slowhand Digest Volume 01 : Issue 285
Today's Topics:
RE: The Slow Digest
Eric then and now
shallow hal movie item
Weeping Guitar (fwd)
Re: The Slow Digest
RE: DeltaNick's questions about EC (fwd)
Re: Which Beatles Song ...
Fw: Which Beatles Song ...
Re: The Slow Digest
The Day After SRV
EC is still great... (fwd)
re: CFMWH ( fwd )
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--=_--SlowhandDigest--
From: "Robert W. Rost"
Subject: RE: The Slow Digest
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Greetings,
I must agree with DeltaNick that the digest has been very slow lately.
DN posed some rather interesting questions. Since questions take less
"space" than answers, I thought I'd pick the first few and answer them.
Maybe I'll answer the rest later.
First, to give some perspective, I am not a musician (although I have
been taking guitar lessons) and therefore I find it hard to criticize
someone when I'm not in their field. My answers are opinions and, like
any opinion, you are free to agree or disagree.
>Do any of you think that EC has become predictable and boring? Do you
think
>he's just coasting ... and stopped heavy lifting some time back? When?
Has EC become predictable? I concert, yes. On his recorded work, no.
I'd really like to see EC put more of his recent work in his concerts.
I attended the June 1 show in Columbus. If Cocaine, Wonderful Tonight,
Layla and Sunshine Of Your Love were not played, I would not have missed
them. I would love to have heard I Want A Little Girl followed by Come
Back Baby following by Losing Hand. I'm glad we got Don't Let Me Be
Lonely and Travilin' Light. I Ain't Gonna Stand For It could have
replace Hoochie Coochie Man or Goin' Down Slow. An acoustic Wonderful
Tonight in place of Tears In Heaven would be interesting. However, I
would not want to see him resurrect Cream or Derek and the Dominos. I
went to the concert to see the EC of 2001, not the EC of the 60's and
70's.
As for coasting, I left the concert very satisfied that I saw a show
from a man who cares very much about his music. I don't go to concerts
to see someone jump about. I don't think that intensity, passion or
emotion needs to be displayed by a lot of movement. It's enough for me
to see someone stand in one spot and play. I think that by watching him
play, his facial expressions and other body language, you can get an
idea of how much energy and focus he is putting into the music.
Also, it's not quite 2002 and EC has given us two albums and a major
world tour. You may not like the albums or the shows but I don't think
that's coasting. When you read the interviews about how Reptile was
made, the initial lack of focus, the time off, and then the death of his
Uncle becoming the focus for the record, I don't think that's coasting.
EC could very well have just put out a record to satisfy a contact with
a record company. But I think his professionalism would not allow him
to put out something he was not proud of (even if some don't
particularly like the music.
I'm fairly certain DN meant coasting, musically. Again, the fact the
most of Reptile is so different, musically, than what some fans might
want is an indication that EC is not coasting, he is taking his music in
different directions. If he made another record of old Blues tunes,
that would be coasting, safer and would have pleased more long time
fans. We as fans are free to come along and enjoy the different music
or say "No thanks", maybe next time. I, for one, am enjoying the ride.
Side note: I mentioned that I am taking guitar lessons. I told my
instructor that I wanted to learn to play the blues. To his credit, he
has taken me down other musical paths, jazz, rock, and even bosa nova.
I'm glad he's forced me to expand my musical horizons.
>Do you think he cares?
I think sometimes he cares too much. I think part of the "problem" is
that EC's career has spanned some 40 years. How do you put a show
together with that much material and when you have some fans who want
Cream, some who want "guitar god" (every song is 15 minutes with a 14
minute guitar solo), and other who might want Tears in Heaven and Change
the World? I think the Blues tours of the 90's worked so well because
EC didn't need to worry about his library of music. He selected songs
that meant something to him and told everyone not to come if they wanted
something different.
Also, I think his musical path has varied much more than some fans. I
think that fans sometimes focus too much on one form of music and think
that everything outside of that form is "bad". I think that as a
musician, EC needs to constantly explore other forms of music.
Otherwise, I think he would have been "retired" a long time ago.
These are some of my thoughts on the first two questions. If I have
time, I'll give some more thoughts tomorrow.
Bob Rost
Clapton page: http://milkyway.mie.uc.edu/~bob/clapton.html
Mail to bob.rost@uc.edu
--=_--SlowhandDigest--
From: "Apurva Parikh"
Cc: deltanick@home.com
Subject: Eric then and now
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Re: Deltanick's post.
I think that I can safely say that I do not listen to Reptile for the entire
album, but for its moments. These moments: Come Back Baby, Ain't Gonna Stand
For it, and Don't Let Me Be Lonely tonight.
