# Ladies and Gentlemen, Eric Clapton! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 30, 2005, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974 "2005-03-30T17:40:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/1 "2005-03-30T17:40:10Z")
The Guitar God turns 60 today! :eek: What’s your favorite song of his? Favorite album? Favorite band/era/style? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/2 "2005-03-30T18:16:40Z")
I’ve always been partial to _Layla_. One of my all time favorite albums is the masterpiece he recorded with B.B. King, _Riding With the King_. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/3 "2005-03-30T19:23:25Z")
If I could only have one track of his, it’d probably be the 8-minute “Double Trouble” off the live album _Just One Night_. Or maybe “Lay Down Sally” from the same concert. Both absolutely terrific (as is the whole double CD). ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/4 "2005-03-30T20:20:42Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > I’ve always been partial to _Layla_. One of my all time favorite albums is the masterpiece he recorded with B.B. King, _Riding With the King_. _Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs_ is one of the best composed albums ever made. The way each track complements the next; the penultimate track (_Layla_) with it’s Duane Altman-dominated extended coda, followed by the mournful _Thorn Tree in the Garden_…perfect. I’m not so fond of _Riding with the King_, though; King isn’t exactly in his prime, and even so, his voice highlights how weak Clapton’s vocals are in comparison. Good, but not great. I’m highly partial to Blind Faith too (especially _Had To Cry Today_ and _Can’t Find My Way Home_) but on the whole I think his Cream period was more influential on rock music as a whole. Neither are _just_ Clapton’s influence, though. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/5 "2005-03-30T20:21:08Z")
If I could only have one track, it would be “Crossroads” from _Wheels of Fire_ by Cream. If I could only have one album, it would be _Layla_. But my favorite Clapton era is his time with the Yardbirds and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. I’ve seen Clapton perform many times, but my favorite performance was back in 1981. Atlanta promoter Alex Cooley brought EC to town for a show at either the Fox or the Omni. At the same time, he operated a nightclub in Buckhead. The featured performer at Cooley’s club that evening was Asleep at the Wheel. When Asleep at the Wheel came on for their third set, who should join them but Clapton! He was incredible. He didn’t overpower the band at all - it was still Asleep at the Wheel - they just had added a very good guitar player. Happy birthday, Slowhand! ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/6 "2005-03-30T21:33:32Z")
I love Layla also, but I _love_ the unplugged version. And the Unplugged album is my fave, with a major nod to Blind Faith. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/7 "2005-03-30T21:36:42Z")
Favorite Clapton work would probably have to be _Badge_ with _Unplugged_ as the album. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Unkempt\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b782af/32.png) [@The\_Unkempt\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Unkempt_One)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/8 "2005-03-30T22:22:05Z")
_Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs_ is my favorite album, by quite a large margin. The live version of “Crossroads” by Cream is my favorite song. The second solo still gives me goosebumps. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/9 "2005-03-30T22:50:52Z")
_Blind Faith_ has always been underrated, so it’s good to see it mentioned. In addition to what’s already been mentioned, some of my favorites are “Badge,” “Little Wing,” and “Forever Man.” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/10 "2005-03-30T23:32:03Z")
_Layla_. The album and the song. The album is on my short list for greatest albums ever. ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/11 "2005-03-31T04:26:26Z")
I love _Old Love_ from the _Unplugged_ album, among many others of course. At gunpoint, I’d probably take _Layla_ over _Unplugged_ as my favorite total album. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/12 "2005-03-31T04:34:09Z")
I’m partial to his work with Cream, and thought I heard something on the radio this afternoon about a reunion with Jack Bruce & Ginger Baker. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/13 "2005-03-31T04:39:09Z")
I find it almost impossible to pick just one song, album, style, although I’m partial to his blues side. Then again, the Cream version of _Crossroads_ still rocks me, no matter how many times I’ve heard it. I’d probably pick _Unplugged_ if forced to choose just one album. Hard to select one best track from that, but if I had to it would be _Rollin’ & Tumblin’_, the last track on the album. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/14 "2005-03-31T09:22:08Z")
I just have to note that I’m really surprised at the number of people who hold _Unplugged_ as being his best work. It was definitive, in that everybody wanted to follow the trend of putting out acoustic versions of old songs, and Clapton demonstrated that he could still function outside of a studio setting, but I’m pretty blah on it myself. I’m rather fond of his _Blues_ compilation that was released about six years ago, though. I think his last genuinely good work was _Journeyman_, and that might possibly have to do with the fact that if followed the most dismal and uncreative period of his career, i.e. those terrible Phil Collins [over]produced albums of which we won’t name. If he’d stopped in 1971, the world would not be much poorer. But before then? He’s quite justifiably an icon. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/15 "2005-03-31T09:52:09Z")
There are very few albums that I prefer to _Layla And…_ I’m a big Cream fan as well, but let’s not overlook some of the Delaney and Bonnie and Friends stuff. Oh, and Badge is one of my favorite songs by anybody. ---
**Author:** ![Othersider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@Othersider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Othersider)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/16 "2005-03-31T10:49:28Z")
> [@The Unkempt One](#): > > The live version of “Crossroads” by Cream is my favorite song. The second solo still gives me goosebumps. Was there a studio version? I only recall the one. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/17 "2005-03-31T12:18:14Z")
> [@Othersider](#): > > Was there a studio version? I only recall the one. It’s recorded at the BBC and is on The BBC Sessions. It wasn’t released until 2003. It was actually recorded by the BBC two years before the version that became a hit. The album isn’t very well known but is pretty good - recorded live in the studio but without the self indulgence of some of the generally revered real live albums. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/18 "2005-03-31T14:15:47Z")
If we’re enumerating his best work, don’t forget the solo on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, too. For the record, I vote for Layla as the best album and quite frankly can’t understand why the Cream version of “Crossroads” is considered even good, let alone his peak. I mean if generic noodling with no emotional center is good, then wouldn’t Yngwie Malmsteen or someone be even better? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-and-gentlemen-eric-clapton/296974/19 "2005-03-31T14:19:49Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > For the record, I vote for Layla as the best album and quite frankly can’t understand why the Cream version of “Crossroads” is considered even good, let alone his peak. > I mean if generic noodling with no emotional center is good, then wouldn’t Yngwie Malmsteen or someone be even better? Unlike anything I’ve heard by Yngwie or most similar guitarists, at least the playing on Crossroads excites me. Although I heard on these boards that Clapton says he can’t listen to it because he’s not on the beat.