Unpopular opinion... I don't think Eric Clapton is very great.

[Allan F]

6 minutes ago, 57gold said:

Wanted to add that I'm guessing that the OP and many who "don't get EC" did not buy Cream, Blind Faith, the 1970 solo album nor the Layla album when the were first released or were relatively fresh.

 

I couldn't agree more. And don't forget EC's solo on the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".

[Allan F]

1 hour ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Nobody needs to meet your criteria or educate you in order to post a new thread. Sometimes people just want to post opinions and get a conversation going.  

 

Perhaps, but he does raise a valid point in that, apart from "not hear[ing] anything special in his guitar playing", the OP offers nothing in terms of specific criticisms, e.g. what is lacking compared to other guitarists. Nor does he provide any examples of songs or performances in support of his opinion. Moreover. we have no idea of how much of EC's extensive catalogue of studio albums, live albums, soundtracks or compilations he is even familiar with.

 

I happen to be among those who consider Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs to be one of the truly great rock albums of the seventies, in not all time, with the title track an absolute "classic".

[Allan F]

14 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

I have heard a lot of Clapton, and yet I am unimpressed...

 

In fact, if you consider the fact that so many people rushed out to sound like Clapton, he is directly responsible for the boring sameness in guitar players these days...

 

It's gross generalizations like this one that, IMO, seriously undermine your opinions on the subject. How about offering some examples of the "boring sameness" you allude to. It's one thing to like or dislike a performer's work. That's a matter of personal taste. But, when you use that bias to paint with such a wide brush that provides no insight by way of detail, you lose me and others completely. In your initial post you complain that he "took a superior art form...[and] packaged it for middle America". Given that he is English and at various times was a member of a number of revered English bands, - John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith - who earned their fame before English audiences, that statement is nonsense and simply does not accord with historical fact.

[Allan F]

3 minutes ago, kumakuma said:

@audiobomber

@Allan F

@RHSims

 

Why don't you post your least favorite flavor of ice cream and we'll all take a go at convincing you to change your mind about it?

 

Be sure to provide a detailed explanation as to why you don't like it and proof that you've tried it on numerous occasions.

 

Why don't you post something of substance instead of this irrelevant drivel? 😊

[Allan F]

7 minutes ago, kumakuma said:

 

Seems just as relevant as you hounding @AudioDoctor to justify his preference not to listen to Mr. Clapton.

 

Everyone is entitled to an opinion. But the weight to be afforded any opinion is only as great as the information upon which it is based. I don't have any problem with what @AudioDoctor prefers to listen to. My problem arises when and how he tries to justify that what he doesn't like is not worth listening to.

[Allan F]

5 minutes ago, kumakuma said:

Miles Davis, a man of few words and strong views, once asked John Coltrane why he played such long solos. When the saxophonist said he just did not know how to stop, Davis replied: “Try taking the horn out of your mouth”

 

An insightful reply with substance. 😊

[Allan F]

6 minutes ago, Bill Brown said:

 

And wrong.  Though of course it is fine if he feels that way.  :)

 

Bill

 

Technically, it's not "wrong", as Davis simply provided advice to address the reason that Coltrane offered. 😊

[Allan F]

14 minutes ago, Albrecht said:

But then, (as a matter of opinion), i don’t expect anyone to agree with me, - speed is always going to take a backseat to songwriting: a great guitar player, like a great horn player, has the confidence to hold just one note, or not play at all, when it’s needed/required.

 

I'll take one soulful bend over a shred of notes any and every day.

[Allan F]

24 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

...we're not arguing civil rights legislation and this discussion has absolutely no impact on anything, it's just a subjective discussion about the merits of EC's guitar playing.

 

You started and, intentionally or otherwise - I strongly suspect the former - provoked a discussion. Therefore, regardless of the topic being of far less than any great social significance, challenging your opinions is not only fair game, it should be expected.

 

22 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

That's fine, I find other people more soulful, but that's just my opinion.

 

My comment about "one soulful bend" was about guitar players, in general, not specifically about EC.

[Allan F]

1 hour ago, charlesphoto said:

Clapton is not great, PERIOD...What I don't think we can do, in this day and age, as I've pointed out before, is at a certain point separate the man/woman's art from their personal beliefs.

 

Perhaps that is what you can't do and that is your problem. This thread is about EC's guitar playing. It is not a judgment of his character or whether he is a great person.

 

The intended message of Morrison and Clapton's song was concern for the death of live music and the hardships faced by performing musicians. Sadly, and inappropriately, the heavy handed manner in which they expressed it ignored - some would say even belittled - a worldwide human health crisis.

[Allan F]

Duplicate post.

[Allan F]

7 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

 

I intentionally started a discussion about the greatness of EC. You're free to challenge my opinions but expecting more than, I don't like him or find him great, will get you nowhere.

 

Or, perhaps even more significantly, gets your opinions nowhere. 😊

[Allan F]

3 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

This is an example of Blues I DO like.

