[aragornmustdie]

Call it youth or something...

I've had many Clapton CDs, the Rainbow Concert, One More Car One More Rider, Unplugged, Chronicles, Clapton & Winwood... The songs are good, performances are good, but really... they are boring and after two or three listens I almost never listen to them anymore.
The one that really captures me is Derek & the Dominoes. His sound is flat IMO, and the one thing that I really dislike is his voice. Really. I don't know why... His voice is really not that expressive for a bluesman, save for Layla. I don't know, maybe this is just age or something? When I listen to Clapton I really feel that he belongs to the older generation, unlike someone like Johnny Winter.

Sorry for the random post guys, Im just trying to spit this out and maybe some of you can point me somewhere. He is a great guitarist, just that not one piece of him really blows me away.

 

[Sabrage]

Honestly, I really only liked Clapton in Cream.

 

[DavidMahler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aragornmustdie /img/forum/go_quote.gif Call it youth or something... I've had many Clapton CDs, the Rainbow Concert, One More Car One More Rider, Unplugged, Chronicles, Clapton & Winwood... The songs are good, performances are good, but really... they are boring and after two or three listens I almost never listen to them anymore. The one that really captures me is Derek & the Dominoes. His sound is flat IMO, and the one thing that I really dislike is his voice. Really. I don't know why... His voice is really not that expressive for a bluesman, save for Layla. I don't know, maybe this is just age or something? When I listen to Clapton I really feel that he belongs to the older generation, unlike someone like Johnny Winter. Sorry for the random post guys, Im just trying to spit this out and maybe some of you can point me somewhere. He is a great guitarist, just that not one piece of him really blows me away.

I feel ya, though I don't share your assessment.......His approach in many ways is restraint....His voice doesn't howl and his playing isn't over the top.....many would say that his style is a combination of American Blues with British restraint which is not quite as in your face as America's more cut throat style.

As a vocalist, like Hendrix, it's fair but it leaves your ear to gravitate towards the guitar....in Cream I always found that Jack Bruce was the more charismatic vocalist. I really think some of Clapton's best work can be found on the album From The Cradle. But also Layla & Other Assorted Love songs is amongst his best appearances.

But maybe he isnt for you....it's no big deal, don't feel bad

P.S.----Check out his solo on the Beatles While My Guitar Gently Weeps....still remains his best solo in my opinion.

 

[San7a]

I never liked Clapton. Probably never will. He's kind of a rip-off artist...

Edit: Although his work on Concert for George is extremely impressive... Guitar shouldn't fit in with raga... But he pulls it off, very well.

 

[priest]

If you've given half a dozen high quality listens to 461 Ocean Boulevard and Layla, and don't feel either of them, then I would move on. Obviously not every artist is for everyone, and although he is not one of my personal all-time favorites (like Dylan, Neil or Lou, for instance), he is beyond doubt a major artist.

 

[Jubei]

Personally, think best work Clapton did was on the Layla album, and some will argue that Duane Allman brought out the best in him (think I will agree with that). Clapton's performances on the Layla album has a great deal more urgency than on his subsequent albums -maybe it was the subject matter, the moment in time and Duane Allman's presence - at any rate it makes for a more riveting experience.

Clapton is indeed more restrained than many blues guitarists, especially if you compare him to the hyper-active Johnny Winter. Apart from Layla, I enjoy his work with Cream - like that fat guitar tone more than his later sinewy one.

 

[aragornmustdie]

Yes, Layla is my favorite, if it isn't clear from what I've written. I really like the unique sound, not necessarily the in your face American blues style. His Riding with the King albums is on the other hand... somehow... boring, save from some energetic Steve Gadd performances. His tribute to Robert Johnson lacks that sharpness Mr Johnson had in his voice, and Peter Green's Robert Johnson album edges his out I think.

