I can agree that Layla is a disappointing acoustic arrangement that leaves me flat, but some of the other tracks are simply sublime.
i will never yield in my conviction he's the very best rock guitarist the world has ever produced, and the MTV unplugged series was a wonderful glimpse at the raw songwriting beauty behind the rock. my favorite from that era is actually the cure performing with kazoos, bongos, and other toy instruments.
i can separate the artist from the politics just as easily with eric clapton as i can with roger waters, and after reading clapton's autobiography, and all the heartbreak he has suffered, i cut him *all* the slack he needs -- he was a product of his father raping his sister, was sent to be raised by his grandparents, tried to reconnect with his mother as an adolescent and was rejected a second time, fell in love with his best friend's girlfriend/wife and spent most of his career writing love songs about her, got hooked on heroin, lost his son to a fall from a NYC apartment window...and that's just off the top of my head.
i'll take the vaxx, thank you very much, and overspent for tickets to clapton's concert in september!
I gave EC a hard time about some racist comments he made decades ago. But if the old school blues men like BB King and Buddy Guy can get past it and become friends with him, I suppose I should get over it too.
This is one of the finest Clapton albums, showcasing his two voices. It's so middle of the road that you couldn't be blamed for hating it. In high school, I learned (with the help of the Hal Leonard TAB book) every song on this album. Those licks still serve me well to this day.
There was an absolute goldmine of unplugged albums that came out within a few years of this. The best-sounding ones were those created with minimal effort. Alongside this record, Paul McCartney's Unplugged (the first real MTV unplugged album, which he self-bootlegged) and Neil Young's Unplugged are among the finest. Sure, Nirvana's Unplugged is well-regarded, but Eric, Neil, and Paul made sure the songs got to speak for themselves. And thanks to his album, Clapton probably helped sell more acoustic guitars than at any other time in history.
Let me preface this by saying that my favorite track is "It's in the Way That You Use It," which is to say that my taste is questionable and that the best Clapton is loud Clapton.
I know this record means a lot to a lot of people, but I find the version of Layla awful. It feels like being at the worst kind of party where a guy breaks out his guitar to "play a little Clapton." Tears in Heaven is insufferable on it's best day. I'm mindful of the subject matter; nevertheless.
Should he be in the EONS hall? Yeah, probably. But not for this record.
I can agree that Layla is a disappointing acoustic arrangement that leaves me flat, but some of the other tracks are simply sublime.
i will never yield in my conviction he's the very best rock guitarist the world has ever produced, and the MTV unplugged series was a wonderful glimpse at the raw songwriting beauty behind the rock. my favorite from that era is actually the cure performing with kazoos, bongos, and other toy instruments.
i can separate the artist from the politics just as easily with eric clapton as i can with roger waters, and after reading clapton's autobiography, and all the heartbreak he has suffered, i cut him *all* the slack he needs -- he was a product of his father raping his sister, was sent to be raised by his grandparents, tried to reconnect with his mother as an adolescent and was rejected a second time, fell in love with his best friend's girlfriend/wife and spent most of his career writing love songs about her, got hooked on heroin, lost his son to a fall from a NYC apartment window...and that's just off the top of my head.
i'll take the vaxx, thank you very much, and overspent for tickets to clapton's concert in september!
I gave EC a hard time about some racist comments he made decades ago. But if the old school blues men like BB King and Buddy Guy can get past it and become friends with him, I suppose I should get over it too.
This is one of the finest Clapton albums, showcasing his two voices. It's so middle of the road that you couldn't be blamed for hating it. In high school, I learned (with the help of the Hal Leonard TAB book) every song on this album. Those licks still serve me well to this day.
There was an absolute goldmine of unplugged albums that came out within a few years of this. The best-sounding ones were those created with minimal effort. Alongside this record, Paul McCartney's Unplugged (the first real MTV unplugged album, which he self-bootlegged) and Neil Young's Unplugged are among the finest. Sure, Nirvana's Unplugged is well-regarded, but Eric, Neil, and Paul made sure the songs got to speak for themselves. And thanks to his album, Clapton probably helped sell more acoustic guitars than at any other time in history.
I’d argue if I could Paul.
Let me preface this by saying that my favorite track is "It's in the Way That You Use It," which is to say that my taste is questionable and that the best Clapton is loud Clapton.
I know this record means a lot to a lot of people, but I find the version of Layla awful. It feels like being at the worst kind of party where a guy breaks out his guitar to "play a little Clapton." Tears in Heaven is insufferable on it's best day. I'm mindful of the subject matter; nevertheless.
Should he be in the EONS hall? Yeah, probably. But not for this record.