first of all i know clapton is way way way way more famous than taylor, but who do think is the better guitar player, i think its a toss up as far as skill, what do you guys think

Eric Clapton wins on all points. His sound is obvious. His technique.. so much feeling.. so much SOUL!! Slowhand's got the blues and it's in his fingers man!! I mean: he can play something like Classical Gas on a nylon string. Play Robert Johnson which is incredibly hard. He can play very fast, and very slow. Acoustic and electric. Slide or no slide. And at the same time he's an extremely good singer too.

Mick Taylor has skills.. his techinque is good.. his famous vibrato ofcourse.. it's all very good.. but it's not versatile. In no way can he compare to Slowhand.

Eric Clapton isn't an extremely good singer, in my humble opinion.
He's allright, kind of like Mark Knopfler.
And he did some great stuff way back when, but he's kind of disappointing with the same blues-repackages over-and-over again, without any new "spirit".
I know...you'll disagree (Reptile), but he seems that way to me. Actually Taylor is a bit disappointing too, he need a faboulas frontman/rockgroup to show his strenght within. He's no song-writer or frontman.

Talking about the prime-age of both artists, and skills.....I don't know, I like Taylor best...but it's very subjective.

Funny you should say that Eric is the one with the same blues-repackages over-and-over again. Luckily Mick Taylor is nothing like that, huh?

You see, I stopped following Taylor's solo career long ago. He he.

Well, you should see Clapton on his 2006-2007. He has a completely new band and his setlist is pretty cool.

This is from the show I was at:

Pretending
So Tired
Got To Get Better In A Little While
Bell Bottom Blues
After Midnight
Little Queen of Spades
Let It Rain

sit down set

Back Home (acoustic)
I Am Yours
Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out
Running On Faith

Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad
Everybody Oughta Make A Change
Motherless Children
Wonderful Tonight
Layla
Cocaine

I'm only counting 2 or 3 blues' on that one.

You might be right, I've only listened to (most of) his CD releases.

In the right setting, which was Stones 72/73, MT is the most fluid, imposible to duplicate R&R guitarist EVER. The was THE MAN, right place, right time, right band etc.

Pick a song from Brussells 73, say YCAGWYW- nobody can match that. If any guitarist could duplicate that after 10 treies I'd like to know who.....


Other than that EC crushed MT. It is really sad that a musican of MT ability is playing puny clubs in front of 100 people and nobody except long-time Stones fans know who he is. In contrast, there are dozens of noise makers taht the general public thinks are "great guitarist".............

don't give me that ole one two, one two three four

Mick Taylor usually has better hair.

thats ok i bet he would rather have erics career

i can't stand clapton...

his career the since about 1980 is far more embarassing than mick taylor

exhibit a: forever man
exhibit b: pretendin'
exhibit c: layla (unplugged decimation)


i won't mention "tears in heaven" for obvious reasons...

and clapton's highs dont do it for me as much as mick taylor's playing on the 73 tour....i'd rather listen to brussels anyday than cream whom i generally can't stand or songs like "lay down sally" that i am completely sick off...

clapton became an adult contemporary commercial hack a long time ago

so lets keep things in perspective

bigfrankie Wrote:
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>
> Pick a song from Brussells 73, say YCAGWYW- nobody
> can match that. If any guitarist could duplicate
> that after 10 treies I'd like to know who.....
>

I'd like to hear any guitarist "match" any song on Derek and the Dominoes Live... and especially "match" eric clapton on Let it Rain...

That's why the setlists of the current EC tour are so exciting... they are very heavy with Dominoes stuff, eric's very best blues-rock work IMO. Can't wait to catch this gig!

"It's just that demon life has got me in it's sway..."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-06-19 08:36 by BornOnTheBayou.

BornOnTheBayou Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> bigfrankie Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> >
> > Pick a song from Brussells 73, say YCAGWYW-
> nobody
> > can match that. If any guitarist could
> duplicate
> > that after 10 treies I'd like to know who.....
> >
>
> I'd like to hear any guitarist "match" any song on
> Derek and the Dominoes Live... and especially
> "match" eric clapton on Let it Rain...
>
> That's why the setlists of the current EC tour are
> so exciting... they are very heavy with Dominoes
> stuff, eric's very best blues-rock work IMO. Can't
> wait to catch this gig!

Yeah, the setlist is really cool. I saw a show. It was amazing. Expecially Layla with the slide stuff. Awesome!!

Both are great guitarists (I consider them as equal) but with an entirely different carreer. It seems that Eric Clapton is not as introverted as Mick Taylor which helped his carreer considerably. Moreover he almost always took the solo spot and was famous from the 1960s on, and he has a commercial sense which is also very important.

It is not the ability that's so different but the biography. I wonder where Clapton would be today if he had joined the Stones for five years and then have gone solo...

