Eric Clapton’s music “mediocre”?

[Woodinblack]

Just now, oldslapper said:

Is anyone allowed to just “like” music anymore?

Everyone is allowed to just like music, or whatever they want. Doesn't change anything about the music or whether other people have to.

Noone is saying it is wrong to like Eric Clapton. Or even iron your jeans

 

[T-Bay]

5 minutes ago, Grangur said:

Very few carry on with plusatingly earth shattering genius into their dotage.
In fact, can anyone name 1?  (Genuinely would like to know them all)

Bob Mould perhaps? Such a wide range of styles and genres covered. You just never know what will come next.

[oldslapper]

1 minute ago, Woodinblack said:

. Or even iron your jeans

 

Don’t you O’press me! 😡

[peteb]

I think that you can make a case that Clapton is the most influential electric guitarist ever, even more so than Hendrix, Van Halen, Les Paul, Chuck Berry, the 3 Kings et al. He was never such a big thing for me, but I was surprised to find out that a couple of the best guitar players I have known were massive fans. He may not necessarily be the most original, but he was the guy who put it all together and got in front of a mass audience. His influence is such that virtually every guitar player is walking in his footsteps, if they know it or not.   

Most of his best material comes from the 60s or 70s. Some of this later stuff was pretty good, some of it very classy, but much of it has been very dull, mediocre in fact. So, the girl I’ve never heard of and no one will remember in five years probably has a point. 

As far as the racism thing goes – that was pretty f***ed up, but there is more joy in heaven for one sinner who repents, etc…

Edited August 18, 2020 by peteb

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 8, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Japhet]

In my opinion, the only thing that would make Eric Clapton more boring would be to paint him magnolia.

[grandad]

 

5 minutes ago, Japhet said:

In my opinion, the only thing that would make Eric Clapton more boring would be to paint him magnolia.

 

[prowla]

I turned on the telly the other day and thought "That's not bad guitar playing.", followed by "Crikey - it's Clapton; he's usually boring.".

It was the Concert for George; he was playing one of Harrison's songs.

[Dad3353]

1 hour ago, Grangur said:

...In fact, can anyone name 1?  (Genuinely would like to know them all)

Joni Mitchell trod a very eclectic and fruitful path. 

[JottoSW1]

15 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

Joni Mitchell trod a very eclectic and fruitful path. 

Allan Holdsworth Jeff Beck Joe Zawinul Brian Auger Bill Laswell Gil Evans Miles Davis Gordon Beck  

[steantval]

1 hour ago, T-Bay said:

Bob Mould perhaps? Such a wide range of styles and genres covered. You just never know what will come next.

Who ?

Sits in the same camp as Phoebe Bridger with me, never heard of either of them.

[JottoSW1]

Just now, steantval said:

Who ?

Sits in the same camp as Phoebe Bridger with me, never heard of either of them.

Husker Du. Don't like them mind you😆

[Bassfinger]

7 hours ago, Jus Lukin said:

Young up-and-comer slags off musical icon of a couple of generations ago.

It's not the first time, and won't be the last. I imagine that she thinks of herself as spearheading some kind of Sun Records/Punk Rock/Grunge revolution, but there is a lot more to those kind of situations than a kid saying 'old music is crap'. Aside from being meaningless in a broader sense, it's just mean spirited really, and is an example of how the woke generation is just as arrogant and self-centred as every other one through human history.

As for Clapton's music, it's not everyone's cup of tea and can be a bit on the dull side, sure. I think in some regards he is like Citizen Kane as a movie. It's easy to watch it now and wonder what the big deal is, because so much that has come since is framed by the innovations within. Certainly, he made his more vital music and was breaking ground earlier on, with The Yardbirds, Mayall, Cream, etc. He himself would admit the he was topped by Hendrix, but until then he was doing something very new, fresh, and quite out-there. The fact that a billion pub guitarists can pull off something very similar, unfortunately diminishes our perception of how significant he was.

Clapton the man, I know very little about but what I have heard is that he could very difficult, selfish, and troubled. Unpleasant. He also appears to have been on a learning journey, and has, over the years, looked to become a better person- much like many of us do. Hard to really know in any true detail though.

The racism was fairly recent news to me. I need to read more before saying anything much, but while his comments in 1976 were pretty vile, his track record suggests anything but someone with a problem with black people, culture, or music. I'll go in with an open mind, but certainly, nowadays we do seem to be surrounded by a very polarised way of thinking- someone is either good or bad, left or right. Opinions have no nuance and there is no such thing as a mistake- one poor choice of words and someone can be labelled 'A' racist, as if from that moment every thought or action thereon is somehow infused with hatred.

"Fancy a cuppa?"

"Well, you know me, so long as it's a racist cuppa!"

I think that it is a very unhealthy way of approaching the matter in a world which I believe is more open to egalitarianism than ever before, despite the current throes of old thinking in the US just now. Heading away from racism or any other unfair discrimination really shouldn't involve writing people off because of one small element of their being. Ultimately that is the problem, and genetics are only sometimes the tool used to carry out that over simplified denigration of human beings we share the world with.

But isn't it strange? Before he'd become close to George Harrison (and pinched his wife) he was Jimi Hendrix's closest friend. 

He spent most of the 70's either off his face or high as a kite.  It's possible tate behaviour was attributable to his addictions.  Or he may genuinely be racist, which again makes his friendship with Hendrix rather at odds with that kind of outlook.

