Eric Clapton Did Not Play With Which Blues Band Quizlet

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1. 

   J. R. Forum Resident Thread Starter

   If you read my OP, you would know that I was asking for suggestions. Thanks for giving me some to research.

2. Because the band was relaxed and didn't enter the studio with the intention of performing Robert Johnson songs that somehow "validates" your opinion. If you don't like, just say so. It doesn't mean that it wasn't worthy of release, just because it didn't meet with the approval of some message board know-it-all.

   For those monitoring the discussion: Do check out the Sessions for Robert J DVD. It features the likes of Billy Preston, Steve Gadd and Doyle Bramall II...pure hacks, if the OP is to be believed.

3. I don't know if you consider Freddie King "modern" or not, but IMHO it doesn't get much better than him. Clapton has covered many Freddie King tunes over the years. Born Under A Bad Sign era Albert King is great stuff too.

4. Oh I wasn't trying to be snide, I based it off your list (post #35 I think). It just seemed like it was directed towards the later/late modern years.

   Jesse Ed Davis was guitarist on Taj Mahal's first three Lps.
   Peter Green of course 'the original Fleetwood Mac'.
   Kim Simmonds = Savoy Brown
   Alan Wilson - Canned Heat
   Mick Taylor of the Stones was with John Mayall's Bluesbreaker's in the late 60's.
   Bloomfield = the early Butterfield Blues band

   all these are ca. 1965-70

5. None of those artists have previously been discussed at all in this thread.

   I'm not certain why you chose to attack the poor OP in this thread....unless you are so upset over my criticism of "Me and Mr. Johnson" that you are confusing him with me.

6. For me Clapton's guitar and vocal performances on "From the Cradle" are more imitative of or tributes to blues artists such as Freddie King.

7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az7sLKGOUe8

   Sounds like pretty authentic electric guitar blues to me.

8. If you like that, to each his own. I'm not convinced that is a particularly good example if you're trying to make the case that Clapton is a great blues guitarist.

   Sonny Boy Williamson played with both the Animals and Eric Clapton/Yardbirds circa 1963-64, and was famously quoted:

   "Those English boys want to play the blues so bad. And they it play it so bad." ...

9. In regards to signothetimes53 post, didn't Eric leave the Yardbirds because they were going in a more commercial direction, (i.e., non-blues). Maybe I'm dreaming this, but I thought I read it somewhere. Did he leave the Yardbirds and join Mayall?

10. I saw Clapton during his Royal Albert Hall stand earlier that year, and it was very bluesy indeed. So much so that it was almost like reading an encyclopedia on the blues; I wasn't feeling a lot of passion even though I think that's where Eric's heart lies. ("White Room" got the crowd rocking later in the show.)

    Earlier, I saw him on a "rock" tour (1988, with Mark Knopfler on second guiter) and it was a lot more fun; Clapton was tossing off leads that could've slayed any rocker that night.

11. 
    These groups weren't about playing 'blues'. They didn't try to be bluesman.

12. I think it depends on the time period for some of those groups that you are examining. There's no question that the Animals and the Yardbirds went "pop" at some point, to have hit records. But their origins were part of an effort to play "pure" blues as best they understood and knew how to play "pure" blues.

    And yes, to answer a previous poster, Clapton left the Yardbirds for Mayall because he didn't want to go in that pop direction, he wanted to play blues.

    Sonny Boy Williamson toured the UK with Clapton and the Yardbirds as his backing band in 1963, and the recorded results are easily available for anyone to purchase. Sonny Boy had played and recorded with the very best blues musicians in Chicago. Clapton and the Yardbirds in 1963 tried very hard, but they just did not have the musical skills to play at the high level to which Sonny Boy was accustomed, thus his comment. Stylistically, they sound like a rock band trying to play blues.

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14. I regard Clapton as a Blues "purist". He relys a lot on established Blues "runs". Most of his stuff comes from Hubert Sumlin (Howlin' Wolf's lead guitarist). Clapton does not "improvise" much, and is pretty predictable (boring).

15. I agree that Clapton owes a lot to Sumlin's playing. There's an interesting lesson to be learned by contrasting Clapton's playing side-by-side with Sumlin's playing. Sumlin, either by choice or by the time limitations of the 45/78 physical media, generally played a very economical, clean style. One of the criticisms of modern "blues" players is that they try to play too many notes. Simpler is often better.

17. Those "other artists" are part of the backup band on that record, which you should've known.

18. I view it as a once upon a time, rock guitar player, that tried to play blues, but really wasnt genuine. Mostly a lot of boring stuff....mixed with a few gems.

19. Clapton is at his best when playing with others. His MSG shows with Steve Winwood were inspired, and frankly I was pleasantly surprised when I watched the dvd that came out. I did'nt think he still had it in him.

20. The way I look at it, Clapton could easily belong on this list of artists/songs if your gonna inlcude SRV, Poppa Chubby, and especially Robert Cray's "Smokin' Gun".
    Sure Eric did a lot of rock, pop, and some lazy country flavored material but I think he has a big enough chunk of "authentic blues" in his catalog. We can argue how athentic but then again if we are comparing say some of his stuff from the Bluebreakers album or From the Cradle, Derek and the Dominoes live, etc.. it would fit nicely with those other artists named above.

    Compared with the "real deal' artists from the (20's-50's) probably not but then again most of the artists on the above compilation probaly wouldn't be comparable either (besides probably Buddy Guy).

21. The OP is wondering if Clapton is 'modern' blues. I think the stew for what's become 'modern' blues definitely has Clapton's influence in it. So yes, I think he's modern blues.

22. Blues or Rock Guitarist?

    Interesting question. Clapton's a very, very good guitar player so he can do a lot. But like most from his generation he learned by listening to ole blues records of yore.

    As a result, blues is absolutely ingrained in his hands' muscle memory -- and in his DNA. You can't play or sing the blues -- with any degree of authenticity -- without it coming from your soul. That may sound cliche, but it's simply true. It's soulful music.

    He's also a big name with pop-crossover appeal. And he enjoys dabbling in pop/rock. And mixing both.

    Lastly... a rock guitarist, is almost always a blues guitarist -- to varying degrees of success and authenticity. Even in Metal, where classical styles often emerge, blues are often employed (or required) to keep things dirty.

23. 

24. Any white player is "modern Blues" (imo).

25. Sounds like a good line. The "truest" bluesmen I think would be a) American, b) of African ancestry, and c) grew up in the Jim Crow south, prior to the 1960's.

    Thats not to say people of any ancestry or time period or country can't play blues or channel it from the heart while playing, just that the original genre would have certain background characteristics that defined and shaped it.

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