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| FotiniD |
Clapton's love's in vain when tackling bluesman Johnson's classics
By Larry Katz
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
When blues legend Robert Johnson's ``The Complete Recordings'' was released in 1990, his two most famous fans, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards, wrote liner notes.
Both told essentially the same story. As young guitarists growing up in England they discovered Johnson's then-only album, ``King of the Delta Blues Singers'' and were shook up and forever changed by Johnson's haunting virtuosity.
``He was like a comet or meteor that came along,'' Richards wrote.
``Robert Johnson to me is the most important blues musician who ever lived,'' Clapton opined before concluding, ``His best songs have never been covered by anyone else, at least not very successfully - because how are you going to do them?''
Alas, Clapton now has chosen to ignore his own warning. On ``Me and Mr. Johnson, in stores today, he offers respectful but unilluminating covers of 14 Johnson songs. Whatever magic was captured in the 29 songs total Johnson recorded in 1937 and 1938 for Columbia Records' Don Law (father of the Boston concert promoter) is utterly lacking on ``Me and Mr. Johnson.''
Clapton's method is to flesh out Johnson's voice-and-acoustic guitar originals with full band versions. Fair enough. But the arrangements demonstrate taste and professionalism rather than unbridled passion. Slowhand's guitar-playing stays polite. He even shares the instrumental solo spotlight with Waltham harmonica ace Jerry Portnoy, keyboardist Billy Preston and another guitarist, Doyle Bramhall II. It's a far tamer approach then when he tore into Johnson's ``Cross Road Blues'' - tellingly, not covered here - during his wild improvisational flights with Cream nearly 40 years ago.
By coincidence, ``Me and Mr. Johnson'' arrives on the heels of Cambridge author Elijah Wald's ``Escaping the Delta,'' a book that attempts to separate Johnson's life from his myth. Wald repositions Johnson as a pop musician of his day, not a primitive genius.
Too bad Clapton didn't read Wald before recording ``Me and Mr. Johnson.'' He might have decided to treat Johnson's music with less reverence and more imagination. |
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| jpenn11 |
Peter Green did something like this a few years ago. Has anyone who has heard both the Clapton and the Green versions care to compare them? I think Green's approach was based upon the belief that Johnson was playing with a band before he died, so he would update the songs for that "band" sound.
[The 3-CD set ME & THE DEVIL contains THE ROBERT JOHNSON SONGBOOK (1998) and HOT FOOT POWDER (2000), both by Peter Green & The Splinter Group, and a disc of some of Robert Johnson's historic recordings from 1936-'37.] |
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| stickyturd |
Peter Green's is AMAZING! I wrote about this in the last thread about the Clapton album... Green did every known Johnson song, it was very interesting because unlike Johnson, it had piano, bass, drums, and maybe more than one guitar. But it was very reverent. It's one of my favorite albums, actually.
I think Clapton is full of crap. From what I've heard of the Clapton album, the whole thing was ripped off from Peter Green, except without the element of tastefulness.
Russ |
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| jb |
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| Factory Girl |
I saw Peter Green on tour promoting Hot Foot Powder, and I was not impressed.
And, I've never been a Clapton fan. Clapton sold blues down the road. |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
quote:
Factory Girl wrote:
Clapton sold blues down the road.
He did? How so? I don't know about this particular review. It came out in my Sunday paper. I just shrugged it off as sophmoric.
[Edited by Ten Thousand Motels] |
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| Joey |
quote:
FotiniD wrote:
Clapton's love's in vain when tackling bluesman Johnson's classics
By Larry Katz
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
When blues legend Robert Johnson's ``The Complete Recordings'' was released in 1990, his two most famous fans, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards, wrote liner notes.
Both told essentially the same story. As young guitarists growing up in England they discovered Johnson's then-only album, ``King of the Delta Blues Singers'' and were shook up and forever changed by Johnson's haunting virtuosity.
``He was like a comet or meteor that came along,'' Richards wrote.
``Robert Johnson to me is the most important blues musician who ever lived,'' Clapton opined before concluding, ``His best songs have never been covered by anyone else, at least not very successfully - because how are you going to do them?''
Alas, Clapton now has chosen to ignore his own warning. On ``Me and Mr. Johnson, in stores today, he offers respectful but unilluminating covers of 14 Johnson songs. Whatever magic was captured in the 29 songs total Johnson recorded in 1937 and 1938 for Columbia Records' Don Law (father of the Boston concert promoter) is utterly lacking on ``Me and Mr. Johnson.''
Clapton's method is to flesh out Johnson's voice-and-acoustic guitar originals with full band versions. Fair enough. But the arrangements demonstrate taste and professionalism rather than unbridled passion. Slowhand's guitar-playing stays polite. He even shares the instrumental solo spotlight with Waltham harmonica ace Jerry Portnoy, keyboardist Billy Preston and another guitarist, Doyle Bramhall II. It's a far tamer approach then when he tore into Johnson's ``Cross Road Blues'' - tellingly, not covered here - during his wild improvisational flights with Cream nearly 40 years ago.