Clapton was a great guitar player in the late 60s - with Cream. But also back then he had certain limitations when it comes to playing leads that Taylor doesn't have - for instance, playing fluidly (long runs, Clapton breaks them off too often IMO). Today, he sounds boring IMO. I have downloaded all the Cream Reunion concerts, and Clapton is the weak link, much because of his sound today, which I think is way too clean, and his lack off punch in his playing.

Absolutely agree with Dandelion. Clapton was a wonderful guitar player 35 years ago. Now he plays a pop music with no balls. Even when it comes to blues, there is no question. Taylor, on a good day, is a magic bluesman.

MartinB Wrote:
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> Absolutely agree with Dandelion. Clapton was a
> wonderful guitar player 35 years ago. Now he plays
> a pop music with no balls. Even when it comes to
> blues, there is no question. Taylor, on a good
> day, is a magic bluesman.


I really dont agree with you there. OK the new album is not that good but you should have seen him at the Palais Omnisport de Bercy in Paris on the 28th of may. It was really brilliant. Robert Cray and his band were really good and then Clapton was truely amazing. Played quite a lot of new stuff but all the best classics as well. Layla was just great, cant really describe it.

I reckon Clapton is way over-rated.

Luke33 Wrote:
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> I reckon Clapton is way over-rated.


See my last post

You want any proof buy Eric Clapton Chronicles! Its pants!!!

It's a dead-heat tie. I think they are both among the best at what they do - and they both have been at that status since their respective stints in the bluesbreakers. I choose not to pick one over the other. yes, i'm basically wimping out on this one....

the only thing Taylor lacks is the ability to take care of his own career. His playing is far more interesting than Claptons. His slide playing is out of this world. His melodic solo playing is filled with soul and passion. Clapton lost his touch when he quit Mayalls band.

Clapton lost his touch when he quit Mayalls band.>

Well, Cream???

Niklas Wrote:
Clapton lost his
> touch when he quit Mayalls band.


so, you're saying he hasn't done anything worthwhile since 1966? That's a first, I think.

Clapton is in my mind the best blues soloist there is. 90% of Taylor sounding cool was the guys around him being the damn best band ever..

Let me wade in on this one, I'm a big fan of both, but I'm not a fan of Eric's
Tone on his Fender guitar's!!! Sounds so "Tinny" compaired to Taylor's
melodic brillance on his Les Paul and even Knopfler blew Eric away when they jammed together on Knopfler's song: I think I love you Too Much from
Knebworth back in the late 80's / early 90's ??

Wish Eric would break out his "Gibson's" when he's playing the setlist he's
playing with Derek Trucks!! Eric needs someone like Derek to push him, and from
what I'm hearing, Derek's giving him a BIG push right about now!!!

MLC

Not particularly interested in who is "better"--that is a matter of taste.

As for taste, I prefer Taylor's melodic soufulness, incredible phrasing, ability to encapsule a song in his solo and to tell a "story" with his solo, and to match (OK, tailor) his solo to the song. (There is a well-known quote from Clapton about Taylor's playing being exciting.)

Incidentally, none of this is to say Clapton is not a great guitarist. It's just a matter of taste.

Also, about Taylor's sounding his best when the guys around him were the best ever: he got a great push not only from the Stones, but also from Mayall's band (both pre-Stones and in the reunion in the early 80s) and Dylan's band (in 1984) and made some fantastic music with them though even this feels like an understatement. Still, even on his own or with other bands, his playing is typically great and even incredible.

Oh yeah - another example is John Mayall's 70's birthday show.

Taylor and even the current Bluesbreakers guitarist, Buddy Whitington I think
out-shined Eric that night!! Taylor's solo on: Blues for ther Lost Days
is vintage!!!!!

MLC

StonesTod Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Niklas Wrote:
> Clapton lost his
> > touch when he quit Mayalls band.
>
>
> so, you're saying he hasn't done anything
> worthwhile since 1966? That's a first, I think.

I would say that he lost his touch after Derek and the Dominoes though Mayall was the height of his guitar playing abilities in my opinion.

ChrisM Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> StonesTod Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Niklas Wrote:
> > Clapton lost his
> > > touch when he quit Mayalls band.
> >
> >
> > so, you're saying he hasn't done anything
> > worthwhile since 1966? That's a first, I
> think.
>
> I would say that he lost his touch after Derek and
> the Dominoes though Mayall was the height of his
> guitar playing abilities in my opinion.

I respect your opinion a great deal, Chris - as I know you're a good player yourself. However, as much as I love D&D (one of my alltime favorite albums) - I think EC has done some marvelous things on guitar in the past 20 years that easily rival his best work of the 60's & 70's....I don't think it's a matter of "losing" anything as much as it is evolving and refining his chops....