I really like it when he let Winwood sing on that live album, and he himself stated in one interview that he prefers to stay out of the spotlight, near the drummer. This interview is made after the Clapton-Winwood album came out. Then why he still performs both vocal and guitar? Why don't he build a band with an updated sound, possibly with a new vocalist? Maybe it's burdening him the fact that he's been a guitar hero for such a long time? IMO, that may be what restraining him from advancing. Even Santana feels more interesting, flaring and blazing.

Not that I disrespect Clapton's contribution- just that I am really curious of what he is capable of. Thanks for the Boulevard album recommendation, I'll check it out.

 

[panda]

his best work was with john mayall and bluesbreakers, but my fav solo album of his is slowhand. this is rather pointless thread however as all you are stating is that you don't really like his material. i don't see a question or room for discussion here...

 

[Jubei]

Quote:

Originally Posted by panda /img/forum/go_quote.gif his best work was with john mayall and bluesbreakers, but my fav solo album of his is slowhand. this is rather pointless thread however as all you are stating is that you don't really like his material. i don't see a question or room for discussion here...

Not necessarily. I think what some of us are saying his that we prefer his early output (with John Mayall, Cream, Derek and the Dominoes) to his subsequent works.

I like Clapton's work but doesn't mean I don't think it has its faults. I find most of his solo albums too laid back, but quite like the double live album Just One Night. Journeyman is not bad as a more pop oriented rock effort, but his tributes to blues legends I like less ... these is no need to imitate the vocal nuances of say Muddy Waters on songs like Hoochie Coochie Man.

I am also a fan of his guitar playing on Roger Waters' The Pros and Cons Of Hitchhiking.

Clapton has a nice guitar tone and often sounds classy, but he is also quite often on autopilot these days. I don't agree his singing is not good, in fact, I think his vocal work is quite good on the Unplugged album.

 

[Coltrane]

Clapton is nice and all, but his place in history has been outrageously overstated. There are probably hundreds of guitarists who are just good. He had a couple good years in the 60s for fiery blues playing, but since then he has been little more than a nice pop session guitar type.

I know very few, if any, musicians who hold him in the esteem that the general public does.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I'm with the OP. I like a few of Clapton's songs and don't hate the rest. He's always left me a little indifferent.

Almost exactly how I feel about Radiohead.

That should touch off a firestorm. Mind you, I don't hate Clapton or Radiohead. I like some of their work a lot. But I just don't "get" their rabid fanbases.

 

[roadtonowhere08]

Count me in as one who can appreciate his work but does not care for it. I crack up whenever I see those "Clapton is God" T-shirts

 

[jsaliga]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coltrane /img/forum/go_quote.gif Clapton is nice and all, but his place in history has been outrageously overstated.

Really?

Let's see, there was his tenure with The Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, Derek and the Dominos, and a fairly successful solo career that spawned albums such as Eric Clapton, 461 Ocean Boulevard, Slowhand, Just One Night (a great live album), Journeyman, and Unplugged. I'd say that his enshrinement in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (the only triple inductee for his work with The Yardbirds, Cream, and his solo recordings) is well deserved.

--Jerome

 

[scrane]

I think I'd like him better if he didn't try to sing. He's got a whiny voice.

 

[San7a]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsaliga /img/forum/go_quote.gif Really? Let's see, there was his tenure with The Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, Derek and the Dominos, and a fairly successful solo career that spawned albums such as Eric Clapton, 461 Ocean Boulevard, Slowhand, Just One Night (a great live album), Journeyman, and Unplugged. I'd say that his enshrinement in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (the only triple inductee for his work with The Yardbirds, Cream, and his solo recordings) is well deserved. --Jerome

I didn't think his Yardbird work was very impressive. At the end, Page made that group, and took the knowledge to created Led Zeppelin. A powerful bunch of kids that overshadow anything Clapton ever attempted. Say what you will about Cream, Derek and the Dominos... etc. but they're no Zeppelin.

I Shot the Sheriff (Marley)... Crossroads (Johnson)... A song about cocaine... Yuck! Strange Brew & White Room are the only stand-out tracks I can think of... Besides that ballad about his son falling out the window.

I dunno. There's better stuff out there and I can relate with those that aren't impressed.