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Eric Clapton

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by YankeeFan, Nov 7, 2012.

  1. Chef2

    Chef2 Well-Known Member

    You reek of elephant poop.
     
  2. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    We are so on the same page on this thread.

    I don't get it. You don't have to be a guitar expert to listen to Clapton at his best and realize that he belongs in a conversation about the greatest guitarists. You can also say what you want about his limited vocabulary, but to me it is that he is deliberate and economical in a way that a someone like Eddie Van Halen wouldn't understand. At his best, his guitar playing is hauntingly beautiful. I'd never say that about Van Halen.

    This is all a matter of opinion, of course, but I will take him ahead of Jimmy Page, even if there is a slight argument to be made there. And definitely about Tony Iommi, any day of the week. You want to tell me that Brian May is a better guitarist, I have no quibble with you. I think May's name gets left out of the conversation too often.

    But when you start with a list of the greatest guitarists, in my opinion, you start with Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, possibly Duane Allman and Brian May and then you work your day down to the Pages and Becks.
     
  3. Versatile

    Versatile Active Member

    Have we ever taken the same side in a divisive argument on this board?
     
  4. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    Yeah, but Jann Wenner is thin & effeminate.

    His list, therefor, is skewed.
     
  5. Buck

    Buck Well-Known Member

    Beck is on another plane.

    Page works from a much broader creative palette than Clapton. No doubt.
    With few exceptions, Clapton is working from a much limited palette.
    That doesn't make him the lesser player.

    If I write very good books in English and Spanish, does that make me a better writer than Shakespeare, who only wrote in one language?
     
  6. Huggy

    Huggy Well-Known Member

    I didn't say that, but since people were comparing Clapton and Page (I brought up Beck,another Yardbirds guitarist who is pretty adept at the blues thing too), I thought I would note that they have veered far, far away from their original sound while Clapton hasn't strayed too far. Yeah, still a very good player - when he wants to be.
     
  7. EStreetJoe

    EStreetJoe Well-Known Member

    From his Derek & the Dominoes days during a US TV appearance:
     
  8. Buck

    Buck Well-Known Member

    Beck hasn't had the kind of mainstream appeal, but the guy is a phenomenal player. He's one of the guys I would consider for greatest player.
     
  9. Buck

    Buck Well-Known Member

    Understood. They're all great players.
    Page is a great player, but I think his best attributes are composition and production.
    Beck is the best player of the three former Yardbirds leads. Just a phenomenal musician.
    Clapton has stayed within in the smallest box. Even the Cream stuff, which was so experimental at the time, was so much more rock/blues based than some of the fusion stuff Beck was doing less than a decade later.

    I think all three are great players. I just thought it was laughable that people were kicking sand on Clapton one the first page of the thread.
    I can understand someone not enjoying his music - different tastes, but the guy is a great, great player.
    Even at 67.
     
  10. PCLoadLetter

    PCLoadLetter Well-Known Member

    It was during a (thankfully) brief period in the 80s when Lynne was a highly in-demand producer. As Versatile said, he was a very good producer, but he made EVERYONE sound like E.L.O.
     
  11. nmmetsfan

    nmmetsfan Active Member

    Technically, I'm not sure anyone has been more difficult to play than Eddie Van Halen. Beck is definitely up there.

    I think EVH and Clapton both get inappropriately dinged for simply not producing a more popular catalog as consistently as some of the other greats. They have a lot of stuff that just doesn't appeal. In essence, their musical tastes get in the way of the argument. They are both as talented as any of the others. I've said it before on here, Zeppelin is my favorite band, but Page is no Clapton.

    The argument about Clapton breaking up Derek and the Dominoes and Blind Faith is oversimplifying. Those were side projects that happened to produce albums. Essentially starting out as Clapton jamming with some friends and eventually they'd decide to make it quasi-official and record an album. Pretty much easy come, easy go. Except with the Dominoes it wasn't easy go, as Clapton became depressed over Allman's death and drowned his depression in heroin.

    Yes, he's been difficult to deal with throughout his life, egotistical, maybe even a bit of a megalomaniac thanks to the whole "Clapton is God" meme. But the guy could shred when he wanted to (and especially when he was stoned).

    I've got no problem with anyone saying Beck is better than Clapton, but it's not by much.
     
  12. EStreetJoe

    EStreetJoe Well-Known Member

    Need to add, an argument could be made he was the least talented of the three sharing lead vocals on the song.
     
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