<html><body>
<DIV>Another one who understands! Several folks have written privately in support of Ol' Debatin' DeltaNick.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There are healthy, civil debates, and there are personal attacks. However, some folks cannot see the difference: they just don't get THIS either.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Anyway, you've pretty much hit the nail on the head.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I truly enjoy EC's music, and I mean TODAY's music. But I simply cannot listen much to his '70s stuff (I have 'em all and a bunch of bootlegs). But when it comes to guitar playing, I still think few have been able to approach what EC did with Mayall, Cream, and Blind Faith. He was SUCH a uniquely gifted guitarist back then. He still plays well, but he's a completely rewired (drugs and alcohol effects?) guitarist. He simply doesn't (cannot?) do what he did back then. Case in point: what a friend calls a "stretch vibrato": applying vibrato to an already-bent string. He did that ALL the time with Mayall, Cream, Blind Faith, even D&D, but he no longer does it, unfortunately. It was a beautiful and wondrous signature thing and played a great part in his solos back then. He used it sparingly, but very few could do it, and nobody as well as EC. There are other things too, but time does not permit my enumeration here (we moved last week [3 miles], I'm at work, Comcast has to completely RE-install my service to the new home because what is there is not well-grounded: they tell me they will do this on 12 January).</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>BTW, the new home is wonderful, on a cul-de-sac, and it has 3 fireplaces. Our previous home is now under contract (closing later on in the month), and it looks like we got the price we wanted, PLUS, we get to keep the hot tub (only $800 to move it, plus a good $500+ to run the 220 volt electricity), but we moved ourselves and saved $6-9K (range of estimates we received).</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Best of all, the cats LOVE the new home.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I don't remember if I sent you the address:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Nicholas Aleshin</DIV>
<DIV>3218 Green Forest Court</DIV>
<DIV>Ellicott City, MD 21042-2232</DIV>
<DIV>(410) 750-7365 (same telephone: Verizon promises that they'll switch from old home to new home NLT 1000 tomorrow)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Obviously, am keeping same e-mail address.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">> Message: 6 <BR>> Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2005 16:54:57 -0500 <BR>> From: Bryan Reid <BSREID3@OPTONLINE.NET><BR>> Subject: [Slowhand] Flaming DeltaNick & other diversions <BR>> To: slowhand@planet-torque.com <BR>> Message-ID: <001201c4f1de$df1007e0$c7af5743@HAL> <BR>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" <BR>> <BR>> Whoa, Nellie!!! <BR>> <BR>> It's been quite awhile since this list has been this heated. At the end of the <BR>> day, we all have to respect each other's opinions and dissing each other leads <BR>> nowhere. <BR>> <BR>> People on this list were introduced to EC at different points in his career, and <BR>> I suspect that has more than a little to do with individual preferences. <BR>> <BR>> As one of the older members of the SD, I've had the privilege of seeing Cream <BR>> (twice), Blind Faith (once) and D&D (once). I can also remember the thrill of <BR>> getting the Bluesbreakers album when it was released, playing it loud as the <BR>> cover instructed and being absolutely floored and awed by what I heard. In all <BR>> four of those bands, EC was surrounded by top-flight musicians who challenged <BR>> him and, IMHO, brought out the best in him. After his 'heroin vacation', he <BR>> re-emerged determined to shake the guitar god status those bands brought to him. <BR>> While I have continued to enjoy EC's work, only occasionally has he ever <BR>> approached the quality he put forth in those days. Many of the bands he's had <BR>> since have been made up of very competent musicians but... they have been people <BR>> who do not challenge him. I've probably attended close to 100 concerts of his <BR>> since he re-emergence, usually 2-5 per tour and I've got to say that his <BR>> performances are erratic. I've seen him play one night lacka <BR>> daisically, start the same way 2 nights later only to slip and let loose some <BR>> absolutely stunning guitar playing. A couple of days later, same as the first <BR>> concert. <BR>> <BR>> It's his life but once you've shown people what you're capable of, you can <BR>> expect criticism when you don't measure up, whether in concert or recordings. <BR>> Ditto for selection of musicians to play with, songs, styles et cetera. Where <BR>> DeltaNick is coming from is precisely that. If I never hear 'Lay Down Sally', <BR>> Wonderful Tonight' or about 30 or 40 other songs of his again, it would be just <BR>> fine with me. To call them pop pablum is too kind. To say that they are an <BR>> extraordinary waste of his talent is spot on. EC is an incredibly gifted and <BR>> talented guitarist but he has made some very poor choices along the way. <BR>> <BR>> I'm looking forward to the Cream reunion. It be great to hear him playing with <BR>> people who can, and will, challenge him to play his best. <BR>> <BR>> Bryan <BR>> <BR>> In heavy rotation: <BR>> <BR>> EC - Sessions for Robert J. <BR>> Freddie King - Live at the Electric Ballroom 1974 <BR>> Yardbirds - Blueswailing <BR>> Santana - LA Forum 1971 <BR>> Jethro Tull - Stand Up <BR>> Miles Davis - Soundtrack of Jack Johnson <BR>> -------------- next part -------------- <BR>> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... <BR>> URL: <BR>> http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/slowhand/attachments/20050103/fd952a27/attachm <BR>> ent.html <BR>> <BR>> ------------------------------ <BR>> <BR>> _______________________________________________ <BR>> Slowhand mailing list <BR>> Slowhand@planet-torque.com <BR>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/slowhand <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> End of Slowhand Digest, Vol 5, Issue 9 <BR>> ************************************** </BLOCKQUOTE></body></html>