 

All the Kings - Albert, B.B. and Freddie - were great blues players.

[Allan F]

10 minutes ago, charlesphoto said:

Rich old men sitting pretty, who are affiliated with the rock and roll counter culture, or at least were in some capacity at one time, should know better. I know plenty of musicians, club owners, stage hands, etc etc who are suffering significantly more than either of these two ever have in the past 50 years, and they're not calling for a re-opening so that grandma could potentially die.

 

To be fair, Morrison and Clapton were not expressing concern for their own situations. Clapton overcame both his heroin and alcohol demons and is the founder and a sponsor of the Crossroads Treatment Centre for addiction in Antigua.

[Allan F]

11 minutes ago, Bill Brown said:

A couple of months ago my son showed me this.  He and I talk a lot about artists who are "all in," every time they play- SRV is a classic example.  It was the first time EC "knocked me out."  Love his solo.  There is a beginning, an arc, and a finish (see Duane Allman).  Someone mentioned very early the appropriation of Bob Marley.  I think it is fine and has a long tradition in music (and suspect Bob Marley would like it too).  If you don't like EC's part you can still groove to Nathan East and Steve Gadd :).  And it sounds pretty good on the big system! :

 

Great clip. BTW, I  love the cut early on to Ronnie Wood grooving on the music.

[Allan F]

3 minutes ago, Bill Brown said:

Knowing you a bit, I suspect you have some chops, but if God was to reach down and bless me with his I don't think I would complain....

 

Bill

 

I wish. I play guitar, but the quality of my instruments far exceeds my ability to play them. My avatar is a photo of my Martin 000-28EC.

[Allan F]

30 minutes ago, John Dyson said:

Challenging opinions about perception is unproductive.   Each person has their own taste -- judging others about their experience is a kind of prejudice. 

 

In your biased opinion, perhaps! 😊 Moreover, the challenge is not to the opinion itself but rather, and more importantly in my view, to the basis or lack thereof underlying that opinion.

 

The irony of you alleging prejudice in view of your recent misogynistic comments about Meghan Markle is rather incredulous.

[Allan F]

16 hours ago, JoshM said:

But he’s also a famous curmudgeon who can be a total asshole.

 

Ain't that the truth! At the end of a one hour show, for example - literally at 60:00:00 - he just gets up and walks off the stage.  But he has written and recorded some great music.

[Allan F]

1 hour ago, bluesman said:

There's an old and apocryphal story about a young Clapton that has him talking to another blues guitarist of note about his performance at a major blues concert.  BB King was the best known performer, and Clapton (like the others on the program) wanted to make a good impression on the King.  He described a major breakthrough, and major frustration, after playing his heart out for his portion of the program....... "BB came out, hit one note, and got a standing ovation!"

 

It is apocryphal and it's probably not true. It would be anything but surprising for an adoring crowd to welcome BB with a standing ovation as soon as he played his first note at any concert. There is the untrue story that circulated about someone asking Clapton what it was like to be the greatest guitar player in the world, and Clapton replying, "I don't know. Ask Prince" - a virtually identical story circulated years earlier about Jimi Hendrix with, "Ask Phil Keaggy", substituted for, "Ask Prince", in the reply.

[Allan F]

48 minutes ago, firedog said:

 It's pretty clearly Clapton's very personal interpretation of his emotional state at the time. As @Bluesman says, it isn't classic blues - but it certainly is in the general feel and overall style of the music. I personally think it's a great album that uses the blues as a jumping off point for Clapton's personal statement. I'm not sure that the most intelligent way of approaching it is criticizing it b/c it isn't a "blues" album.

 

The album contains far more "bluesy" sounding tracks than Layla, such as Bell Bottom Blues and the traditional Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out. I totally agree with your comment about it being "Clapton's very personal interpretation of his emotional state at the time". Sadly, when Pattie rejected him at the time, he took solace in heroin.

[Allan F]

2 hours ago, 57gold said:

EC's nickname was Slowhand and EVH was anything but that.

 

As a guitar player, EC has never been or considered to be "slow". Contrary to common belief, the nickname "Slowhand" was not meant to be ironic. In fact, the history of "Slowhand" has nothing to do with the speed of EC's playing. At a Yardbirds concert, Clapton broke a string -  a not uncommon occurrence given the light gauge he used. Rather than hand his guitar to a roadie between songs to replace the string, he took the time to replace it himself. As English audiences are wont to do when bored or impatient, they resorted to a slow handclap. This, combined with the pun on Clapton's name, led Yardbirds manager Giorgio Gomelsky to coin the nickname "Slowhand".

[Allan F]

On 3/15/2021 at 2:08 PM, Bill Brown said:

 

Huh??

 

I guess he just "needs to read more closely". 😊

[Allan F]

Yeah, right, Eric Clapton just a journeyman guitar player: