Eric Clapton: Hero or zero?

Deijavoo

After discovering his 1976 speech I've been talking to a few other players about him. I have not given him a second thought for more years than I can remember but it gets me to my point.

What is the general consensus here on

a) His technical ability

and 

b) His songwriting.

Personally I don't rate his playing and really dislike his songs.

I just wondered if I'm on my own here or if I'm a "jealous amateur that couldn't lace his boots". 

 

VimFuego

it is quite possible to dislike someone's playing etc. and not be the aforementioned jealous amateur. Now, I happen to quite like his playing and songwriting. And that's with me being a jealous amateur who's not fit etc.

stickyfiddle

I'm not a big fan of his work post-Cream, but the highlights are frequent and excellent. 

Saw him live last month and it was a great night, even with the cheesy ones. Only would've been improved by a 2nd guitarist rather than 2 solo-heavy keyboardists

richardhomer

I love his playing. He has the ability to make the hairs on your arms stand up (for me anyway).

His technique is sufficient to play the way he plays. Clearly, he is not a shredder.

The fact that his playing is fairly simple means a relatively inexperienced player can copy it and feel gratified that they can 'play like Eric Clapton'. The reality is, like Gilmour, it's all about the subtleties - vibrato, phrasing, etc, which take a lot of experience.

I like plenty of his songs too.

The guy has had a 50 year career and has inspired countless players to pick up a guitar.

For me, he'll always be a hero.

Deijavoo

I'm a Wisdom whore here.....

johnnyurq

Some Clapton periods are better than others but I dislike a lot of them and not relly a fan per se.

Saying that he has done some really well crafted tunes/music and clealry is an excellent player with a good touch, when on form. Definitely a pioneer of a lot of style and technique (although not a shredding or technical type which is fine by me).

But sadly a lot of his material leaves me cold but the good stuff is very good indeed.

not_the_dj

Hero for me. Along with a Hendrix LP it was my Dad's Clapton albums that helped me get into the guitar.

The Yardbirds stuff was ok for white boy London blues, then the Beano album with John Mayall is justifiably the peak of that scene. Cream were something else, I love the live extended jams on Cream Live 1 and 2, and some great tones on the studio tracks (the solo for I Feel Free for example). 

Blind Faith makes a nice contrast after the madness of Cream, then hooking up with Delany and Bonnie and the backing musicians that became the Dominoes. 

The Layla album is his high point, spurred on by Duane Allman. The Jams CD from the Layla box set is brilliant to hear that line-up letting rip in the studio and working off each other as is the Fillmore live album (without Duane). 

The solo stuff has it's moments, Slowhand and 461...amongst then, but he is always at his best when working with another creative force. 

The Live in the 70s box set had some great playing, especially as he was pissed for most of that era. 

August was the current album when I first got into him so I'll always have a soft spot for that album and Journeyman. 

Unplugged was a great re-invention, and brought his guitar playing back into focus and led him to re-visit the blues with From the Cradle. First time I saw him live was on that tour. 

The solo stuff after that has been a bit dull (Reptile etc), but some nice stuff on the Me and Mr Johnson and BB King albums (plus some mediocre material). 

I sort of lost track of the studio albums after that, but the Cream reunion and the Stevie Winwood live CD/DVDs are flipping great. As I said before he's at his best when spurred on by someone else. 

Selling some key guitars (including Brownie and Blackie) was a great way to show how committed he is for his clinic, and as far as I know the locals don't pay the 'movie star' rates for the treatment. 

He's also helped out younger guys giving them high profile slots at his Crossroads festival (Mayer, Trucks, Gary Clark Jnr)

As for the racism thing, well he was in a really bad way with the drink, and considering how many black blues legends he's worked with and how many black guys he's had in his band I can't really see it as anything more than a drunken rant at a really dark time for him. 

So he's all right with me. 
 

RocknRollDave

Agree with the OP. I dislike his playing and most of his songs.

EricTheWeary

@not_the_dj that may well be the longest post I've ever read by anyone on here! But yet succinct and comprehensive.

randomhandclaps

not_the_dj said:

As for the racism thing, well he was in a really bad way with the drink, and considering how many black blues legends he's worked with and how many black guys he's had in his band I can't really see it as anything more than a drunken rant at a really dark time for him. 

