[Slowhand] FW: Cream and Led Zep

[Jeff Elliott]

I couldn't agree more.  EC has a much different approach to music than Page,
who reveled in the studio and built his tunes with layer upon layer of
guitar, in many respects exploring the eastern mysticism Eric's dear friend
George Harrison ventured into (just watched the Concert for George DVD again
this weekend--what a great show).  I think Eric is a much more straight
forward blues purist and Cream allowed him to build on what he started long
before his Blues Breakers stint.  Was Jimmy Page influenced by what Eric did
in Cream?  It would be foolish to say not.  Page was clearly influenced by
not only EC and Cream, but also Beck and a whole host of dead American
Bluesmen.

If you study the "British Invasion," all of those bands that "invaded" the
States in the 60s were fully enamored with American blues and the bluesmen
who wrote, performed and lived the blues.  Saying Led Zepplin wouldn't have
happened without Cream is like saying there would've been no Rolling Stones
if not for the Beatles.

Jeff

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve McKellar [mailto:mckells at videotron.ca] 
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 9:43 AM
To: Slowhand Digest
Subject: [Slowhand] Cream and Led Zep

Concerning the recent postings of Cream and Led Zep and
who was filling whose void, I think they were two distinct
formations and didn't follow any connected time line in
rock history. Like a lot of people i feel that there was a
huge break in rock from the poppy, optomistic psychedelic
music of the sixties including Cream ( allthough much heavier )
with what followed in 69 and that was at Altamont. Altamont
signalled the end of the Beach Boys, the Mama's and the Papa's
and opened the door for Led Zep, Black Sabbath and all that
followed. The love of the blues endured in Britain and Led Zep's
was just less traditional, slower and darker. I think LZ reflected
their time and were not an answer to Cream's demise. Would there
have been a LZ without Cream? I think so.

Steve