Clapton makes himself even more popular

poopot

richardhomer said:

rlw said:

Neither is on 'From the cradle'.  Probably the best blues album ever by a white artist and an indication of what Clapton loved and what he could do to honour it.

From the Cradle is the album I would always point people to, if they think he’s not a great player. Things like ‘Some Day After A While’ and ‘Five Long Years’ are fantastic. His vocals throughout the album are great too.

Off the back of this comment I’ve listened to the album…

it’s a well recorded pub blews band… there’s nowt inspiring about his playing and his voice just lacks soul…

I gave it a whirl but my opinion hasn’t changed I’m afraid… there are other, arguably so much better blues artists that were putting out music in the mid 90’s when that was released…

just don’t get the praise for him 

Offset

Offset said:

richardhomer said:

From the Cradle is the album I would always point people to, if they think he’s not a great player. Things like ‘Some Day After A While’ and ‘Five Long Years’ are fantastic. His vocals throughout the album are great too.

Thanks Richard.  I'll pick out the tracks you suggest and report back.  I'll try and remain objective :-)

OK.  So... both tracks are fine as far as it goes.  Very 'Clapton' (unsurprisingly), but some good playing there (assuming it wasn't AFL).  However, any of the guitarists mentioned by myself or @Poopot ; above would have done a better job IMHO.  His vocals are great.  My opinion of him as a guitarist remains unchanged I'm afraid.  He's bland.

menamestom

I think From The Cradle is a pretty good album, but I’d take Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac any day over anything Ec has done. 

rlw

poopot said:

rlw said:

Neither is on 'From the cradle'.  Probably the best blues album ever by a white artist 

We’ll just gloss over Rory Gallagher, Ry Cooder, Jonny winter, Warren Haynes, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Roy Buchanan, Duane Allman, Derek Trucks and ZZ Tops entire catalogue shall we?

Yup.  All good but, apart from Johnny Winter, I can't place a single album by any of them which consists entirely of blues tracks.  Bluesy, yes.  Blues rock, yes.   Blues influenced, yes.   Classic blues from one end to the other, no.

fretmeister

rlw said:

poopot said:

rlw said:

Neither is on 'From the cradle'.  Probably the best blues album ever by a white artist 

We’ll just gloss over Rory Gallagher, Ry Cooder, Jonny winter, Warren Haynes, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Roy Buchanan, Duane Allman, Derek Trucks and ZZ Tops entire catalogue shall we?

Yup.  All good but, apart from Johnny Winter, I can't place a single album by any of them which consists entirely of blues tracks.  Bluesy, yes.  Blues rock, yes.   Blues influenced, yes.   Classic blues from one end to the other, no.

You can’t gatekeep what blues is. 

rlw

Offset said:

poopot said:

rlw said:

Neither is on 'From the cradle'.  Probably the best blues album ever by a white artist 

We’ll just gloss over Rory Gallagher, Ry Cooder, Jonny winter, Warren Haynes, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Roy Buchanan, Duane Allman, Derek Trucks and ZZ Tops entire catalogue shall we?

...plus Walter Trout, Sonny Landreth, Peter Green, Robben Ford, Popa Chubby...

So, they're all white.  I can think of dozens more too but I stand by my comment. 

As above, all very good, very talented - Peter Green was brilliant but the early Fleetwood Mac albums where he really shone were a bit ho hum - but straight blues albums......

rlw

And by the time of From the cradle, his voice had really matured too, into that of a great blues singer.

Anyway, each to their own.

rlw

richardhomer said:

rlw said:

Neither is on 'From the cradle'.  Probably the best blues album ever by a white artist and an indication of what Clapton loved and what he could do to honour it.

From the Cradle is the album I would always point people to, if they think he’s not a great player. Things like ‘Some Day After A While’ and ‘Five Long Years’ are fantastic. His vocals throughout the album are great too.

My stand outs are 'Reconsider Baby' and 'Blues before sunrise'.  Both capture the sound of the original recordings and are played in a very authentic style with nothing unnecessary added.

rlw

Emp_Fab said:

It's the age-old question of whether you can separate the art from the artist.  Should you be able to separate them ?
Does someone's music, paintings or literature become of a lower quality because the artist holds very unpopular views ?
I would argue they don't, even though I find Clapton quite repugnant (and I've never been a fan of his music either).

History is littered with plenty of artists for whom their dodgy personal opinions or behaviour have been given a pass because their art is of such quality.

Wise words here.

tone1

It all went downhill after ‘Have you Heard’ on the Beano Album, but I do love ‘From the Cradle’ Tore Down and Reconsider Baby’ are great….Hootenanny 

https://youtu.be/JSntVg5s1Vs

rlw

kin said:

I would guess the average comments are more to do with his reputation being more than his actual achievements.