I find myself listening more to the songs not released on reptile (losing
hand, johnny guitar) and also listening to his live shows from this tour, I
know he still has the fire to play guitar and solos, but in studio this
doesn't seem to take centerstage.
Re: Riding with the King. His playing, on this album was up to my
expectations, sounded "slick" but he's playing the blues, and it sounds so
good
So while I don't think of Eric as a guitar hero today, I think of him as a
complete artist. Where as in the Beano/Cream days he was a guitar god first
and foremost, I think he's a more complete artist.
However, while people will say he's a better guitarist now than before, i
would debate that seriously. While he can play more variety right now, his
"chops" probably never were better than they were in the Beano/Cream days. I
have grown to appreciate the Beano album even more lately.
Any opinions? on Eric's guitar playing then and now?
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--=_--SlowhandDigest--
From: "Sam Mangano"
Subject: shallow hal movie item
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hi all:
cant recommend the movie, but there was one item of note. a gorgeous girl
with the "flaw" of having her second toe 1/2 inch longer than her big toe
asks hal's friend mauricio (also a shallow guy) to a VIP only reunion
concert of the beatles, with eric clapton filling in for john lennon.
mauricio, ever the one to find excuses not to be with this lovely, begs out
of the offer, giving his reason as "i'm not a big clapton fan".
hope everyone had a nice thanxgiving!
cya,
sambo#8
--=_--SlowhandDigest--
From: David Hillman
Subject: Weeping Guitar (fwd)
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Wrong address.
--
D a v i d H i l l m a n
hillman@planet-torque.com
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 08:10:28 -0500
From: Bill Robinson
Subject: Weeping Guitar
Hey Gang,
I couldn't agree more with Delta Nick's suggestion of "While My Guitar
Gently Weeps" for the Beatle's song he'd most like EC to play. What
passion, sadness, reality, poignancy and truth that song contains! The
first EC solo in Abbey Road that day was brilliant enough, but the
second ... Wow! Soaring!!
A few years ago, I was introduced to a guy over here in England who is a
longtime Abbey Road engineer. I had so many questions for him, but the
absolute first was about the recording of the White Album and the EC
solo on WMGGW. He said that it was "one of the most electrifying
moments" he'd witnessed in all his years of recording the Beatles. He
described EC's guitar work as "emotion-filled and blistering."
Oh, to have been there!
Keep On Rockin'
Bill
--=_--SlowhandDigest--
From: "Mark Deavult"
Subject: Re: The Slow Digest
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----- Original Message -----
From: "DeltaNick"
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2001 11:18 AM
Subject: The Slow Digest
> Folks, issue #282 was the briefest I've ever seen. Must be a slow news
> month, because the Slowhand Digest is getting smaller and shorter.
Probably because, there are only about 12 of us left who can both receive
AND post to the SD!
In an attempt to provide some sort of workaround, I will begin posting the
SD issues to my website at:
http://www.sysabend.org/users/geetarz/
Simply follow the "Slowhand Digest" link on the menu. It may move around a
bit as I haven't decided where exactly to put the thing, so make sure you
simply bookmark the main page. Dave Hillman's now provided an online
submission form for those who are having trouble posting, so this should
give everyone the ability to read and post to the Digest.
There are a lot of people out there forwarding Digests to friends, hopefully
this will cut down on the workload
Cheers,
Mark Deavult
PS I have not included a search engine in the archive, simply because I have
no bloody idea how to go about it - if anyone less HTML-challenged than I am
could point me in the right direction ....
--=_--SlowhandDigest--
From: David Hillman
Subject: RE: DeltaNick's questions about EC (fwd)
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Sent to request address.
--
D a v i d H i l l m a n
hillman@planet-torque.com
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 17:58:21 -0500
From: Richard Batty
To: slowhand-request@planet-torque.com
Subject: RE: DeltaNick's questions about EC
Dear DeltaNick,
Thanks for your thought provoking questions about EC. Let me preface my
remarks by saying I have been a fan since 1966 when a school chum brought
the Beano album and a tape of it to recess in high school. The sound of the
guitar on "All Your Love' immediately captivated me. I immediately starting
buying any records I could get that had EC on them. I bought Layla unheard
just because EC was listed as performer and songwriter on the back cover.
I must admit I was disappointed by 461 Ocean Boulevard and even more by
There's One In Every Crowd. I missed the guitar from the
Mayall-Cream-Dominos periods. However, I saw EC live in the 70s and that
brings up my first point.
(1) As I think you imply, EC live and in the studio are two different
animals. The songs in the studio often lack the great solos that the live
performances yield. I never listen to the Slowhand version of "Cocaine" but
the RAH 24 Jan 1990 is one of my favorite all-time EC performance since I
love the guitar solo. Why the difference? I don't know. Is it the lack of
spontaneity in the studio? Is it the ability to go back and do numerous
takes? Is it something self-conscious that is not present in concert? I
think the one exception is From the Cradle which I understand was recorded
as a live album in the studio.
