I don't "get" Eric Clapton

[tbz]

C'mon....!! lets not get carried away here. OK, you did not like Cream, but it was impossible to tell from their music, what their personal feelings were for each other. Baker hates everyone..always has...but Bruce and Clapton got on quite well.

I love me some live Cream, but I'm going to have to disagree with you. Live they'd pop into "three guys playing three different songs" mode quite often.

They'd all stay in key mostly, but you can hear they're not listening to each other much by 68 or so.

I know Ginger and Eric have some story where they complain about that. Iirc they both stopped playing completely on a show that year and Jack was turned up so loud he didn't HEAR them stop playing and just kept blowing.

 

[MrLenny1]

Hmmmm ******** on God eh?

 

[fearceol]

I love me some live Cream, but I'm going to have to disagree with you. Live they'd pop into "three guys playing three different songs" mode quite often.

They'd all stay in key mostly, but you can hear they're not listening to each other much by 68 or so.

I know Ginger and Eric have some story where they complain about that. Iirc they both stopped playing completely on a show that year and Jack was turned up so loud he didn't HEAR them stop playing and just kept blowing.

Yes, but all the above does not necessarily mean that they hate each other. I recently saw the Ginger Baker documentary/film.. "Be Aware of Mr Baker". In it, Baker is his usual cranky self, with hardly a good word for anyone, except ironically....Clapton. Both Clapton and Bruce spoke amicably about each other and about Baker.

I'm certain that they were not all bosom buddies, but I think the "hate" element is a little exaggerated.

 

[Pet Sounds]

I think it would be hard to understand why Clapton is so revered if you weren't around in the '60s. He was revolutionary then. IMO, he got kind of bland upon his return from his heroin addiction (not that I'm supporting heroin use in the least, I'm just marking the time frame). I was horribly disappointed with 461 Ocean Blvd. in '74. At the time, he said he was consciously trying to get away fro the guitar God thing. I think songs like Wonderful Tonight, while hugely popular, are treacle.

 

[will33]

People may not like his latet stuff, or just classify all his playing as "blues" or whatever, but when he first came on the scene his style was pretty revolutionary and inspired a lot of people. He's also prolific and didn't die young like so many did. Can't expect somebody to keep playing the same stuff over their whole life, people grow and change.

One of my favorite things about him is that he doesn't overplay, picks a few sweet notes instead of playing a few dozen just because he can squeeze them in. Similar to how Mcartney plays bass.

 

[will33]

I don't "get" slap. To each his own.

+1.

 

[fhm555]

First off, Clapton's strength as a player has always been in the blues. He can rock, but he has some very tasteful and very clever blues chops that work really well with his voice.

Comparing him to Rory Gallagher or Gary Moore is like comparing apples to oranges. Yes they are all guitarists, but with very different styles. Rory's work with Taste is his only serious foray into a straight blues format and while he does a credible job, his body of work as a rocker heavily influenced by his Irish roots is a stellar example of a rock guitarist with some blues influence, but a rocker nonetheless. Same for Gary Moore, he's a rocker who did a vanity project of an album full of blues tunes and with the exception of the title track, while in the basic blues format is without a doubt more rock influenced than blues. Still Got The Blues is currently in rotation on my MP3 player so I've been listening to it a lot in the last month or so and it rocks way more than it testifies.

IMO, what makes Clapton noteworthy is being the first white Britisher to gain wide recognition for his blues style that was authentic and true enough to form that he is the only British guitarist to be invited by Mr. Morganfield and each of the 3 (American) kings to play with them on both stage and recording projects. In short, the guys who invented and perfected the electric blues genre as we know it today were impressed enough with Clapton's blues chops that they wanted to share the stage and studio with him.

Oh, and to those who don't "get" Clapton, don't feel too alone. If you read Eric's autobiography you will find Clapton is still trying to "get" Clapton. You will also find a very compelling and often heartbreaking story about a very shy young man who grew up in some of the worst economic times in his country's history, who even after all these years of fame is still humble enough to be eternally grateful for his success and to still seriously wonder how it all happened.