By coincidence, ``Me and Mr. Johnson'' arrives on the heels of Cambridge author Elijah Wald's ``Escaping the Delta,'' a book that attempts to separate Johnson's life from his myth. Wald repositions Johnson as a pop musician of his day, not a primitive genius.
Too bad Clapton didn't read Wald before recording ``Me and Mr. Johnson.'' He might have decided to treat Johnson's music with less reverence and more imagination.
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| polksalad69 |
Purists will hate the Clapton and Aerosmith cds. Clapton has no feeling left in him, he's a technician IMHO. |
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| MrPleasant |
Keith: "There are certain guys that are band players and there's certain guys that ain't. If there's anybody lazier than me, it's Eric. He's got it all, but Eric's like Mick Taylor in a way. He needs to hire guys to play with him to kick him up the a**e."
I wouldn't confuse lethargicness with lack of feeling. And Eric's had a tough life (Warner Bros. paired him twice with Phil Collins!). |
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| Bloozehound |
quote:
polksalad69 wrote:
Purists will hate the Clapton and Aerosmith cds. Clapton has no feeling left in him, he's a technician IMHO.
I agree with that. Clapton's been missing something in a bad way since the 90's and his Johnson cd is just him doing the songs note for note. Maybe that is purist, but it's also ZZZzzz. Technician, exactly!
Aerosmith's "Honkin' on Bobo" isn't that bad, but it doesn't captivate me either. I guess it's a good change of pace considering it's Aerosmith. A few interesting songs, but it's not that innovative. Nothing the Yardbirds, Animals, Them, or Stones didn't already do in the 60's.
If anyone else did this album I'd probably love it. It's just something about Aerosmith, there's a certain element of "cheeze-dickiness" that infests anything they've done in the last 25 years, and it's present on this album too.
  
[Edited by Bloozehound] |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
quote:
polksalad69 wrote:
Purists will hate the Clapton and Aerosmith cds. Clapton has no feeling left in him, he's a technician IMHO.
Well that all depends what a "purist" is. I kind of always put SRV and Clapton in the same boat. Miss a note once in awhile. I don't like it THAT clinical. Johnny Winter always was kind of sloppy as is Keith. You gotta throw a little ryhthum in once in awhile. That's what makes one dance. That's soul. Off the cuff. But at least these hacks are trying to produce something. Keith on the other hand seems to be content doing nothing of any substance...the next ten years will tell. |
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| polksalad69 |
quote:
Ten Thousand Motels wrote:
Well that all depends what a "purist" is. I kind of always put SRV and Clapton in the same boat. Miss a note once in awhile. I don't like it THAT clinical. Johnny Winter always was kind of sloppy as is Keith. You gotta throw a little ryhthum in once in awhile. That's what makes one dance. That's soul. Off the cuff. But at least these hacks are trying to produce something. Keith on the other hand seems to be content doing nothing of any substance...the next ten years will tell.
Rhythm rules. |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
quote:
polksalad69 wrote:
Rhythm rules.
It rhymes too. Sometimes. LOL. Polksalad, for a kid, you've got quite an insight into the inner workings of things. At least in my opinion, which ain't much but it aint dead. At least not yet.
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| polksalad69 |
quote:
Ten Thousand Motels wrote:
It rhymes too. Sometimes. LOL. Polksalad, for a kid, you've got quite an insight into the inner workings of things. At least in my opinion, which ain't much but it aint dead. At least not yet.
Haha, thanks, blame it on da blues. |
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| Bloozehound |
Ten Thousand Motels wrote
>Well that all depends what a "purist" is. I kind of always put SRV and Clapton in the same boat. Miss a note once in awhile. I don't like it THAT clinical.<
Most of these artists are purists in their own way, they play the blues, or at least their white bread version. Some adhere strickly to the rules, others bend'em a bit, but it's all good.
Clapton, Winter, Richards, Green, Taylor, Beck, Wood, Srv, Page, Thorogood, ZZ Top ect... all have their own take on it, their own sound, style, nuance and are responsible for taking blues to the next level & wider acclaim. All have made some excellent music in their time. What they're doing today is a different story.
Clinical is Clapton. He's a super purist, always has been. Except around his "crossroad" days. He really made that song into something that it wasn't. Lately he's gone downhill (IMO), no surprises or excitement - studio wise.
Out of 5 studio albums since '94 this is his 3th album of straight blues covers. Kinda makes you go hmmm ? I still like him, just don't care for his recent output.
Live I dunno, I've never seen him live, but in the 60 - 70's he sounded awesome.
Stevie was fresh and exciting - studio wise. Live - he rocked the house down to it's foundation. He had an innovative, and semi-original take on traditional blues sounds and ideas, but was still very much a purist. It's a totally tragedy about him. I'd really liked to know what he was capable of today. He had a lot of promise.
Keith has probably made more monay then all of these cats combined, and I think we all know the story here. Why no output? (IMO) I think his reputation and the Stone's is too much at stake. Besides since everything's so hunky dory with the Stones why worry about his solo output and fanship.
