Eric Clapton

Bangoman

Has neuropathy in his hands. I have this so I can understand what he is going thru. In a recent article in Rolling Stone he stated, "It's getting really hard to play the guitar the way I want". So, if he comes near a town in your area and you love E.C. you best get tickets...as this may be the last time you have a chance to see him 'live'. He is the best IMO. He has re-invented himself as much as anyone ever and that is hard to do. Prince tried it...but, couldn't. Remember when he changed his name as The Artist formerly known as Prince? That should give you an idea how hard it is to change. One of the best re-inventions of all time was Marvin Gaye. Went from a Soul pop singer to a King of Soul and all songs written by himself.

Inanycase..............E.C. may retire soon so don't miss him if you get a chance.

PA-PLAYA

I read that a few months back that he was having issues, and I guess things aren't getting any better.

It's gotta be a humbling experience for someone like that, who was by-far the best guitar player (especially blues guitar) of his era. Very sad, but it certainly won't diminish the standard he set long ago in the music industry.

Oddly enough, I ran into an old guitar teacher of mine just a few weeks ago, he was working the counter at local music shop and I was in there shopping for a keyboard attachment. I asked how he was doing, hadn't seen him in several years. I was shocked to learn that he can't even play anymore, said that he was having issues with his hands and he was also having trouble remembering chords. Not sure what was going on, he scheduled to have some tests done to figure out what the problem was.

He was a phenomenal guitarist, always playing weekend gigs, etc. and he absolutely loved playing Clapton... in fact - when I first started taking lessons from him - he was teaching me how to improvise with some of Robert Johnson's stuff, who (as you probably know) was king of blues guitar as far as Clapton was concerned.

Bangoman

P...No cure either. It cost me so I cannot play golf again. If I swing a club even a bit...I will fall down. Yes...in my legs as well. The shooting pains are incredible. Almost knocked me off my feet a few times.

Very familiar with RJ. Had that one guy not recorded him out of the trunk of his car quite a few of RJ songs would be lost. All done in a hotel room with a recorder (steel line then not tape as we know it) out in the guys trunk to lessen the noise so the 'mike' wouldn't pick up the reel/reel noise. That is the way I heard it. RJ was paid either $50.00 or $100.00 for around 12 or 16 songs. The southern blues guys said he played like he made a deal with the Devil and that is where that Crossroads 'thing' started. And where that 27 club 'thing' started as well.

brsmith

Just a few thoughts.

Prince really didn't try to re-invent himself, he became the symbol in protest to the music contract he felt he was a slave to. Yes, he signed it, but ultimately he re-gained the rights to all of his catalog. Prince never tried a different genre' of music, other than he was moving some towards Jazz because of his relationship with Larry Graham.

EC did change his focus, going from the "Cocaine" 70's to the rock-a-billy "lay-down-sally" phase. If it weren't for Phil Collins, he probably just would have became a footnote in rock history as he dragged him out of the gutter and did push him into doing a mainstream album that disappointed the critics, but he went on to do his amazing unplugged performance and his update of "after midnite" was awesome IMHO. His "tears in heaven" collaboration with Baby Face helped ease him after his son's horrific death and cemented him in my book as a legend. EC is really a humble guy, his words about Stevie Ray Vaughan and how he said almost the same things regarding Hendrix, came from a true musician. There is always somebody out there that humbles you and not admitting it is ego. I am sure Clapton has one to do as well as he has, but he has never came off to me as a tool.

If I ever met him, I would thank him for his body of work and his ability to change and endure, truly a master.

Bangoman

BR....Phil Collins as Producer of EC was the absolute worst and souless album I have ever heard in general, by a Major talent like EC.....Just terrible. If Phil Collins taught EC anything....it was never do another over produced album. To say EC would have been a footnote without Phil C. is, and I hate to say this to you, ridiculous at best! Phil had no clue on producing EC Phil was hot at the time and EC was searching as the 80's and some 90's was Techno and industrial as well as dance. He got lost. Then he re-invented himself once again.

brsmith

The real point is Steve that Collins got him in the studio at a time when EC was just about to flush his life to where he might not have recovered. Yes, it was a mediocre album but it was the beginning of his comeback and at that time his biggest selling album of his career. If Clapton's career had not gone past '85, he would be another great that you buy the Time Life CD collection on the infomercial. A couple of generations wouldn't have known what he evolved into, JMHO.

Bangoman

brsmith

I dig BR. He produced 2 albums for EC. I must admit I was a big sucker for 'Forever Man' on 1 of the 2 albums. He also got into fashion as well....LOL....during that time. He went to the finest tailors to make him very expensive clothing (mainly suits) to help change his image...but, dropped that idea just before Unplugged.
Of recent years his traveling Guitar shows and one in particular was when he played with Stevie Winwood and did the long version of Hendrix's VooDoo Child...which was fitting as Winwood played organ on the Electric Ladyland album........So that was a real highlight with both together again. And then 'I can't find my way home' as the knockout punch for the crowd.

And SW has not lost his vocal chops and I had no idea what a very good guitarist SW was.

sdandrea1

Damn shame. I am a huge fan as he was a major influence on my playing style. Hope I get to see him once more, live.

mainuh

Steve - found this,
last week, Eric Clapton revealed the name of the condition which could spell the end of his musical career: peripheral neuropathy..Procul Harum guitarist Dave Ball began suffering from peripheral neuropathy while undergoing chemotherapy in 2012... Andy Fraser, the bassist for Seventies hard rock pioneers Free, also suffered from the condition..., Keith Emerson (the keyboardist of Emerson Lake and Palmer) had been struggling with dystonia, a similar condition, caused by a motorcycle accident in 1994 which damaged the nerves in his right hand. “He had an operation a few years ago to take out a bad muscle but the pain and nerve issues in his right hand were getting worse," said his long-term partner, Mari Kawaguchi.

We will talk off line as I have a form of neuropathy, thankfully controlled with meds.

rob

mainuh

Now back to EC... ;-)
Saw him with Cream / Blind Faith.
Yes Steve, Winwood is a very, very good guitar player. You have to remember that when Dave Mason left it was up to Winwood to fill that gap.
Eric kind of lost me after 461 Ocean Boulevard (a wonderful album).
Of his generation the one person who has exhibited that fire on the guitar has, for me. been Neil Young.
Wheels of Fire is still a top down, volume 10 in my convertible.

Regarding Robert Johnson - his recordings and his payment, I found this -
The only known recordings of Robert Johnson were cut in Dallas and San Antonio, Texas. The American Record Corporation probably paid Robert Johnson $10 -$15 each for the 29 songs and alternates, so he probably made about $300 off these sessions with no royalties. The reason for recording alternate takes, which were note-for-note similar to the first take, was the common practice of making a safety recording in case something happened to the master. It started when wax masters were used, because when they were shipped north for manufacture, one master would oftentimes melt on the way.

rob