If you don't "get" the blues, it's little wonder you don't "get" Clapton. Not saying there is a thing wrong with not being as big a blues fan as some. Outside of hillbilly string bands and early country music, blues is my anchor in music so I'm pretty ignorant about rock and like those who don't "get" Clapton, I don't "get" a whole slew of guitarists who have achieved legendary status in the rock world. I play rock stuff because my brother has this thing about not being known as strictly a blues band so he throws in a lot of guitar rock tunes.

It's not a good or bad thing, it's just a different thing.

 

[DWBass]

OK, the trolls are now taking over with their self-righteous BS. I think that anyone is allowed to have an opinion, regardless of their skill level. I don't recall the OP saying he was BETTER than Clapton.
Time to unsubscribe from this thread. Clapton is the worst.
OPINIONS!

This thread was dead from the very first post. Any thread starting with "I Don't Get" or "I Hate xxxx" always bring out the worst of Talkbass! It is what it is!

 

[lefty007]

I think the OP could have started the thread naming any famous musician, and the reactions/opinions would be the same, either "I agree, I hate the guy, or, "You're crazy, he's God," or "Meh, whatever, not bad, not good."

Read this:
I know that Jaco is widely considered one of the greatest bassist ever, and I will probably get lots of flak for this, but I don't think he's all that.
IMHO, other bassists of his generation are better, Alphonso Johnson, Stanley Clarke, Larry Graham, etc.
As far as his musical output and songwriting, I don't think he did anything of quality after 1982.
So, let me have it! Tear me up! Or, let me know if you agree with me.

Okay, maybe comparing Clapton to Jaco is not fair, Jaco is more like Hendrix. . . Although Clapton has had a very long a relevant career, which sorta makes up for his lack of technical and/or musical impact. But you'll probably get the exact reaction we are getting about Clapton: some people like him, some don't, just like anything else in life.

I happen to like Clapton, and I think he's a proper bluesman, as a guitarists, composer and singer.

 

[fearceol]

I think it would be hard to understand why Clapton is so revered if you weren't around in the '60s. He was revolutionary then.

+1. I think this is a key point as far as this thread is concerned. I am of the age to remember the "Clapton is God" era. The slogan speaks for itself. Most people (rightly or wrongly) thought no one could touch him guitar wise back then. It is easy in present times to be critical.

Having said the above, I think I must have been one of the exceptions, in that I did not believe the "God" message. I preferred other British blues guitarists like Mick Abrahams and Tony McPhee at that time.

 

[High Camp]

For the people who said Jeff Beck is better than Eric Clapton...from what perspective you said that?..technique?..is it the only parameter to decide one musician is better than the other one?.. Quality of songs they wrote? how do you measure 'song quality'?....ridiculous..
How about if we use other parameter? for example; money? (from song royalties, concerts, etc)..I believe Clapton is far better than Jeff beck in that aspect. Which -if using that parameter to decide- means that Eric Clapton is far better (guitarist, musician, songwriter, performer etc) than Jeff Beck.
Which is also ridiculous.

Now, that's why like I said in my post in this thread before, There is NO one better than the other, there's no one the best, esp. for musicians at their level.
Both are great musicians. Great guitarists. No matter you like him/them or not.

P.S.:
I'd be much more happy if TalkBass has more positive threads (How I like ......), I like those better than the negative (How I hate ...) threads...
I believe it will give us more positive effect too as a bass player, and as a community.

I totally agree with Bluesdogblues.
Now I myself am not a pro, but I do have the good fortune (luck really) to have done a European tour backing up James Burton.
James Burton by the way, in his career the lead-guitarist for Ricky Nelson, Elvis Presley, John Denver, you name it.
James blew me away with his technique, timing, impro-power etcetera big time.
My point: play with Eric Clapton and you will be blown away, all of us.
And you all will be smiling like a kid with a candybar!
At that level there's no point of being the best, they're all great.

Amen.

 

[jerry]

Don't forget we are talking about somebody with an almost half a century career, I think the naysayers would spend their energy more wisely by trying to figure out why Clapton's music spoke to so many people. These artist cage-matches make no sense to me, it's Talkbass, not Snarkbass.

 

[tbz]

Yes, but all the above does not necessarily mean that they hate each other. I recently saw the Ginger Baker documentary/film.. "Be Aware of Mr Baker". In it, Baker is his usual cranky self, with hardly a good word for anyone, except ironically....Clapton. Both Clapton and Bruce spoke amicably about each other and about Baker.