It would be nice if he'd throw us a bone and release something. I kinda get the impression he's ScAreD.
   
[Edited by Bloozehound] |
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| polksalad69 |
Just meant purist fans. You know the drill, only real blues can be played by black guys. It's old news. I wouldn't mind hearing it but I won't buy it.
SRV had great technique and the best tone. It's amazing you can hear his influences in his playing yet it was all his own. Buddy, Hubert, Albert, Freddie, and on and on, oh can't forget his brother. |
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| Factory Girl |
Motels, I don't like Clapton. I think his skills are marginal, and I think he lacks musical integrity (like Elton, and Sting), and much of his recent output has been pop drivel. |
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| F505 |
EC has lost his touch many, many years ago....
I listened to his poor covers of Stop Breaking Down and Love in Vain and I realised once again how great the Stones covers are. |
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| Joey |
" EC has lost his touch many, many years ago....
I listened to his poor covers of Stop Breaking Down and Love in Vain "
The Tragic Death of his Son about thirteen years ago did not help matters much ............................
J. Kins !
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| Bloozehound |
quote:
Factory Girl wrote:
Motels, I don't like Clapton. I think his skills are marginal, and I think he lacks musical integrity (like Elton, and Sting), and much of his recent output has been pop drivel.
I think we all agree about his recent output, but have you ever heard Derek & the Dominos ? (Scorching!) Or his work with the Yardbirds, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, the Dirty Mac(Dirty!) At one point he almost was a Stone. What a resume! Then some great solo albums in the 70's and a few in the 80's.
He's had slumps, but he definately has integrity, talent and was at the top of his game at different points of his career. I think he's just in one of his slumps nowdays.
I'm sure his son's death shook him up a bit, but it did spark one of his best songs (Tears in Heaven) and his best selling album ever (Unplugged) followed a year later. I think it was one of the best "unplugged" albums made in the 90's, no doubt.
  
[Edited by Bloozehound] |
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| polksalad69 |
It was the drugs that did him in long ago. Who knows??? |
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| Bloozehound |
quote:
polksalad69 wrote:
It was the drugs that did him in long ago. Who knows???
or maybe the lack of
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| Riff-Hard-Fan |
I can't help it....EC is just plain boring to me. Anyone else agree or am I alone on this one? I know hes a good guitar player but B-O-R-I-N-G... Peace dudes! |
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| Factory Girl |
Blooze, I have heard Derek & the dominoes. I don't like Clapton, I never have. He is lackluster, at best. His technique is dull, and he has no feeling for the blues. I despise "Tears In Heaven" -it is pop drivel.
I like Jimmy Page & Johnny Winter. Winter, in particular, has a true scorching passion for the blues. For those of you not familiar with Johhny Winter, please check his music out. |
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| Joey |
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| T&A |
What the hell are you folks smokin'?!!!
The new EC is arguably his BEST album since 461 Ocean Blvd. It is the work of a confident bluesman in full command of his powers with a KILLER band - Portnoy, Preston, Gadd/Kelter. I am a huge blues fan - have probably 500 blues albums and I'll rank this one in the top 5% of them. Not a lot of soloing - which is not the point - Johnson himself only played one solo on his 36 recorded songs.
I'll just say that if you don't like this album, you just don't like (or get) the blues. There's nothing here not to LOVE. Geeeeeeeeez!! |
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| Martha |
quote:
T&A wrote:
What the hell are you folks smokin'?!!!
The new EC is arguably his BEST album since 461 Ocean Blvd. It is the work of a confident bluesman in full command of his powers with a KILLER band - Portnoy, Preston, Gadd/Kelter. I am a huge blues fan - have probably 500 blues albums and I'll rank this one in the top 5% of them. Not a lot of soloing - which is not the point - Johnson himself only played one solo on his 36 recorded songs.
I'll just say that if you don't like this album, you just don't like (or get) the blues. There's nothing here not to LOVE. Geeeeeeeeez!!
I'm in total agreeement with you T&A. I listened to "Me and Mr. Johnson" on our bookcase S38 JBL's last night and LOVED ALL of it. Delicious, lovely, melts in my ears....pays a respectful homage to Robert and to the era. I can't graps how anyone can diss Clapton, but that's me.
Aerosmith's Honkin' on Bobo is the balls....You gotta move...by gawd they better PLAY that one on the 16th!
Now let's ROCK people!!!!!!!
I got the blues.......hehehehe....... |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
quote:
Factory Girl wrote:
Winter, in particular, has a true scorching passion for the blues.
Yeah!!!! But the "board of directors" don't feel his contribution is sufficient enough to get him into the R&R Hall of Fame???? He is not worthy..???!!! 
[Edited by Ten Thousand Motels] |
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| T&A |
I just don't understand how JW is not in the HOF. That's ridiculous. He shoulda been a first-ballot unanimous inductee on day one. |
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| F505 |
EC's new album is soft porno it has NOTHING to do with blues...  |
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