(2) Like all of us, Eric's life and priorities have changed. It's
impossible to be 20 years old again with all that goes with that age. Eric
deliberately moved from what he was doing with Cream and wanted to join the
Band. I probably like to listen to the Goodbye Cream version of "I'm So
Glad" a lot more than Eric does these days! However, I find the feelings
conveyed in songs such as the ones inspired by Conor's tragic death (Tears
in Heaven, Circus) and songs such as Broken Hearted from Pilgrim as moving
as the unrequited love feelings in the original Layla. Reptile for me makes
me think a lot of where I grew up in Surrey about 10 miles from Eric's
birthplace in Ripley. I cannot tell you why other than that I think this is
one of the mysteries of how music affects us. But I suspect I couldn't have
listened to music this quiet in 1969!
(3) I think like anyone who has been raised to the level of worship that EC
has, there is an inevitable "fall" when the hero no longer follows our
expectations. Yes, I still like to listen to live Cream and Beano but I now
like Pilgrim and Reptile a lot and listen to them when I am in a particular
mood. I've played these two albums over and over and really like them. I
wish more songs from both of them had been featured in the last two tours.
As much of a fan as I am, I would like to hear something other than
Sunshine, Wonderful, Cocaine, even electric Layla. I would have much
preferred Superman Inside as a closer for the RAH shows I attended this year
or heard Riding with the King in the set. Or Come Back Baby / Losing Hand
rather than Have You Ever Loved a Woman. Eric doesn't want to be thought of
solely as a guitar God anymore. He wants to be thought of as a singer and
songwriter too and I think we tend to judge him based on guitar only due to
his past.
(4) I find it unfortunate that many casual EC fans hear only the new studio
songs and don't hear the incredible live performances that he has been
giving for years. I think Eric's music has greatly improved since the
alcohol-fueled years. It seems to me that he felt he had something to prove
and it came out in the Royal Albert Hall years from 1987 to 1996. I think
he reached a type of peak in 1990-1991, perhaps no coincidence that he built
up to playing 24 nights. The shows from these years are among my personal
favorites. As I think Nathan East has said, there was something special
about the band with Eric, Nathan, Greg and Phil Collins or Steve Ferrone. I
don't believe Eric needed a second guitarist to push him. Nathan and Greg
did that. My guess, perhaps completely wrong, is that Eric felt he had
really proved he could come back from the "lost" years. It's my impression
that he has looked for other challenges since then - the all-blues From the
Cradle, Unplugged, the Curtis Mayfield influence.
In summary, I think we need to give Eric some slack. It's not fair to
compare each new release to Layla. I'm just grateful that he has survived
to give us the still great live shows, some great film soundtrack work, some
quieter music and the occasional great guest appearances. Music taste is so
individual and while I realize many old-time fans do not like Reptile, I'm
not at all disappointed with it. Sometimes I love to listen to Spoonful by
Cream, All Your Love from Beano, Old Love from 1990, Five Long Years from
1994 but other times I just want to hear I Believe in Life, Second Nature,
Modern Girl, Traveling Light and Broken Down. I believe that the mystery of
how music touches us can be subtle as well as "in your face" and it doesn't
have to be fueled by guitar pyrotechnics. On my way out the door to get the
Hyde Park 1996 DVD to replace my VHS version (just an amazing concert!)...
Sincerely,
Rick
--=_--SlowhandDigest--
From: "Tony Boulton"
Subject: Re: Which Beatles Song ...
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Delta Nick suggests "While my guitar gently weeps" which could be a fitting
tribute at some point, to the now seriously ill George Harrison. I would
like to here "With a little help from my friends". I really like Joe
Cocker's version and I think Eric could belt it out pretty well too.
Tony
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--=_--SlowhandDigest--
From: "Jeff and Mary Berk"
Subject: Fw: Which Beatles Song ...
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Subject: Re: Which Beatles Song ...
How about Imagine.
Mary
--=_--SlowhandDigest--
From: "Mark Deavult"
Subject: Re: The Slow Digest
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----- Original Message -----
From: "DeltaNick"
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2001 12:14 PM
Subject: The Slow Digest
>
> Do any of you think that EC has become predictable and boring? Do you
think
> he's just coasting ... and stopped heavy lifting some time back? When?
Interesting. I posted this SD on my site, and today one of the frequent
visitors to the site read it - we began a discussion, and his reply to me
was interesting enough that I asked him for permission to share it with the
rest of you. These aren't my words, but I gotta say, I'm 110% in agreeement
...
