Life in 12 bars - Again, apologies.

SNAKEBITE

Saw this on iPlayer yesterday and if you haven't seen it then do so, regardless of if you like the music or not it is an amazing story.

I never knew what he had experienced, and the speed in which he did it(the first 10 years must have been a blur!)

One of the best documentaries I've seen I think.

thecolourbox

Similarly, Live at the 12 Bar by Bert Jansch is also rather good

ChuckManual

My normal Sunday afternoons, "Spent In 12 Bars", is also rather good.

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

Missed it on Saturday with work, glad it's on iPlayer so I can get it watched tomorrow when I'm off. Looking forward to it!

EricTheWeary

I watched Clapton at the BBC last night on BBC4 ( presumably on iPlayer). It's a few years old and covers his story and, annoyingly, relatively little of his music. If someone wanted to know what's supposed to be so great about him it wouldn't answer the question. I might watch 12 Bars but my feeling is it'll be much the same and I'd be better off with a live video or two. 

not_the_dj

Fergus sings the blues, in bars of 12 or less. 

Funkfingers

EricTheWeary said:

If someone wanted to know what's supposed to be so great about him, it wouldn't answer the question.

Fair assessment.

I suggest that, for a brief period, Clapton was innovative insomuchas he was one of the very first recording artistes to plug a Gibson Les Paul Standard into a cranked Marshall amplifier. He had studied American electric Blues sufficiently to convince audiences unfamiliar with the genre that he had some authenticity. 

In my opinion, Clapton's less studious immediate contemporaries, in failing to clone Albert King and Buddy Guy, arrived at their own styles. Obvious exemplar, Peter Green. (Blues with feeling but not directly copying anyone else.)

SNAKEBITE

EricTheWeary said:

I watched Clapton at the BBC last night on BBC4 ( presumably on iPlayer). It's a few years old and covers his story and, annoyingly, relatively little of his music. If someone wanted to know what's supposed to be so great about him it wouldn't answer the question. I might watch 12 Bars but my feeling is it'll be much the same and I'd be better off with a live video or two. 

For me at least this is the whole point.

I was familiar with the music of Clapton, not an expert by any stretch, but not a fan. Watching this documentary was all about the story, not the music.

Hattigol

EricTheWeary said:

I watched Clapton at the BBC last night on BBC4 ( presumably on iPlayer). It's a few years old and covers his story and, annoyingly, relatively little of his music. If someone wanted to know what's supposed to be so great about him it wouldn't answer the question. I might watch 12 Bars but my feeling is it'll be much the same and I'd be better off with a live video or two. 

It's his life story, not a gig. There is music all the way through it but more as background to what he's done and been through.

In much the same way that if you read his autobiography, no tunes come out of it when you turn the pages.

EricTheWeary

Hattigol said:

EricTheWeary said:

I watched Clapton at the BBC last night on BBC4 ( presumably on iPlayer). It's a few years old and covers his story and, annoyingly, relatively little of his music. If someone wanted to know what's supposed to be so great about him it wouldn't answer the question. I might watch 12 Bars but my feeling is it'll be much the same and I'd be better off with a live video or two. 

It's his life story, not a gig. There is music all the way through it but more as background to what he's done and been through.

I appreciate that and it's not a complaint. I guess I find it a bit odd or frustrating that so many music documentaries contain so little music. I understand that's not the point of 12 Bars but it would be nice to see the odd music documentary that contained actual music. The recent Jeff Beck one, for example, was just talking heads saying isn't Jeff great but anyone new to him wouldn't understand why and neither was there much of a story told.

Funkfingers

EricTheWeary said:
The recent Jeff Beck one, for example, was just talking heads saying isn't Jeff great but anyone new to him wouldn't understand why and neither was there much of a story told.

I suspect that this was a calculated choice. People who are already familiar with these artistes have their bias confirmed. People who are unfamiliar with these artistes are unlikely to be won over in a couple of hours.

EricTheWeary said:

I find it ... frustrating that so many music documentaries contain so little music. ... It would be nice to see the odd music documentary that contained actual music. ... I'd be better off with a live video or two.

The problem then would be, how do you represent these artistes? One concert or a compilation of live performances, segued together to create an impossibly good show? e.g. - The 2005 Cream Royal Albert Hall DVD or the Zappa "You Can't Do That Onstage Anymore" series. In the latter case, some of the titles are intercut performances, by different ensemble line-ups, from years apart. 

not_the_dj

EricTheWeary said:

I watched Clapton at the BBC last night on BBC4 ( presumably on iPlayer). It's a few years old and covers his story and, annoyingly, relatively little of his music. If someone wanted to know what's supposed to be so great about him it wouldn't answer the question. I might watch 12 Bars but my feeling is it'll be much the same and I'd be better off with a live video or two. 

