Post by DRL on May 1, 2004 19:12:53 GMT -5
Clapton Is Full of Blues Passion
By Bill Dean
The Ledger
bill.dean@theledger.com
In 1968, a young guitarist walked onto a theater stage and recorded a solo so scalding it still sears ears today.
It was so incendiary that a teenaged Eddie Van Halen learned it note-for-note. And it remains exhibit "A" of why the guitarist's name -- Eric Clapton -- was scrawled as "Clapton is God" in London graffiti in the late 1960s.
The song, of course, was "Crossroads," Clapton's take on a forgotten blues tune by Robert Johnson, a then-unheard-of standard bearer of the Delta blues.
And Clapton's version of it introduced untold thousands, perhaps millions, to the seminal, groundbreaking bluesman who died decades earlier in the 1930s.
Now, 36 years after "Crossroads," Clapton has essentially done the same thing all over again: use his current style and position to acquaint contemporary listeners with Johnson's music.
Yes, times have changed greatly, and so have the style and approach of the guitarist, who this time devotes an entire album to his mentor's music.
Called "Me and Mr. Johnson," it features 14 Johnson originals and, like a slow-burn blues itself, builds gradually to a deeply felt, and satisfying, climax.
Those who had written Clapton off as an increasingly "adult contemporary" artist in recent years can breathe a sigh of relief: The new album was recorded with Clapton and group playing "live" in the studio with no overdubs, an approach that's true to Johnson's originals and the best for honest and pure emoting.
Blues fans will recognize such titles as "Last Fair Deal Gone Down," "Come On in My Kitchen" and "Hell Hound On My Trail" though Johnson's "Cross Road Blues" (the source of Clapton's "Crossroads" in 1968) is passed over this time.
While Clapton's band includes two other guitarists, solos are few and far between. Instead, the emphasis is on his arrangements (which make fine use of Muddy
Waters' blues harpist Jerry Portnoy), and on Clapton's vocals, which haven't sounded this expressive in years.
The album's best moments, in fact, come on such rousing numbers as "Traveling Riverside Blues" and "Milkcow's Calf Blues," when both singer and band perform with full-tilt passion and unabashed blues power.
The similarly impressive "If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day," with its line "Well I rolled and I tumbled," reminds listeners of its status as the source for Waters' later song, "Rollin' and Tumblin' " in 1950.
Interestingly, "Milkcow Calf Blues" represented Johnson reworking his own "Terraplane Blues," which he had recorded a half-year before, in 1936.
So why did Clapton choose to cover the latter of the two? It may well have been that Johnson's vocals were far more expressive and freer on the latter -- allowing Clapton to indulge himself in ways he rarely has on his own material.
It can be argued that Clapton has more reasons to sing the blues than perhaps any other white guitarist: infamous addictions; pining for (then stealing and finally losing) the wife of best friend George Harrison (she inspired the song "Layla"); and the tragic death of his young son.
And listening to "Me and Mr. Johnson" makes it clear why Clapton has such deep, heartfelt affection for the blues. Like Robert Johnson before him, the blues sets him free.
By Bill Dean
The Ledger
bill.dean@theledger.com
In 1968, a young guitarist walked onto a theater stage and recorded a solo so scalding it still sears ears today.
It was so incendiary that a teenaged Eddie Van Halen learned it note-for-note. And it remains exhibit "A" of why the guitarist's name -- Eric Clapton -- was scrawled as "Clapton is God" in London graffiti in the late 1960s.
The song, of course, was "Crossroads," Clapton's take on a forgotten blues tune by Robert Johnson, a then-unheard-of standard bearer of the Delta blues.
And Clapton's version of it introduced untold thousands, perhaps millions, to the seminal, groundbreaking bluesman who died decades earlier in the 1930s.
Now, 36 years after "Crossroads," Clapton has essentially done the same thing all over again: use his current style and position to acquaint contemporary listeners with Johnson's music.
Yes, times have changed greatly, and so have the style and approach of the guitarist, who this time devotes an entire album to his mentor's music.
Called "Me and Mr. Johnson," it features 14 Johnson originals and, like a slow-burn blues itself, builds gradually to a deeply felt, and satisfying, climax.
Those who had written Clapton off as an increasingly "adult contemporary" artist in recent years can breathe a sigh of relief: The new album was recorded with Clapton and group playing "live" in the studio with no overdubs, an approach that's true to Johnson's originals and the best for honest and pure emoting.
Blues fans will recognize such titles as "Last Fair Deal Gone Down," "Come On in My Kitchen" and "Hell Hound On My Trail" though Johnson's "Cross Road Blues" (the source of Clapton's "Crossroads" in 1968) is passed over this time.
While Clapton's band includes two other guitarists, solos are few and far between. Instead, the emphasis is on his arrangements (which make fine use of Muddy
Waters' blues harpist Jerry Portnoy), and on Clapton's vocals, which haven't sounded this expressive in years.
The album's best moments, in fact, come on such rousing numbers as "Traveling Riverside Blues" and "Milkcow's Calf Blues," when both singer and band perform with full-tilt passion and unabashed blues power.
The similarly impressive "If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day," with its line "Well I rolled and I tumbled," reminds listeners of its status as the source for Waters' later song, "Rollin' and Tumblin' " in 1950.
Interestingly, "Milkcow Calf Blues" represented Johnson reworking his own "Terraplane Blues," which he had recorded a half-year before, in 1936.
So why did Clapton choose to cover the latter of the two? It may well have been that Johnson's vocals were far more expressive and freer on the latter -- allowing Clapton to indulge himself in ways he rarely has on his own material.
It can be argued that Clapton has more reasons to sing the blues than perhaps any other white guitarist: infamous addictions; pining for (then stealing and finally losing) the wife of best friend George Harrison (she inspired the song "Layla"); and the tragic death of his young son.
And listening to "Me and Mr. Johnson" makes it clear why Clapton has such deep, heartfelt affection for the blues. Like Robert Johnson before him, the blues sets him free.