-------
I'm alternately frustrated and dismayed by this kind of chat as well. I've
noticed that some folks take a this brief and
VERY early snapshot of the career of one performer (in the case of Clapton -
Cream, Mayall, BF, whatever) and benchmark everything else by him on this.
Like any artist, Clapton has had his ups and downs. And he's gone in
various directions, some good, some great, some so-so...it happens.
But what people like those we are discussing have is an inability to take at
face value a particular piece of work and find some pleasure in it. For
example, "461...". Is it a hot guitar album? No...so what? It's got a
real nice groove to it, the band is loose and funky, you put it on and it's
cool. I dig it. And those mid-70s live sets - kinda the same thing, except
that Clapton DOES get off some fine playing. But some folks will say,
however, "yes, but that damn Stratocaster..." SO WHAT??? It's cool stuff!
There's an old saying - two kinds of people in this world, those who see the
glass half-empty, those that see it half-full. Me I prefer to see it
half-full."Yeah, but..." - this is the M.O. of those you're talking about.
You see the "Yeah, but..." people everywhere. They can always find
something lousy in something cool. Like George Carlin said, "behind every
silver lining is a dark cloud." Run thru ICE's "CD Watchdog" column. Look
at people ranting that some new re-issue is a complete failure because they
forgot to include this critical 15 second snippet from a live concert back
in '69. HUH??? What about the other 92 minutes of the set?
Or all those jerk-offs on Amazon. Griping that the new Godfather box set is
a complete failure because of some minor ommission from some obscure
althernate cut. OK fine, so now you petulantly can't enjoy a set of classic
films on DVD because of this one minor slight that only you care about to
notice? A friend of mine has a theory about that - that they're these
pathetic office-bound workers that slave all day, then sit at their
computers after mom goes to bed and rant self-righteously about some
horrible ill that an artist or director committed. Screw you...that's why
you're an accountant and not Eric Clapton.
I have nothing concrete to back this up, but so many of these "Yeah, but..."
types are administrative, acedemic, engineering types. They apply straight
linear thinking to artistic things - and that's both impossible not to
mention missing the point. C=A+B. Uh, uh...there are a million variables
to creative stuff, but the most basic is visceral. You dig it or you
don't...regardless of who did it, when they did it, why they did it.
To tune-out Clapton - or anyone's - work because of linear rules set up in
your midset is so sad. Music is a wonderful thing. To be able to squeeze
out work under any circumstances is magic, a gift, a blessing. You win
some, you lose some, and some get rained out. Love the good moments for
what they are, celebrate the great moments - as well as learn to discover
great moments that go outside the box.
------
Amen, bro....
Mark
--=_--SlowhandDigest--
From: "Mark Deavult"
Subject: The Day After SRV
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Somehow, my front cover scan for "The Day After SRV" has become corrupted -
if anyone downloaded this a while back and saved it, I'd appreciate it if
you could send it my way - please let me know in advance, as it's 1.2 megs
Thanks!
Mark Deavult
--=_--SlowhandDigest--
From: David Hillman
Subject: EC is still great... (fwd)
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Forwarded.
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D a v i d H i l l m a n
hillman@planet-torque.com
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 13:02:27 -0500
From: ollio
Subject: EC is still great...
Hi all,
Here's my humble opinion about Clapton's current artist-postion:
DeltaNick, yes, I think Clapton has made lots of great music even after March 1968 and Cream's Crossroads.
Yes, I feel he's grown very much as a musician, a singer, a bandleader and a songwriter since Disraeli Gears.
Yes, I've seen him play much better during this 2001-tour than during Blind Faith's tour in 1969. I dare to feel, that this tour is on same level with the sacred Nothing But the Blues -tour.
And yes, I like to listen to Reptile much more than for instance Wheels of Fire.
But then I'm only a stupid Finn, who has followed EC's career since buying Strance Brew in 1967. If Clapton hadn't done all these strange career-moves I would've lost interest decades ago. I know, that it doesn't matter if he plays Fender or Gibson. It's the extraordinary musical-talent, that makes Clapton stand out from most of his contemporaries and I'd like to thank him for many moving concerts during these years.
Cheers
Olli
--=_--SlowhandDigest--
From: David Hillman
Subject: re: CFMWH ( fwd )
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Forwarded.
--
D a v i d H i l l m a n
hillman@planet-torque.com
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 13:22:38 -0500
From: Jane Armstrong
To: slowhand-request@planet-torque.com
Subject: Re: slowhand Digest V01 #264
Eric has indeed performed Can't Find My Way Home. In the early 90's he
played it at the Royal Albert Hall - with Nathan East on vocals.
Jane
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End of slowhand Digest V01 Issue #285
--=_--SlowhandDigest--
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