Who knows? Who really cares?

[Dapper Bandit]

Do we really need to have heard of, or indeed like, the musical output of someone who critiques our idols?

It's like being asked to prove a negative, "I don't like her single so I can ignore her opinion." In which case only Joe Bonermozza will be able to critique Clapton, and I'm not sure he'll want to pull too hard on the 'dull and repetitive' thread of the blooze-rock jumper...

Inevitably we come up against the fact that art is subjective and as such cannot be argued about in an objective manner and so the snake will eat it's tail evermore.

 

[prowla]

9 minutes ago, Bassfinger said:

But isn't it strange? Before he'd become close to George Harrison (and pinched his wife) he was Jimi Hendrix's closest friend. 

He spent most of the 70's either off his face or high as a kite.  It's possible tate behaviour was attributable to his addictions.  Or he may genuinely be racist, which again makes his friendship with Hendrix rather at odds with that kind of outlook.

Who knows? Who really cares?

The concert where BB King acknowledges him as a genuine friend is quite touching.

I think he had no clue what he was up to in the 70s.

Edited August 18, 2020 by prowla

[kodiakblair]

No idea who the wee lassie is but I've said EC was overrated for near 40 years.

[T-Bay]

32 minutes ago, steantval said:

Who ?

Sits in the same camp as Phoebe Bridger with me, never heard of either of them.

You have never heard of Bob Mould? Jeez, how can you go though life without coming across Bob Mould? Genuinely gobsmacked at that on a (bass) Guitar forum.

[dmccombe7]

Have to say i've never heard of him either. Googled him and only band i recognise the name of is Foo Fighters.

Don't see the connection to the bass forum. Is he not a guitarist or is it another Bob Mould i've read about on Wiki. ?

Dave

[Grangur]

1 hour ago, JottoSW1 said:

Allan Holdsworth Jeff Beck Joe Zawinul Brian Auger Bill Laswell Gil Evans Miles Davis Gordon Beck  

Hmmph... go on bring jazz into it why don't you!?! 

Actually, just after posting I did think there's probably loads in the jazz genre. I almost revised my post but thought, "what the hell...." 

Not big on jazz myself, but you're right. Jeff Beck is doing good material.

Edited August 18, 2020 by Grangur

[Baxlin]

2 hours ago, musicbassman said:

David Bowie !

Do you know, I could never get ‘into’ his music.  Apart from Space Oddity and possibly (ok, definitely) Starman, I don’t think I can recall any of his songs, certainly not to pass the whistle test (ditto U2).

But then he never sang any of mine, either........

Edited August 18, 2020 by Baxlin

[Grangur]

1 hour ago, Bassfinger said:

But isn't it strange? Before he'd become close to George Harrison (and pinched his wife) he was Jimi Hendrix's closest friend. 

He spent most of the 70's either off his face or high as a kite.  It's possible tate behaviour was attributable to his addictions.  Or he may genuinely be racist, which again makes his friendship with Hendrix rather at odds with that kind of outlook.

Who knows? Who really cares?

Maybe he was "being Rock n Roll" and prematurely "Punk" by saying something knowingly controversial? Or just off his head and stupid?

After all, he's a guitarist, not a politician.

[dmccombe7]

WOW i just went back and read thru the last 3 pages since i posted earlier and the thread seems to have gone off topic a bit at times.

I really like Tears in Heaven and like many songwriters they tend to write about their feelings at the time. I always regard that song as EC writing about his loss. 

With regards the racism issue i think others have covered it for me so nothing more to add. The thread was started to ask who thought EC music was mediocre. Best we stick to the point and focus on the music as we should be doing on a bass forum.

I believe Nathan East was Claptons bassist for many years. That's probably the only reason i enjoy playing Clapton songs because its great fun playing Nathan's bass lines. Another bass legend.

Dave

[Dankology]

I'm always slightly amazed by the "who??" type comments in threads like this.

This, I believe, is a musicians' forum. I can't imagine another line of work where affecting never to have heard of someone with an international reputation would be seen as a boast.

That said, I do think Phoebe Bridgers is an objectionable gobsh!te albeit spot on regarding EC in this instance.

[taunton-hobbit]

11 hours ago, Baxlin said:

I was interested to read comments by Phoebe Bridgers about Clapton,

 

Talking loud and saying nothing?

I worked the same gigs as EC on several occasions, mainly with John Mayall and also with Cream. 

On  the Mayall front, the slant was very 'let's nick something from Mose Alison'

which everyone was doing at that time (Tony Knights Chessmen anyone?/ G. Fame etc etc)

Cream were very loud and too prog for my taste

but again, there was a lot of it about?

(I worked with Chris Squire - always thought he was more fun pre Mable Greer)

What he's done since the dawn of rock, I neither know nor care. 

I have a copy of the CD with BB King, which gets the odd airing (as does my Mose Alison cd).

I always enjoyed working with EC in the early days, he was a nice guy and good musician.

........... End of?

[dmccombe7]

Not a boast on my part. Someone suggested that they were shocked or surprised that everyone hadn't heard of him. Unless you are into that style of music or even follow that particular musician then why should everyone know him.

Bet there are many other "famous" musicians i haven't heard off in music genres i don't listen to.

Dave

Edited August 18, 2020 by dmccombe7