[Slowhand] A Civil Debate, Part 3

[DeltaNick]

He also impressed John Mayall: "I read about his leaving in 'Melody Maker.' I'd seen him with the Yardbirds. I hated the band -- they obviously knew nothing about the blues -- but Eric was the one who stood out. And I didn't think any more of it until I heard the B-side of 'For Your Love,' which was an instrumental, 'Got To Hurry.' That's when I thought, 'Jesus, I gotta have this guy'" (John Mayall as quoted in Michael Leonard, "Bluesbreakers," "Guitarist Icons: Eric Clapton Special Issue" [UK], 2001 [Issue 1], p.14).
 

Clapton joined the Bluesbreakers on 6 April 1965. He demonstrated incredible control and mastery of his craft as he squeezed all he could get out of his guitar on three Immediate Records recordings which Jimmy Page produced: "I'm Your Witchdoctor," Telephone Blues," and "On Top Of The World." "This also, according to Jimmy Page, marked the birth of the 'Marshall' sound, paving the way for Hendrix and Led Zeppelin" (The Editors Of MOJO, "London 1965," MOJO (UK), September 2000 [Issue 82], p. 4).

 

Among musicians, Clapton had already become somewhat of a legend. In May 1965, Bob Dylan went into the recording studio with Mayall and his band, including Clapton. Dylan would not have done so without holding Mayall and his band in the highest esteem. The session, however, produced nothing of any significant musical value, but the fault here lies primarily with Dylan, as anyone who has heard a snippet of the session will understand.

 

In the summer of 1965, Clapton left Mayall's band to tour the world with a group of friends. However, they didn't get very far, reaching Greece. In November, Clapton returned to the Bluesbreakers, his position having been reserved for him by John Mayall. And it turned out that Clapton was as hungry, passionate, aggressive, and inspired as he's ever been in his career. A John Mayall And The Bluesbreakers live recording from 28 November 1965 (Mayall's dates are wrong, and he agreed with the 28 November 1965 dating for this and the live Clapton recordings on "Primal Solos"), "Stormy Monday," included on the album "Looking Back" stands out as what some consider to be Clapton's finest recorded guitar solo. He also recorded, along with John Mayall, several tracks on an album with Champion Jack Dupree, a highly acclaimed single ("Lonely Years'/"Bernard Jenkins"), several recordings with a one-off studio band known as Eric Clapton And The Powerhouse, and the legendary "Blues Breakers." And Clapton was the ONLY one who received top and equal billing with Mayall: the artists on the album are listed as "John Mayall With Eric Clapton." Mayall did that. Mayall never did that again.

 

The album was a showcase for Clapton's guitar genius, his performance totally dominating the proceedings. Clapton's sunburst 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar contributed to a fuller, more dynamic sound, which contrasted sharply with the anemic "twang" of a Fender. "Although the Mayall-Clapton collaboration is still talked about as one of the great turning points in rock history" (Chris Welch, "Eric Clapton: King Of The Blues Guitar," "Melody Maker," 13 October 1973).

 

"With its stark sound, uncompromising sleeve notes and surrealist cover, Blues Breakers was one of a quintet of albums -- alongside [The Rolling Stones'] Aftermath, [The Beach Boys'] Pet Sounds, [Bob Dylan's] Blonde On Blonde and [The Beatles'] Revolver -- to establish a recognizable rock music culture that summer ... Along with these, Blues Breakers helped define the future direction of rock ... It also made Eric Clapton a star. Previously admired by art students and those who spray-painted walls, by July 1966 he was on level creative terms with, if not Lennon-McCartney and Jagger-Richards, at least George Harrison and Brian Jones. Reviews of Blues Breakers ("It's Eric Clapton who steals the limelight and no doubt several copies of the album will be sold on his name") singled him out; requests for interviews increased; even Mayall, a man not given to excessive promotion of his colleagues, allowed Clapton's name to appear in the title -- none of which seemed conspicuously to gratify him" (Sandford, Clapton: Edge Of Darkness, 1994, revised 1999, pp. 60-62).


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/slowhand/attachments/20060711/ba6b710b/attachment.htm