[Slowhand] RE: Scrolling Sideways On The Slowhand Digest

[Kevin Wilson]

I use Microsoft Office 2000 running on Windows XP. My e-mail format is =
HTML, using Word as my e-mail editor. The screen resolution on my laptop =
is set to 1024 x 768, though I believe this would have no bearing in =
this instance. All and sundry should receive this e-mail without having =
to scroll sideways, as it inherits the format sent by you (DeltaNick), =
i.e. plain text. Your e-mail reminds me of a hilarious movie I once saw =
called "Young Picasso". His parent go off to the station to bid him =
farewell and as the train pulls away, it does so sideways (or =
lengthwise, if you will).

On to Clapton matters: Apurva asked for thoughts around Eric's Robert =
Johnson project, among other things. So here goes: Hopefully it will be =
a series of 3 albums over the next couple of years. (With the Lord of =
the Rings trilogy now over, what other entertainment is there to look =
forward to? - Spiderman 2 and 3.) Granted Eric could possibly cover =
Johnson's entire songbook on one CD, if he keeps the tracks to the =
length used by Johnson. But, it seems he will be using a host of =
sidemen, which means he'll need more space to spread the blues. Then =
again, it could be a "duets" type of album, a la BB King and Eric =
Clapton (more on this later). If Natalie Cole's people could engineer =
her late father and her voice over 10 years ago, then technology has =
surely improved vastly since then? But, the trilogy idea won't fly with =
someone like Eric (after all, where is the intended Impressions release) =
- he tends to move on, usually leaving us to catch up, if we're willing =
to or not.

Most likely, the Johnson tribute will not be released the same time as =
the "standard" Eric Clapton album, but will be handled similarly to the =
situation with Riding with the King (more on that later) and Reptile, =
which were recorded within weeks of one another, but released some 6 =
months apart.

As for the next Eric standard release, everyone is expecting a "rock =
album", because it's long overdue and has been hinted at from time to =
time. But, consider this: Clapton no longer does any numbers from his =
last great rock effort, Journeyman. Sure, She's Gone from Pilgrim has =
been with us for almost 6 years (with a technically competent solo in =
slightly changing format from tour to tour) and the Cream, Derek & the =
Dominos and 70's standards for a lifetime, but where are the other rock =
tunes that could easily be elevated to their deserved classic status, =
e.g. Bottle of Red Wine, Roll It Over (in spite of it's suspicious =
lyrics), Steady Rollin' Man, High (reminds me of the Doobie Brothers' =
Long Train Running), Hungry (take away Marcy Levy's vocals and you have =
a song that could fit on LAOALS), The Core, Watch Out for Lucy (reminds =
me of Stagger Lee, which incidentally Eric covered at his Conscious =
Contact gig in 2000/2001), Rita Mae, Ain't Going Down, Tangled in Love, =
Grand Illusion (a ballad lost in time), Breaking Point, Hey Hey, Blues =
Before Sunrise, Sick & Tired, Marry You, I Wanna Be and Modern Girl. And =
taking us back to "the years": Good Morning Little School Girl, Key to =
Love, I Feel Free, Tales of Brave Ulysses, Deserted Cities of the Heart, =
I'm So Glad and Sea of Joy. Sure Eric would struggle with the vocals on =
many of these uptempo tunes, but he's perfected his growl by dimensions =
over the years. I can only dream, but what a dream.

So I conclude that the next standard album will contain a standard blues =
(blues standard) and a rock standard or two and a few ballads and a few =
singalongs, which we'll enjoy for the most part, because it's what we're =
used to.

Finally, take time out and play: Riding with the King back to back with =
Beano, the overall feel is more satisfying than Beano played back to =
back with From the Cradle.=20

Kevin

Enjoy Christmas everyone and be safe on the roads. 614 dead on South =
African roads already this holiday season and they say it's an =
improvement of 7% on the Arrive Alive campaign - go figure. I'll be off =
on my 1 400 km road trip to Cape Town on Friday, hopefully when most are =
sleeping after a tiring Christmas Day.

-----Original Message-----
From: DeltaNick [mailto:deltanick at comcast.net]
Sent: 24 December 2003 04:35
To: Slowhand Digest
Cc: Kevin Wilson
Subject: Scrolling Sideways On The Slowhand Digest

Kevin,

I don't know what you do or what software you use, but all of your =
e-mails
to the Slowhand Digest cause me to scroll sideways.

Actually, come to think of it, sounds like a title for a Freddy =
King-type
guitar instrumental: "Scrolling Sideways."

                DeltaNick

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