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11:44 AM GMT 21/05/2013
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Eric Clapton's Greatest Clips
12:31 PM GMT 22/03/2013
This month's MOJO magazine cover star is Eric Clapton, the man who invented rock's cult of the lead guitarist then abdicated the high throne of its ruling deity. Through The Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Derek & The Dominos, solo and in an array of increasingly humble and collegiate collaborations, he has sought new applications for the blues without forsaking its beating heart.
In a remarkable interview, Clapton tells MOJO's Michael Simmons about his comeback from booze and drug oblivion, the musical spirits that still move him and how he still can't stand Led Zeppelin. To whet your appetite for that or (if you've been sent this way by the mag) to enhance your Eric-orientated experience, here are 18 good reasons to believe in "God".
1. The Yardbirds – Louise (1963)
Blues legend John Lee Hooker cut a version of Louise for Modern Records in 1951. Twelve years later The Yardbirds delivered their own version on British TV, with the youthful Eric Clapton cutting loose at approximately 2.07.
2. John Mayall's Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton – All Your Love (1966)
The opening cut on the fabled 'Beano' album showcases Clapton's fattened sound, partly indebted to his switch to a Gibson Les Paul. This spirited take on Otis Rush's tune unwittingly created the template for legions of less inspired blues-rockers who sought to emulate the man now labeled 'God'.
3. Cream – Sunshine Of Your Love (1968)
Thunderous ensemble playing augmented by a fiery, soulful guitar work-out (1.59) define this Cream classic, as does the band's psychedelic finery – the mustachioed axemeister sporting a fetching sleeveless Afghan number.
4. "The Woman Tone" (1968)
Electric Guitar For Dummies, EC-style.
5. "The Dirty Mac" – Yer Blues (1968)
Drafted by the Rolling Stones' Rock And Roll Circus, and helping out on John Lennon's first "live" performance since Candlestick Park, Clapton is by turns uptight and cool, wringing an electric Chicago blues from his red Gibson ES-335 that is by turns knowing and heartfelt, and thus entirely in keeping with the conflicted sentiments of Lennon's suicidal Rishikesh 12-bar pastiche.
6. Cream – Badge (1969)
Co-written with George Harrison, Badge marked a progression in Clapton's own songwriting and revealed him moving away from the bombast that he'd learnt to loathe as a member of Cream. The song itself is allegedly rumination on Clapton's former partner, Charlotte Martin.
7. Blind Faith – Can't Find My Way Home (1969)
The retreat from guitar hero to shy, retiring band member begins with a mellifluous performance at Hyde Park. But that's enough shots of the Serpentine, Mr Editor!
8. Delaney And Bonnie with Eric Clapton – Poor Elijah (1969)
The earthy, Southern soulful vibe of Blind Faith's support act, Delaney and Bonnie, altered Clapton's path. This track – while no showcase of EC's dexterity – underlines the duo's remarkable chemistry and appeal. Here's the electric version, with Clapton and George Harrison.
9. Plastic Ono Band – Don't Worry Kyoko (1969)
The trick here, it seems, is to keep playing through the vocals. Backing Yoko Ono at the Toronto Rock And Roll Revival in September 1969, Clapton watches Lennon intently, zoning out Yoko's primal scream vocals to craft a proto-motorik trance-blues riff that wouldn't seem out of place on Can's Monster Movie.
10. Eric Clapton – Sign Language (1976)
In August 1976 Clapton decided to use The Band's Shangri-La Studios in Malibu to record his next album, No Reason To Cry. There, he found Bob Dylan living in a tent at the bottom of the garden. Dylan's first offer of a song was turned down, but Clapton accepted this tune, replete with its doff of the cap to Link Wray. Enjoy the OGWT versh, with George Terry in the intimidating position of offering lead to Clapton's rhythm.
11. Eric Clapton & His Rolling Hotel (1978)
Or more accurately... Eric Clapton & His Train Swilling In Booze. Something tragic and poignant about this rarely-exposed film of Clapton and band on tour in Germany, somehow encapsulated in the prologue: Clapton sings Nat King Cole's Smile.
12. Eric Clapton – Good Night Irene (1982)
Clapton tries out the Leadbelly classic he reprises on his latest album, Old Sock. From Chas & Dave's Christmas Special, in Guildford, but don't let that put you off. No, really! Come back!
13. Eric Clapton – Hard Times (1989)
Co-hosted by sax player David Sanborn and keys-man Jools Holland, NBC's late '80s after-hours show, Night Music, ran for three years. Clapton joined a roll call of talent that reads like a Who's Who of modern music and, sober for two years, looked elegant and at ease as he performed this Ray Charles classic.
14. B.B. King, Eric Clapton & George Benson – Rock Me Baby (1990)
Paying tribute to BB King, EC and George Benson trade licks and vocal lines, forcing the blues legend to dance in appreciation. Then Lucille joins in...
15. Eric Clapton – Ramblin' On My Mind (1999)
Clapton manages to smuggle Robert Johnson into The White House's Concert Of The Century. Another Robert – de Niro – appears less impressed than a grinning Bill Clinton.
16. Clapton & Cordings (2010)
Did you know that Clapton co-owns the famed gentleman's outfitter in London's Piccadilly? Neither did we!
17. "There was a lot of swopping going on..." (2011)
EC's honest and winning account of his theft of George Harrison's wife, Pattie Boyd, from the George doc, Living In The Material World.
18. Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton – Layla (2011)
"A genius and a giant" is how as self-deprecating EC describes Wynton Marsalis before laying bare his admiration for jazz as a whole, and explaining just how he came to translate his most famous tune into a New Orleans-flavoured wailer.