Life in 12 Bars is really worth a watch to understand the man (but yes, not necessarily the music).

I'm not familiar with the other program the BBC showed last night, but the problem with a video compilation of Clapton is that there's precious little footage of some of his best work, e.g. the Bluesbreakers and Derek and the Dominoes*.

So the Beeb will end up showing one clip of the Yardbirds, Cream miming to I Feel Free, a tiny bit of Crossroads from the farewell concert, then some clips of a bored and drunk Eric on Whistle Test and then a bored and drunk but smartly dressed Eric in the 80s at various multi artist events, then maybe some unplugged and Jools clips. 


*There is the Johnny Cash TV show set on youtube, never seems to make it into the clip shows though....but that's without Duane

Blueingreen

I'm not the biggest Clapton fan but thought this was an excellent documentary.  Even my wife, whose pop-music "era" is punk and post-punk and who normally switches off at the first hint of wailing guitar solos and "the blooze" stuck with it and found it fascinating.

Don't agree it would have been better focusing on the music.  If that's what interests you it's readily available, and I don't see what a film could add that's new except for a predictable gathering of musos and critics bumming up his importance in the usual yawnfest.

scrumhalf

not_the_dj said:

I'm not familiar with the other program the BBC showed last night, but the problem with a video compilation of Clapton is that there's precious little footage of some of his best work, e.g. the Bluesbreakers and Derek and the Dominoes*.

That was a waste of time. Half a clip of the Yardbirds (which I could have sworn was from Granada TV) and glossing over most things until about 1977. Too much of his Armani period.

lovestrat74

If you want to know about his music get yourself on spotify or youtube - plenty of stuff on there. If you want to know about the man, watch life in 12 bars - simple

ESBlonde

The tortured soul aspect of Claptons life and rejection by his mother haunts him for many decades. He threw himself headlong into authentic blues when few other musicians gave it space. As a consequence he was ahead of the curve for the critical years in both the UK and USA. Being invited to play at the Aritha Franklin session when he dressed like a pimp with an afro was his big moment, they all shut up one he played because he sounded authentic and fresh at the same time. these things came out well in the documentry and a snooze fest of videos wouldn't do that so well.
Sadness and tradgedy followed him (or he caused it) through much of his life, but other respected guitar players made special moments available to him over the years. Pete Townsend threw a concert to help him get off the booze at one stage.

I enjoyed the Documentry (again), not so much the Sunday Clapton at the BBC program.

Hattigol

The one thing I wasn't sure about was a clip that they referred to as a radio interview with Paul McCartney - I would have sworn it was George Harrison. Anyone else think that?

EricTheWeary

not_the_dj said:

EricTheWeary said:

I watched Clapton at the BBC last night on BBC4 ( presumably on iPlayer). It's a few years old and covers his story and, annoyingly, relatively little of his music. If someone wanted to know what's supposed to be so great about him it wouldn't answer the question. I might watch 12 Bars but my feeling is it'll be much the same and I'd be better off with a live video or two. 

Life in 12 Bars is really worth a watch to understand the man (but yes, not necessarily the music).

I'm not familiar with the other program the BBC showed last night, but the problem with a video compilation of Clapton is that there's precious little footage of some of his best work, e.g. the Bluesbreakers and Derek and the Dominoes*.

So the Beeb will end up showing one clip of the Yardbirds, Cream miming to I Feel Free, a tiny bit of Crossroads from the farewell concert, then some clips of a bored and drunk Eric on Whistle Test and then a bored and drunk but smartly dressed Eric in the 80s at various multi artist events, then maybe some unplugged and Jools clips. 


*There is the Johnny Cash TV show set on youtube, never seems to make it into the clip shows though....but that's without Duane

For someone not familiar with that programme it sounds suspiciously like you edited it  

proggy

I'm not a Clapton fan, but I watched it because it was on and really enjoyed it.

TA22GT

In the current internet age anything any artist does is reported instantly and there is no mystery.

Back then there were really only the NME and Melody Maker and the newspapers reporting things and "Eric being absent" didn't convey the full meaning of how absent he was. He was in a right state and the film gives much more content to that period.
Seeing the look of pain in his eyes when he sat on the couch after having his hair forceably cut and his guitar broken was painful to watch. His Mothers rejection and disdain for him must have been so very painful for him at that age when all he wanted was a Mother to love him.

No wonder he immersed himself obsessively with music.

I'm not much a fan of his music anymore as it's re-hashing "the blues" but I do have a great respect for what he has been through and the Man he has now become.

He's paid his dues and he's helping others that are paying theirs. 

Nikc

Watched it last night I thought it was quite moving overall.