are all songs that could make it onto a "desert island" playlist for me. Cocaine, Lay Down Sally, Pretending and Wonderful tonight go on my "rather go to the dentist than hear that song again" list.

Wouldn't the world be a boring place if we all liked the same things? Take the blues for instance (please!). 90% of my admittedly limited lead playing comes from the blues, but with notable exceptions, I find blues music tiresome to listen to for any length of time. On the other hand, I can listen to some of the longest most self indulgent Prog music (I love Tales from Topographic Oceans) and turn around 5 minutes later and go on a Cheap Trick or The Babys listening binge.
I talk to people who don't like The Beatles or Led Zeppelin and it doesn't compute for me, the same way criticizing Clapton doesn't compute for some of you guys. Different Strokes........

Tom
 
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They'd probably take "derivative" as a compliment
I'll speak for the 50 million of us, DANG RIGHT!! There may be another Brit would like a say though, feel free :)

And "they", is that like "them and us"?o_O
 
I appreciate all your comments, but most everyone is missing the point.
This is what I know ... Clapton was first and defined blues/rock music until this day, 50 years later.
You can "yada, yada, yada" all you want, doesn't change anything.
Actually go back and listen to Cream, not the live stuff, the original records.
There was nothing derivative about it, which isn't to say he didn't have influences.
Think about it, this was 1966, and in f@ckin' England, long before most of you where even born. He didn't have a million instruction DVD's or youtube or the internet.
He had some [mod edit] old records that he had to "pick and peck".
Honestly, what the Beatles, Stones and Clapton achieved and pushed forward is incredible and will never be replicated.
"Crossroads" was a monster "tour de force" for the time and taught more guys how to play the blues/rock than any song before or since.
If you play guitar (and I don't care whether you're country, metal, rock, blues, shred) and can't play "Crossroads", then you need to hit the woodshed.
Sorry, I'm kinda passionate about this.
 
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The Blues Breakers album blew me away in the 90's when I first heard it. I can imagine how radical it must've been in England in '66.

A good case against him being derivative is their take on Hide Away. Clapton played it quite a bit differently from Freddie and ripped like Freddie couldn't.
 
It's hard to know what to say about the concept that ec's blues playing, never mind all the other stuff, is derivative. Personally I think when he plays at his best it's very tasteful. His career has so many highlights it's hard to know what to pick on for blues, there is the really early teenage stuff with John may all, there are the blues songs with cream, there is blues galore with Duane Allman on Derek and the dominoes, there is an outstanding blues song on the Escondido album he cut with just Cale, there are the excellent blues rock tracks on 461 ocean boulevards, but my favorite is the very straight "derivative" blues "London howlin wolf" sessions cut with Charlie watts, Bill wyman, etc in 1968.

If you listen to that record as I must have done probably more than 500 times you won't her Ec being a hero, just playing and leading the band. Its derivative but no one, and I mean none else could ot ever has played the songs any better. He and the band made a very aging howling wolf sound outstanding, aided by some fantastic production.

For my money Stevie Ray Vaughan by comparison was far more limited and derivative although also very talented. But I expect others have other opinions
My fav Clapton blues release is "From the Cradle" in '94. IMHO he absolutely nails all the great blues artists (Muddy, Freddie King, Elmore, Lowell Fulson, etc, etc) covered in that release. I saw a show from that tour as well. It was neat, he came onstage and said simply "no hits tonight" and delivered a really great blues show showing total respect and appreciation for the material. It may be considered derivative by some (which is ok, no offence taken here) but in my mind you can't nail those songs without possessing such a deep appreciation for that genre and those artists, never mind the talent necessary to do so.
 
My fav Clapton blues release is "From the Cradle" in '94. IMHO he absolutely nails all the great blues artists (Muddy, Freddie King, Elmore, Lowell Fulson, etc, etc) covered in that release. I saw a show from that tour as well. It was neat, he came onstage and said simply "no hits tonight" and delivered a really great blues show showing total respect and appreciation for the material. It may be considered derivative by some (which is ok, no offence taken here) but in my mind you can't nail those songs without possessing such a deep appreciation for that genre and those artists, never mind the talent necessary to do so.
I saw that tour too, with Jimmy Vaughn opening, IIRC. I echo your sentiments. That's my favorite Clapton release. I could listen to him play that stuff all day.
 
"Whoa oh boom papa boom"! Yes, I forgot about that... Jimmie did indeed open the show that I saw too (Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto). Jimmie's Strange Pleasure had just came out and he opened with the releases opening cut. A short set though, about half hour long if I remember....
 
"Whoa oh boom papa boom"! Yes, I forgot about that... Jimmie did indeed open the show that I saw too (Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto). Jimmie's Strange Pleasure had just came out and he opened with the releases opening cut. A short set though, about half hour long if I remember....
Yep, it was a short one. Clapton, and his band, was awesome though. I've had the pleasure of seeing him many times, and that would be my favorite followed by Crossroads 2007.
 
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