Hi

Just throwing something out there.......

I play guitar and was getting bored, needed something different so started listening to lots of EC.
I appreciated him before but was never into all that blues stuff.
Well, now im hooked, and i appreciate a lot more just how good he is.

I know this isnt current in the slightest, but it really is worth dusting down some of the classics to realise just why these people and groups are held in such high regard.

Theres nobody out there at the moment with the sheer presence and talent that the likes of Clapton and lots of those 70's/80's bands had....... maybe muse, possibly elbow... but they dont have the world conquering status of some of those older bands.

But i guess im not going to find a lot of Clapton and blues fans here.

There are lots of blues fans around and I am one of them I am happy to say. Sadly though Clapton has always bored the arse off me. Incredibly talented man but I just do not like his music. Just not my thing.

How about checking out some other guitarists:

Peter Green
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxux5LdmjQU

Rory Gallagher (playing here with Jack Bruce)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mqZqhTl4A8

Freddie King
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdyvPg0c6bI

Alvin Lee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU-98IOzcvw

Johnny Winter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbj7b...eature=related

Paul Kossoff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odLL_...eature=related

You've got great taste IMO
I'm a fan of him as a musician and the world is def. lacking great guitar heroes now.

Eric along with Gary Moore and the late Jimi Hendrix. They've all got magic fingers.

I've always though Clapton peaked with the John Mayall band in the 60s.........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUUEtCBhn_Q

Downhill since then...........

Sacrilege!!!

Eric Clapton - Unplugged is a fantastic album.

Also check out:

Aynsley Lister

Gary Moore

Jeff Healey

Joanne Shaw Taylor

Joe Bonamassa

Oli Brown

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Peter Green, Pete Townshend, George Harrison, Jimmy Page and Keith Richards are my favourite guitarists, i've never seen the appeal in Jimi Hendrix though

If I was told I could only listen to the music of one rock guitarist for the rest of my life I would pick Clapton over Hendrix purely because of the much larger body of work. Otherwise it would be an impossible choice.

There are some modern players who are technical wizzes but they seem to have forgotten the musicality.

I'm with you on that one - though I do love his playing on 'Fresh Cream' as well.

I could be wrong - but I don't think anyone had played a guitar quite like he did on the 'Beano' album. He sort of invented that heavier blues rock sound.

In the late mid- late 60's he was an innovator, even laid the foundations for Hendrix who was a huge Clapton fan, But I have to agree with one of the earlier posters, he bores me rigid.

I once fell asleep at a Clapton Albert Hall gig some years ago, the first time I had ever done that in my life. I think it was either during some over blown 20 minute standard blues work-out or either Wonderful Tonight or Tears In Heaven...so dull.

For me though more progressive and creative guitar players came along in his wake; Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi etc Guitarists that played around with the standard blues format, but adding more melody and with restraint IE worked solos within the structure of a song rather than an excuse to bore us with long drawn out blues scale widdling.

The best guitarist ever is of course David Gilmour of Pink Floyd (and voted number one in Guitarist magazine and various online polls too).

Gilmour doesnt need to play fast noodling, he seems to be able to play with the most amazing feeling and emotion.

Clapton is different from Gilmour of course, but still has the touch, though EC can also play some pretty clever technical things too.

Blues music is generally regarded as "guitar wankery", and guitarists are guilty of thinking that they can play pentatonic scales as fast as they can over the standard I,IV,V progression and thats them playing the blues.
In truth its a very structured form of music, careful blending of major and minor sclaes over the dominant 7th's and following the progression. To do it properly takes a lot of ability and practice and listening.
Once you know what to listen to you can spot the guys that actually know what they are doing as opposed to the "see how fast i can play" brigade.

Which is why Clapton, BB, Peter Green, SRV, Albert King, Rory Gallacher, Walter Trout and hell, even John Mayer are good blues players, and why so much rubbish you hear down the local jam sessions are not

Oops, I forgot about David Gilmour, he's one of my favourites too, simple but effective.