Compiled and annotated by: Phil Alexander, Danny Eccleston and Andrew Male
MOJO 234 is on sale from Tuesday 26, 2013
Photo: Getty
Posted by Danny_Eccleston at 12:31 PM GMT 22/03/2013
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Great, quite unusual collection. (But no Jools Holland in Hard Times......You should take that reference out).
Whoever put this together has done a good job of giving us a rounded view of Clapton. What comes over is the contradiction of Clapton's confidence in his technical and expressive abilities set against his humble demeanour and life-long desire to grow and pay homage to the others he's learned from.
Thank you Mojo.
Posted by N Wilkins at 1:19 AM GMT 24/03/2013 Report Abuse
Reply to this post
Great, quite unusual collection. (But no Jools Holland in Hard Times......You should take that reference out).
Whoever put this together has done a good job of giving us a rounded view of Clapton. What comes over is the contradiction of Clapton's confidence in his technical and expressive abilities set against his humble demeanour and life-long desire to grow and pay homage to the others he's learned from.
Thank you Mojo.
Posted by N Wilkins at 1:19 AM GMT 24/03/2013 Report Abuse
Reply to this post
Great, quite unusual collection. (But no Jools Holland in Hard Times......You should take that reference out).
Whoever put this together has done a good job of giving us a rounded view of Clapton. What comes over is the contradiction of Clapton's confidence in his technical and expressive abilities set against his humble demeanour and life-long desire to grow and pay homage to the others he's learned from.
Thank you Mojo.
Posted by N Wilkins at 1:20 AM GMT 24/03/2013 Report Abuse
Reply to this post
Great, quite unusual collection. (But no Jools Holland in Hard Times......You should take that reference out).
Whoever put this together has done a good job of giving us a rounded view of Clapton. What comes over is the contradiction of Clapton's confidence in his technical and expressive abilities set against his humble demeanour and life-long desire to grow and pay homage to the others he's learned from.
Thank you Mojo.
Posted by N Wilkins at 1:20 AM GMT 24/03/2013 Report Abuse
Reply to this post
Great collection. My personal favorite is the clip with Delaney and Bonnie. One thing I did miss though is the apperance with Derek and the Dominos from the Johnny Cash show. First they did a great version of "It's too late" by themselves before they are joined by Cash and Carl Perkins for a fantastic cut of "Matchbox". The expression on Claptons face as Perkins lets loose is priceless, pure joy! Catch it on youtube.
Really looking forward to the new issue, can't wait for it to land in Sweden.
Posted by Max at 1:20 PM GMT 24/03/2013 Report Abuse
Reply to this post
Great collection. My personal favorite is the clip with Delaney and Bonnie. One thing I did miss though is the apperance with Derek and the Dominos from the Johnny Cash show. First they did a great version of "It's too late" by themselves before they are joined by Cash and Carl Perkins for a fantastic cut of "Matchbox". The expression on Claptons face as Perkins lets loose is priceless, pure joy! Catch it on youtube.
Really looking forward to the new issue, can't wait for it to land in Sweden.
Posted by Max at 1:23 PM GMT 24/03/2013 Report Abuse
Reply to this post
Great collection. My personal favorite is the clip with Delaney and Bonnie. One thing I did miss though is the apperance with Derek and the Dominos from the Johnny Cash show. First they did a great version of "It's too late" by themselves before they are joined by Cash and Carl Perkins for a fantastic cut of "Matchbox". The expression on Claptons face as Perkins lets loose is priceless, pure joy! Catch it on youtube.
Really looking forward to the new issue, can't wait for it to land in Sweden.
Posted by Max at 1:32 PM GMT 24/03/2013 Report Abuse
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Love it, Eric and the guitar are one. The Plastic Ono Band so weird.
Posted by George Cargill at 5:42 PM GMT 26/03/2013 Report Abuse
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Una voz suave.
El sol en el
cielo domina
el pasado
y cuando una
luz regresa
en el campo
siento el ardor
de la nueva
mañana.
Francesco Sinibaldi
Posted by Francesco Sinibaldi at 4:16 PM GMT 09/04/2013 Report Abuse
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Eric Clapton's biggest shortcoming has been his failure to be original. From the early Yardbirds and Bluesbreakers days through Cream and beyond he has simply churned out whatever he's listening to at that time, some good some not so. Others of the original era - Hendrix, Beck, Page, Peter Green (for a while) - at least did something different with their use of Albert and Freddie King riffing or Buddy Guy and BB King techniques. (Mick Taylor didn't, though to his credit at 18 had a style of his own.) That Clapton has attracted so much media attention and public popularity through the years is a reminder that possibly his biggest strength has been is role as a disciple of the blues...of sharing what he hears in others rather than pushing his own emotions to the fore. When he does the latter - as with 'Wonderful Tonight', 'Bellbottom Blues', 'I Looked Away' or 'Badge' (a co-write with George Harrison) he fares nicely. All said, this is a nice outline and reminder of what Eric Clapton (still no 'Sir'?) has done in the past 50(!) years.
Posted by Wayne B at 2:52 PM GMT 17/04/2013 Report Abuse
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In a sweeping song.
In the rhyme
of a sweeping
song a sincere
desire returns
to describe a
luminous
sadness.
Francesco Sinibaldi
Posted by Francesco Sinibaldi at 4:34 PM GMT 22/04/2013 Report Abuse
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Posted by Onay at 1:38 PM GMT 25/04/2013 Report Abuse
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I am also commenting to let you undtrseand what a impressive encounter our girl undergone checking yuor web blog. She figured out some issues, which include what it's like to possess an amazing helping mindset to make other people clearly know specified specialized things. You really did more than my expectations. Thanks for presenting those good, safe, revealing and even cool tips about this topic to Sandra.
Posted by Onay at 1:38 PM GMT 25/04/2013 Report Abuse
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