 

Yeah but he also had a pop at the Arabs and he's never worked with any Saudi blues legends has he?  

xSkarloey

Zero for me. 

Has played it too safe for too long, when up until 1968 he was more of a risk taker. 

Guess musically he lost his nerve, and then spent too long getting pissed to properly get it back. 

I respect him most for being sober, which is a genuine respect. 

Lixarto

He's largely irrelevant to me.

I did watch one of the Crossroad films on Sky Arts, but because Sonny Landreth was on it.

I think the Beano album is dull, Cream wanky and self-indulgent (Bar "Badge" which is better because George was a proper songwriter) and his solo stuff largely pointless.

I think he functions as a household name that British non-musicians can use when they want to make a shortcut point: He's a famous guitarist they've heard of, therefore he's brilliant.

not_the_dj

EricTheWeary said:

@not_the_dj that may well be the longest post I've ever read by anyone on here! But yet succinct and comprehensive.

Despite the length I think I actually avoided answering the question! (apart from the hero/zero). 

I'll have another go:

A)Technical ability. 

For a short while on the 60s he was the hottest player around, then Hendrix arrived and left Clapton for dead (Clapton said he'd chuck it in after Jimi jammed with Cream). 

Of course he carried on, but he hated the "Clapton is God" tag and I think Blind Faith and hiding behind the Derek persona was part of him trying to distance himself from the guitar hero tag (that'll link into my answer to B, so hold on). 

He's not a guitarists guitarist if you get what I mean, he's not fast of that flashy, but the general music listening public are easier to impress than us lot. If you ask my patents who the best guitarist is they'll say Clapton without hesitation (although my mum might say I am, but she's biased). 

Songwritting. 

In trying to get away from the guitar great label he tried to concentrate on the songs. The Bands "Music from Big Pink" opened his eyes to the folky/country/oldie stuff that was seperate from the blues, and Blind Faith sort of tried that. 

However his own song writting was never that great, he was usually better with other peoples material. Again as he was a massive drunk it must have been easier to noodle through covers each night with a pentatonic solo than to sit down in his country house and concentrate his efforts on writing. 

He has written songs that have clicked with a lot of people, Wonderful Tonight is massive, but hated by the cool kids, and not exactly a master class in great poetry (but it's simplicity might well be it's magic, I bet it's still played at an awful lot of weddings, and it is a nice little guitar lick). 

So no he's not the greatest player, or songwriter, far from it, and he's been damn lucky with his health and had a long career out of it, so he must have been doing something right!  

mcsdan

Early stuff is very good. He has got complacent and just sounds a bit boring and the same.

viz

I don't like his vibrato or his racist opinions or his tone much. But I do love Wonderful Tonight and Hard Times.

Deijavoo

It's weird how certain vibratos just cut you off. 

That's maybe what it is for me, like with Kirk Hammett and Noel Gallagher. 

Deijavoo

Thanks for all the opinions guys. 

DrJazzTap

I liked him in Cream, I think the racist speech was due to drink and drugs. I think he disliked being labelled as a guitar hero and focused on being a songwriter instead. He did go very MOR. Hats off to him for selling off a vast number of his guitars for charity.

JookyChap

I think to understand his worth as a player, like the Beatles, Bowie, U2, The Smiths, Suede and so on, you had to be there at the time to understand their effect: As in, I think there are periods of your life where you are really into  'listening' to music, and that stay with you for the rest of your life and if they coincide with a player/band being at their peak it makes them really special.

So being a child of the 80s, for me Clapton was a washed up Armani wearing Strat player, the Beatles were twee, U2 and The Smiths were amazing and Bernard Butler was the finest guitar player the world had ever seen. If I was 20 years older it might be different.

mike_l

I like some of his songs, but don't really get him as a player or musician. He's not a first choice for me to listen to.

He's neither a hero or a zero to me, not a hero because I didn't  want to learn guitar because of him, not a zero because I do like some of his songs.

Deijavoo

I suppose hero or zero is a bit too black and white. 

Although I do love the Layla outro and Sunshine, probably due to my Goodfellas obsession.

That's it though.