Eric Clapton was born on 30 March 1945 in England as the son of sixteen-year-old Patricia Molly Clapton and 25-year-old Canadian soldier Edward Walter Fryer, who was stationed in England. To briefly and concisely describe Eric Clapton's musical achievements is as difficult as summarising the Bible in one line. Although, for some fans it is clear: Clapton is God. This slogan was at least most commonly seen in graffiti in the late 1960s in London and Paris.
When Clapton came into contact with the emerging rock 'n' roll in the late 1950s, he was immediately enthusiastic. For his thirteenth birthday he asked for and received a guitar. He sought out the origins of rock 'n' roll and ended up with the blues. His very first musical influences were Big Bill Broonzy and Robert Johnson. His grandparents bought his first electric guitar on instalment. Clapton traded it in for a Fender Telecaster before the instalments were paid off. In October he joined The Yardbirds. This band was a breeding ground for good guitarists; after Clapton came Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck. Clapton earned the nickname Slowhand.
Top 2000
In the 23rd edition of the Top 2000 Eric Clapton appears with 5 songs:
Sunday Morning Classic: Unplugged
On 24 January 2021 Clapton was our guest as Sunday Morning Classic with the album Unplugged.
Unplugged presents the full spectrum of Eric Clapton's playing. His performance – and the resulting LP – are undoubtedly two of the most remarkable results in the 10-year history of the MTV series. Clapton, playing with a group of musicians he had used during recent tours and recordings, appeared in a relaxed acoustic setting. He also covered some blues songs by artists he had championed over the years.
Two of the 14 tracks on the album, "Tears in Heaven" and a rendition of "Layla", contributed to the enormous popularity of the recording. Since its release in 1992, 26 million copies of the album have been sold worldwide.
Although Unplugged originally appeared on vinyl as a single LP, a remastered double LP has since been released. I was pleased with the amount of space and atmosphere conveyed by the earlier pressing, but the newer pressing places you in the middle of the audience and closer to the stage.
When Clapton plays the bossa nova-flavoured "Signe", his classical guitar resonates with a rich, powerful sound. Ray Cooper's triangle sounds and sustains on "Signe", and Steve Ferrone's woodblock has fullness.
When Clapton and guitarist Andy Fairweather Low play the intro to Bo Diddley's "Before You Accuse Me", you hear their interaction. His slide guitar technique on Son House's "Walkin' Blues" is just as captivating and impressive.
"Layla" sounds a bit thin to my ears. I still prefer the original Derek and the Dominos recording. Leavell's harmonium underscores the sadness in Clapton's voice on "Tears in Heaven".
The morbid undercurrent of Unplugged does not change the fact that it revitalised Clapton's career and gave him a template he could follow from that moment on. It is his merit that Clapton did not fully capitalise on his tragedy when he followed Unplugged with From the Cradle, a straight electric blues album that topped the charts but probably did not appeal to the casual fans who enjoyed his softer, acoustic blues. Every Clapton album since has somehow tried to break away from Unplugged. On his albums he increasingly deals less with original material, and his live performances often tend towards the electric side of things. As rich as it made him, it seems Unplugged is the kind of album Eric Clapton no longer seems to want to make.
source: Jan Liebregts and NPO photo: majvdl and Raph_PH
