Put it this way- if you are able to contribute even 1 album that is without a doubt one of the best ever made, you are way ahead of the 1,000s of artists who will never do this. Clapton did this with Layla. That being said, he's done other great work with the Yardbirds, Blind Faith, solo, etc. Yes, he's had some things that I've not really been into (80s solo stuff, that awful cocktail lounge slow version of Layla), but he's put out consistently good music over a long, long period of time. Anyone that doubts Clapton's ability to write and play great music needs to go to Amazon and download "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad" from the Layla and Assorted Love Songs CD. That's it. Matter of fact, just download the whole CD- one of the best $10 you'll spend on music if you like intense rock/blues music.
Spurred on by this "clapton is horrible" sentiment from some, I'm putting the top 10 CDs of all time (IMVHO) on rotation: 1. Bruce Springsteen- Born to Run 2. Marvin Gaye- What's Going On 3. Van Morrison- Astral Weeks 4. U2- Achtung Baby 5. REM- Murmur 6. Bruce Springsteen- The E Street Shuffle 7. Prince- Purple Rain 8. The Clash- London Calling 9. The Who- The Who By Numbers 10. Derek and The Dominoes- Layla (with apologies to Highway 61 from Dylan, OK Computer from Radiohead, Budokan from Cheap Trick, Exile on Main Street from the Stones, and The White Album).
Layla Bell Bottom Blues Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad Can't Find My Way Home After Midnight Train Kept A Rollin Sunshine of Your Love White Room Badge I Looked Away Cocaine I Shot The Sheriff (oops- that was actually Bob Marley) That's for openers of the great songs Clapton has written. Again, the entire Layla CD, with the exception of maybe 1 song, is outstanding.
I'm in a Randy Rhoads state of mind tonight. Blizzard of Ozz - Ozzy Osbourne Diary of a Madman - Ozzy Osbourne
better yet, grab the derek and the dominos fillmore double night live album and get back to us.... if you cant get behind that, you don't like rock n roll. period.
I agree with you on a lot of things, thegary, but while I think Clapton "sold out" later in his career and lost a lot of the edge he had that made him a terrific guitarist, I can't agree that he is overrated, simply because his early work was too good. I saw him play with Cream in the old Music Hall in Houston, and on several other occasions, and the guy could bring it. I think his LPs, like those of so many other great artists and groups of the era, just don't capture his talent at that time. Perhaps if you'd seen him then, you would have a different opinion. I do that with a lot of the old timers... giving them credit for what they were, not what they are now, however good they might seem to people today. I just wish there had been the technology available then to record their concerts as they really were. The LPs rarely met the reality on stage.
i'm pretty sure he didn't write even half of those songs. a couple are j.j. cale, the cream songs were collaborative at best, blind faith?, Train Kept A Rollin? -> come on. look, i don't go around caring about clapton but he came up in a music thread, i gave an opinion. he was a great guitar player in the right place at the right time but he wrote nothing that i care about. if you like him, great, don't let me stop you from enjoying him.
I definitely stand corrected- he didn't write Cocaine, Can't Find my Way Home, and Train Kept a Rollin. He wrote all the others- some in collaboration and some on his own. You have every right to state your opinion. And I, in turn, have the right to respond with "That's ridiculous" when someone says that Clapton is the "most overrated..." and implies that he didn't write any great songs. He wrote and co-wrote almost every song on Layla- and that itself gets him in the Hall of Fame. I do understand, though, how his solo career might be overrated. It just doesn't match his work with Cream, Dominoes, or even Blind Faith- or the Yardbirds, for that matter. Too bland for me. Especially Wonderful Tonight and Lay Down Sally. Similar example: Rod Stewart. I could care less for anything Rod Stewart has done from 1976 on, especially the 90s stuff. However, Every Picture Tells a Story and Never a Dull Moment are 2 of the best albums from anyone, ever, in rock music. Plus, his work with Jeff Beck and the Faces was great, as well. Is Rod Stewart overrated? Yes, maybe for the later stuff, but not for Every Picture Tells A Story. I'd vote him into the Hall of Fame on that one album alone. Same with Clapton for his body of work.
Diary is such a great CD- on a side note, did you hear how he used other musicians and re-mastered these because he didn't want to pay his former bandmates royalties? What's up with that? I went to Amazon to buy Diary and saw an average 2-star rating and thought "that can't be right." They were all complaining about the remixed versions. Seriously, though, Rhoads was such a great player. You Can't Kill Rock and Roll- classic. Although not Randy, Bark at the Moon is good, too.
Drake, up and coming rap star who has been working with today's best rap artist, Lil Wayne and I believe is signed under Cash Money. Just to name a few of his songs.. Best I Ever Had Replacement Girl Brand New RMX Unstoppable Still Fly Ignorant ****
I've only listened to it once, but it really didn't do much for me, and that's coming from someone who has loved everything they've put out.
Salvatore Freda & Volta - Bombolone This is the first in many years that I'm not at the Winter Music Conference. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hkFfmGDJwq4&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hkFfmGDJwq4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Songs I can't get enough of right now: Heartless - Kayne West Poker Face - Lady Gaga Just Dance - Lady Gaga I'm really diggin' Lady Gaga's music right now. She is so hip.
For you Blitzen Trapper people - This Link Blitzen Trapper 02-24-2009 The Bug Jar Rochester, NY Entire show in mp3 format Here's a cool version of Furr <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0J1CpJh-D20&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0J1CpJh-D20&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
I heard that, but I heard it was all Sharon's doing and Ozzy kind of just went along. ****ty thing to do any way you look at it. They didn't even say on the reissues that anything was different until fans started complaining. I'll stick with the originals, thank you. Say what you want about Ozzy, but those 2 albums (Diary and Blizzard) IMO are 2 of the greatest metal albums ever produced.
