Recommendations of the Editorial team
The 100 Greatest Musicians of All Time: Eric Clapton – Essay by Steven Van Zandt
Eric Clapton is the most important and influential guitarist who ever lived, still lives and ever will live – and now do yourself a favor and don’t even try to argue about it with me! Before Clapton, there was the rock guitar à la Chuck Berry – modernized by Keith Richards – and the rockabilly guitar, i.e. Scotty Moore, Carl Perkins, Cliff Gallup, which was popularized by George Harrison. Clapton absorbed both and added the essence of electric black blues: the power and vocabulary of Buddy Guy, Hubert Sumlin and the three Kings – BB, Albert and Freddie – to create a tone that would change rock ‘n’ roll lead guitar forever.
Perhaps even more important: He turned the amplifier up to 11. That alone blew everyone’s skulls off in the Sixties. In the studio, he placed the microphone and amplifier on opposite sides of the recording room, creating more atmosphere. And then he turned the thing up to full speed: sustain, feedback, everything on board. The guitarist was suddenly the most important man in the band.
I only met Clapton briefly once
Clapton was actually a purist in his head, even if you couldn’t hear much about it at first. He mercilessly played up every lick, even a faithful cover like Freddie King’s “Hide Away” – and when he played a solo, he created wonderful symphonies based on classic blues licks. You could sing along to his solos as if they were songs in their own right.
I saw Clapton for the first time in 1967 at the Cafe Au Go Go in New York – almost anyway. I stood outside because the show was sold out. But I could see him straight through the window. And it was loud, even outside. Musically, Clapton was a beast back then. He stood motionless on stage, but at the same time delivered the most brutal frontal attack anyone had ever witnessed. And when he gave free rein to his creativity, passion, frustration and anger, it was almost frightening. His solo on “Crossroads” is simply incredible.
I only met Clapton briefly once – so my thoughts are not based on insider information. But I think his style changed dramatically in the early ’70s because the song and songwriting became more important to him. And Robert Johnson played an important role in this. Clapton was so moved by his music that he wanted to write and sing with the same passion, precision and honesty. You can hear his frustration – namely the realization that he cannot achieve this goal – in his guitar work of the 60s. The first time I experienced real anger and sexual aggressiveness on a record was on the John Mayall record Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton.
“Layla” is Clapton’s most idiosyncratic interpretation of the blues
Dylan’s Basement Tapes and The Band’s Music From Big Pink heralded a return to American roots, and these albums were a hugely important influence on Clapton. Around the same time, Delaney and Bonnie encouraged him to write and sing more. On “Eric Clapton” you get an impression of how he mastered both with flying colors – and you can also clearly hear the transition from Gibson-dirty to Stratocaster-clean.
For me, “Layla” was the last recording on which vocals, songwriting and guitar were implemented with the same intensity. It is Clapton’s most idiosyncratic interpretation of the blues – probably because this time the hellhounds on his heels had a very concrete face: unrequited love. But Clapton’s guitar work is still stunning here. He had seven years of incredible, historically unparalleled creativity behind him – and 40 years of solid work ahead of him. Being the best takes a toll. So, like Dylan and Lennon, he slowed down. The sprint is cool, the marathon is better. Clapton followed in the footsteps of his role models: he became a journeyman.
Everyone who plays guitar owes him a debt of gratitude. He developed the vocabulary, the binary code. But the day will surely come when a young rocker hears one of Clapton’s modern-day cuddly ballads on the radio and asks: “So is that supposed to be so earth-shattering?” The only answer you can give him is: Put on “Steppin’ Out”. And kneel down.
