Eric Clapton

[theDingle]

I never thought Chapman was any great shakes either until about 10 years ago, so I now have quite a number of Chapman faves: Dreaming On A World, Give Me One Reason (classic blues form), New Beginning...her version of House Of The Rising Sun breathed in some new life---a couple from her '02 album, Goodbye & Almost, love those. So yeah, she's a heavyweight these days in my book.

I'll take cup o' Clapton anywheres

[chris]

well...i suppose i was a little hard on ms chapman. truth is i don't even really dislike her. i get your point, Angry. maybe you're right. it could be that he's reaching for different sounds, influences or even audiences. he's just played with so many people in the last decade or so...i wouldn't be too surprised to see him playing bar mitzvahs somewhere down the line.

i really do respect the man's musicianship. just not always his musical choices. and true enough, my friend...the partnership between him and phil collins was a low point, indeed (although i saw eric play in concert once with phil collins as his drummer...one of three times i saw phil collins live, saw him both solo and with genesis, too...and the man is/was one hell of a drummer, once upon a time)

[maccastheman]

...after reading through all these, it was sir dingles'
"excellent vocals" line that caught my attention...

Widdoutadoubt, angelo, very well-stated, he's come into his own vocally, it hits right home with me. I remember reading an interview back when he had just left Cream and was jamming with Delaney & Bonnie, he admitted that he was actually unconfident and insecure about his voice (!). It was Delaney that encouraged him to dare venture into being a real singer and not just a picker.

Clapton also said that 90% of the time he never bought records because of the guitar players. It was always the vocals and songs that made him buy them. Between Delaney and his own realization, he started to focus on other aspects of his career and really came into his own. (And separated himself from other "guitar Gods." - (The title There's One in Every Crowd was supposed to be a reference to all of the other guitar players out there)[/i]

[theDingle]

Cool info, mtm

You reminded me, in one of them MOJO/Uncut-type mags sometime over the last year, Clapton stated in an interview that Robert Cray was probably his favorite musician on the planet. Not only for his guitar playing but also his vocals and his material.

He also mentioned how amazed he was at Cray's finger strength---Cray uses the heaviest guage strings available, they yield a cluckier sound. Eric said he just doesn't have that sort of strength in his hands anymore. Cray also doesn't strictly limit himself to blues per se all the time.

It's as though Eric's taken a cue from one of George Harrison's latter interviews in Guitar World. George said that a distinction regarding the Beatles is that they were "all-around entertainers."