I don't think he can be credited with bringing anything new to the guitar, he's no Hendrix, Beck , Brian May, Van Halen, Fripp  etc when it comes to new sounds or techniques. 

Go listen to the Beano album - very far from being my favourite - and then find another album with those guitar sounds on it from that time.  The sounds aren't unique but he pretty much brought them into the studio first.

poopot

rlw said:

poopot said:

rlw said:

Neither is on 'From the cradle'.  Probably the best blues album ever by a white artist 

We’ll just gloss over Rory Gallagher, Ry Cooder, Jonny winter, Warren Haynes, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Roy Buchanan, Duane Allman, Derek Trucks and ZZ Tops entire catalogue shall we?

Yup.  All good but, apart from Johnny Winter, I can't place a single album by any of them which consists entirely of blues tracks.  Bluesy, yes.  Blues rock, yes.   Blues influenced, yes.   Classic blues from one end to the other, no.

Really?

Texas flood
sky is crying
zz tops first album 
the crossroads soundtrack

just for starters…

you at the sherry again?

rlw

fretmeister said:

rlw said:

poopot said:

rlw said:

Neither is on 'From the cradle'.  Probably the best blues album ever by a white artist 

We’ll just gloss over Rory Gallagher, Ry Cooder, Jonny winter, Warren Haynes, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Roy Buchanan, Duane Allman, Derek Trucks and ZZ Tops entire catalogue shall we?

Yup.  All good but, apart from Johnny Winter, I can't place a single album by any of them which consists entirely of blues tracks.  Bluesy, yes.  Blues rock, yes.   Blues influenced, yes.   Classic blues from one end to the other, no.

You can’t gatekeep what blues is. 

Agreed but influenced by doesn't make it the blues.

poopot

rlw said:

fretmeister said:

rlw said:

poopot said:

rlw said:

Neither is on 'From the cradle'.  Probably the best blues album ever by a white artist 

We’ll just gloss over Rory Gallagher, Ry Cooder, Jonny winter, Warren Haynes, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Roy Buchanan, Duane Allman, Derek Trucks and ZZ Tops entire catalogue shall we?

Yup.  All good but, apart from Johnny Winter, I can't place a single album by any of them which consists entirely of blues tracks.  Bluesy, yes.  Blues rock, yes.   Blues influenced, yes.   Classic blues from one end to the other, no.

You can’t gatekeep what blues is. 

Agreed but influenced by doesn't make it the blues.

So what does make it “the blues”

a white middle class racist from Surrey loved my accountants and middle management types countrywide?

Clapton is insipid corporate blews… it’s uninspired and uninspiring!…

im not judging on “technical ability” either… I’m judging it on musicality… of which there is none… it’s “safe” and about as edgy as a sponge… 

really it’s the “anti blues” paint by numbers music designed to fleece the ignorant…

of course, it’s just my opinion…ymmv and all that… I’m just a lover of good decent music at the end of the day…

randella

fretmeister said:

rlw said:

Yup.  All good but, apart from Johnny Winter, I can't place a single album by any of them which consists entirely of blues tracks.  Bluesy, yes.  Blues rock, yes.   Blues influenced, yes.   Classic blues from one end to the other, no.

You can’t gatekeep what blues is. 

That’s probably the crux of the matter. Clapton’s ‘blues’ was his interpretation of it, Vaughan’s was his. All down to preference really.

Billy Gibbons’ name has cropped up a few times - one of my hero guitarists, woefully underrated. ZZ Top were steeped in the blues, Gibbons is very open about that. They *weren’t* a blues band though - rock and roll, country, and their own unique Texas stomp. 

Fandango is one of my all-time favourite records, the live A-side with the filthy guitar tone kicks off with a straight 12 bar. But, by the time you get to the second side, you have tracks like Balinese which owe far more to country if you ask me.

Plus Gibbons’ vocal from the 70’s is one I’d give my right arm to have. 

jdgm

scrumhalf said:

There have been several Claptons. The one I think was brilliant was the Yardbirds to Derek and the Dominoes one.

I don't care much for the seventies addict or the Armani-clad version.

If you don't rate the first incarnation then consider what came before him and how he changed it. Distance can dull the impact, but he was a bit of a trailblazer. 

Agree with this.  Longevity means output is large and uneven.

And that the German lady seems to have brought her misfortune on herself.

The surreal thing IMO is that the whole concert audio is on youtube and anyone could download it.

JerkMoans

Sassafras

I like music on radio.
You can't tell if it's being played by a white man or a black one.

Offset

Sassafras said:

I like music on radio.
You can't tell if it's being played by a white man or a black one.

When it comes to Eric, I think you'll find you can.

LastMantra

I'm not sure I dislike anyone's music as much as some people seem to dislike EC's.