Yea, that was pretty good, Zappa said in an interview that Bruce was so focused on dialing in his sound that he felt that it wasted most of the time they were trying to jam.
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Jack Bruce
- Thread starter bolophonic
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Yea, that was pretty good, Zappa said in an interview that Bruce was so focused on dialing in his sound that he felt that it wasted most of the time they were trying to jam.
Given how sick his tone is on that, I can't blame him. I thought for a long time that was a guitar part!
Define "slamming" Clapton. I think he's overrated, and always has been, but his best work was with Cream, and it's phenomenal. I just have never thought he was in the same league as Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin, Frank Zappa, Dickey Betts, Jerry Garcia, Brian May, Mark Knopfler, Derek Trucks, or Jimmy Herring. But I'm not sure that's "slamming" Clapton, because all those guys are amazing guitar players. He's great, but Layla would have been crap had the original acoustic version appeared on the album instead of the Duane-inspired electric version.
Define "slamming" Clapton. I think he's overrated, and always has been, but his best work was with Cream, and it's phenomenal. I just have never thought he was in the same league as Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin, Frank Zappa, Dickey Betts, Jerry Garcia, Brian May, Mark Knopfler, Derek Trucks, or Jimmy Herring. But I'm not sure that's "slamming" Clapton, because all those guys are amazing guitar players. He's great, but Layla would have been crap had the original acoustic version appeared on the album instead of the Duane-inspired electric version.
Well, the thing is that he was truly on his own planet during the Mayall/Cream period (remember that when Hendrix let Chas Chandler bring him to England, it was on the condition that he could be introduced to Clapton)... but then he became more interested in being a well-rounded singer/songwriter/bandleader than an instrumentalist.
What I think sets him apart are the logic and thematic development of his solos, along with his tone and the way he could channel strong personal emotion. Looking at your list, I'd put only Duane Allman in the same class based on *those* criteria. (Hendrix was the great visionary, McLaughlin has phenomenal chops, and so on.)
(But, it's all personal taste, etc. etc.)
Also, people tend to overlook that he's always been embarrassed by the "Clapton is God" graffiti incident, and somehow mistakenly assume that he embraces it.
Define "slamming" Clapton. I think he's overrated, and always has been, but his best work was with Cream, and it's phenomenal. I just have never thought he was in the same league as Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin, Frank Zappa, Dickey Betts, Jerry Garcia, Brian May, Mark Knopfler, Derek Trucks, or Jimmy Herring. But I'm not sure that's "slamming" Clapton, because all those guys are amazing guitar players. He's great, but Layla would have been crap had the original acoustic version appeared on the album instead of the Duane-inspired electric version.
There was no original acoustic version of "Layla". It was originally going to be electric. Clapton came up witht he main riff and wasn't sure what do from there, so he and Duane worked out the rest of the guitar parts.
Actually, I think he had the song, minus the riff and the coda; Duane came up with the riff, and the coda was written (and played on piano) by Jim Gordon, who'd been sneaking into the studio after the Dominos' sessions to secretly record his own material!
I've always assumed that the unplugged version was arranged that way because Clapton decided that he needed to go in a drastically different direction with it, rather than try to compete with the classic rendition and inevitably fail.
No, he stated when the Unplugged version came out, that it was the original version of Layla. Duane came up with the riff, a variation of a John Lee Hooker riff. Clapton was falling apart during those sessions before Duane was brought in to meet Clapton. And the original chart has written in "Duane solos throughout".
I give a nod to the Royal Albert Hall shows in 2005.Check out the version of Outside Woman Blues.He seems like he is really having a good time while laying down a nasty groove.
That's right-- form-wise, the Unplugged "Layla" is what Clapton had before Duane and Jim Gordon made their contributions. My thought was that the extremely laid-back feel of the Unplugged performance was Clapton's effort to avoid comparison with the Dominos' rendition.
The story of how Clapton and Allman met is great: Tom Dowd brought all of the Dominos to an Allman Brothers show in Miami. (Clapton had loved Duane's playing on Wilson Pickett's "Hey Jude", but didn't know anything more about him.) Anyway, they all sat on the ground right in front of the stage. Duane opened his eyes, saw Clapton, and froze. Half of the Allmans came to Criteria Studios that night and jammed with the Dominos (some of this was eventually released). Clapton invited Duane to help out on some tracks, and gradually drew him into making a huge contribution. He really does make the album what it is, IMO.
It was Duane's arrangement, and his idea for Pickett to cover it. Even more incredible: it was his first studio session at Muscle Shoals! He had some brass ones on him! After he laid it down, Rick Hall called Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records and played it over the phone, and Wexler paid $10,000 to sign him on the spot. It blows my mind every time I hear it that this freaky 21 year old hippie walked in to the studio that had just scored a huge hit with When a Man Loves a Woman, and floored all the pros.
Great Jack Bruce disc is the 50th concert. Lots of jamming and greatest hits. It's one of my favorites.
The very best version of outside woman blues is Clapton-Bramhall-Trucks from the tour a few years ago. They really make that song come alive. They did a killer version of Crossroads as well.
Personally I think Cream songs sound better the way Clapton or Bruce play them now than when they were in Cream. I guess I'd describe them as less clunky now. Just my 2 cents.
The very best version of outside woman blues is Clapton-Bramhall-Trucks from the tour a few years ago. They really make that song come alive. They did a killer version of Crossroads as well.
Personally I think Cream songs sound better the way Clapton or Bruce play them now than when they were in Cream. I guess I'd describe them as less clunky now. Just my 2 cents.
Sorry to continue derailing this thread, but... have you seen this?
‪Duane Allman Pioneers a New Genre of Music‬‏ - YouTube
Yeah, I saw that a month or so ago, definitely worth the rewatch. Listening to WP's Hey Jude in the mornings gets me all
I'm so happy Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi have been playing that version in Soul Stew Revival, she's got the voice, and Derek has the chops for it.
Yeah, I saw that a month or so ago, definitely worth the rewatch. Listening to WP's Hey Jude in the mornings gets me all
Tedeschi Trucks Band, with Oteil (Bass content) are Killer.
It's like a modern version of Delaney & Bonnie & Friends.
Rock, Funk & Soul and Derek on top of it would have been like Duane playing with them all the time.
I still prefer the "clunky" Cream...raw, energy, playing without a net, etc.
Today's versions of those tunes...it just sounds "tidy" & safe.
sorry... i GREATLY prefer the old super versions.
now, they're just going through the motions. yeah, it's still good, but if you want to really know Cream, you have to go listen to the old stuff.
/s/ Dave
I prefer the older versions. There is a vibe there, an energy which captures 60s rock. However, I still enjoyed the 2005 reunion very much. There are those who are pretty critical of that out there, such as a drummer from my old band who lives down the street. It appears he was expecting them to sound just like they used to.