I'm certain that they were not all bosom buddies, but I think the "hate" element is a little exaggerated.

Bruce and Baker definitely do hate each other; I've read all of Bruce's bio and enough of Bakers, and have heard enough anecdotal stories, for that to seem like common/public knowledge.

Baker and Clapton/Bruce and Clapton got along fine though. Heck, Clapton and Baker formed Blind Faith immediately after Cream broke up.....

 

[embellisher]

This thread was dead from the very first post. Any thread starting with "I Don't Get" or "I Hate xxxx" always bring out the worst of Talkbass! It is what it is!

I don't hate Clapton. By all accounts, he is a very humble, down to earth, nice guy.

I just think he is a bit overrated as a player, and musically, he hasn't done anything new or fresh since Cream. I don't know why people get so bent out of shape over these kinds of threads anyway. I could understand if I said that he sucked, or that he was a terrible guitarist, but I didn't say that, and neither did any of the people who have agreed with me.

 

[SpectorCirrus]

His acoustic version of Layla puts me to sleep.

 

[VSUBass]

I think, once you get to a certain level of musicianship the idea of whether someone is "all that" or "better" becomes irrelevant. Also, consider the volume of his (or any band/artist that's been active for decades) output. I remember liking the Stones but I didn't get the adoration when I first heard them. i\It wasn't until I went back and listened to their first album that I literally said "Oh, I get it. These guys can do whatever they want for as long as they want." I kind of feel the same way about Clapton. So continue your indifference...or not. Whatever you listen to enjoy it.

 

[tbz]

I don't hate Clapton. By all accounts, he is a very humble, down to earth, nice guy.

I just think he is a bit overrated as a player, and musically, he hasn't done anything new or fresh since Cream. I don't know why people get so bent out of shape over these kinds of threads anyway. I could understand if I said that he sucked, or that he was a terrible guitarist, but I didn't say that, and neither did any of the people who have agreed with me.

I agree. I think it's somewhat tragic that someone like Clapton is publicly revered as a guitar god, when folks like Jeff Beck, Gary Moore, and even folks like Jimmy Page minus Zep, are given so little public credit.

I don't think he's a bad guy; he's clearly not a bad guitarist, but his guitar work does not speak to me the way theirs does. So, again, it's weird that the general public perceives him as a guitar wizard.

 

[karl_em_all]

When I first watched 'Strange Brew' a few years ago I was blown away. Tasty and skilled playing. Dude was on fire in those days it seems like. Then you go listen to 'Wonderful Tonight' or 'Lay down Sally' or any of his hits really and it's just such a bland and sterile shift from the great guitar playing he's famous for.

 

[DWBass]

I don't hate Clapton. By all accounts, he is a very humble, down to earth, nice guy.

I just think he is a bit overrated as a player, and musically, he hasn't done anything new or fresh since Cream. I don't know why people get so bent out of shape over these kinds of threads anyway. I could understand if I said that he sucked, or that he was a terrible guitarist, but I didn't say that, and neither did any of the people who have agreed with me.

Thing is, artists grow and sometimes move in other directions. Some folks like to 'shred' their entire lives and some don't. He wanted to write simple songs and play with top musicians. He's not the only one. Phil Collins, Lionel Richie, etc. I get the sentiment but these threads bring out the worst of Talkbass. In fact someone threw in "I don't like slap"! Why? This thread had nothing to do with slap. But why should we negatively speak about any musician? Or Genre? Or playing style? It's just old and redundant!

As far as Clapton, I prefer modern Clapton over classic Clapton.

 

[will33]

I have to agree with all the folks saying there isn't a "best". This is art, not sports.

Of some of the guitarists mentioned in this thread, Zeppelin/JPJ is by far my biggest influence in rock bass playing and rock music in general. I have to admit though, Page can be a bit of an erratic, sloppy live player and liked to use trickery and experimentation in the studio to the extent that sometimes he himself didn't know which of his layered tracks to play live to best get the song across.

Jeff Beck, while possesing technical skills perhaps more advanced than any of them, has such a spaced out style it doesn't appeal to a wide variety of people.

Can't really say what's "best".