Could you imagine Keith admitting anything?

[www.foxnews.com]

He wrote a cool night ballad about it..wich is one of my faves ..so he have done his best..one can say.

that's why i love keith.....he doesn't care..never did..just loves to play...
it comes from keith's heart not his mind..never did play by the numbers..

Keith and EC have one thing in common that mitigates any decline in technical playing ability.
Great feel.
Even the simplest licks are effective when played with EC's ear or Keith's attitude and timing. Very different players, but both with class...and that doesn't fade.

We'll see if he's declined as he has stated .

Playing Mohegan Sun Casino in CT on Friday . I'll be there

I'm still getting better at 48. Maybe if EC continues to decline until he's 125 years old...I'll be nearly as good as him by then ;^)

Eric's always been self-depricating....have heard similar quotes from him in years past. For my money - and I'm a fair-minded hardcore EC fan - he's actually playing as well or better today than he has in many years. I think Trucks is pushing him.

Keith would no sooner admit to such a thing (and - he has declined very notably over the past decade, let's be honest) than he would to admitting to, say, MT writing Ventilator Blooze....

Just saw Clapton at the Garden...nothing short of awesome...hope I can lose my touch like him

Keith has admitted he's losing his touch on the closing song on 40 Licks. I also don't think anyone has ever disputed Mick Taylor's songwriting credit on Ventilator Blues. Its been there since the song was published 34 years ago. They even reassigned the publishing rights of Mick Taylor's third of the song to his own publishing company in 1993. Now, Can't You Hear Me Knocking, Sway, Moonlight Mile, Silver Train, Winter, and Time Waits For No One--that's a whole different issue.

I read also yesterday at cnn.com that he now after many years is playing "Cocaine" live again. Says he has reinterpreted it as a anti-coke song so now he feels it's ok to play it.

Didn't he play it in 2001? It's on the live CD. Anyway, he's great.

Cocaine has rarely been out of his playlist for 30 years now - not sure what that b.s. is all about.

and - regarding Ventilator - getting a 1/3 credit ain't quite right when the other 2/3 had nothing to do with it....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-10-04 19:45 by StonesTod.

clapton hasn't lost a thing. he is flawless,smooth and has a feel that every great blues guitar player has. keith on the other hand, is battling arthritis.
as time passes by, we see keith posing more and playing less. i'll give keith his props. he'll never say die and his attitude compensates for any weakness he may have. that's what makes keith great in his own right.

I've never heard a Clapton bootleg post-1977 without "Cocaine" - aside from his all blues tour in 1994 - and I've got dozens.

StonesTod, I don't dispute Mick Taylor deserved songwriting credits on several songs. I wouldn't argue that Ventilator Blues sounds like it was more his tune than Jagger/Richards...but how does anyone know the other 2/3 didn't write any of it? I would think Jagger at least had a hand in the lyrics as he rarely sings anything else. If its a Stones song, the credits are always going to read Jagger/Richards. Everyone knows the ground rules going in. I would expect Mick Taylor or Ron Wood realized they would never get the band to record their own compositions. At best, their ideas would be re-worked by Jagger and/or Richards and they'll end up with a third of the royalties whether we're talking about Ventilator Blues or Everything is Turning to Gold or Black Limousine, etc. At worst, they end up in the same camp as Brian Jones, Bill Wyman, Ry Cooder, Billy Preston, and Gram Parsons believing their contributions were worthy of a credit and not just part of the process of making an album.

Saw EC with his current lineup do 4 shows back in May @ the RAH in London.

I thought EC was at his best from say 1989 - 1997. Is he the guitar player of the mid 90's I would say no. That said he is still very, very impressive. Few if any can play a slow blues with him. And yes as StonesTodd said Derek Trucks is pushing him. In fact I thought EC @ times in London rushed the structure of his solos in order to stay up with Trucks. Derek Trucks is the future of Blues/Rock guitar. The fact that a 60 year old EC will stand in with him and trade solos without worry of Derek perhaps playing something better from time to time says alot about Clapton in my book. I wish a few other bands would take the same approach to their own music.

Going to the EC shows in Washington, DC, Charlotte, Orlando & Jacksonville.

re: the Clapton Cocaine issue:

here it is y'all. I'm no Clapton expert but this is what I read:

Clapton playing 'Cocaine' again
ST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) -- Eric Clapton is playing "Cocaine" in concert again.

The recovering drug addict and alcoholic, who founded the Crossroads Centre addiction recovery center on the Caribbean island of Antigua, stopped performing the song written by J.J. Cale when he first got sober.

"I thought that it might be giving the wrong message to people who were in the same boat as me," Clapton recently told The Associated Press.

"But further investigation proved ... the song, if anything, if it's not even ambivalent, it's an anti-drug song. And so I thought that might be a better way to do it, to approach it from a more positive point of view. And carry on performing it as not a pro-drug song, but just as a reality check about what it does."

Clapton's band shouts out "dirty cocaine" during the song.

"It's one of those songs that you can take it any way you like," Clapton told the AP. "But it very clearly says in the opening verse, 'If you wanna get down, down on the ground,' I mean, that's, I think, the focal point of the song. That's what the song's about, is that, you know, there's a price."

Clapton also said he missed playing "Cocaine," with its signature guitar riff, "just purely from a musical point of view."

Clapton, 61, is on the North American leg of his world tour. His duet CD with Cale, "The Road to Escondido," is scheduled for release November 7.

[www.cnn.com]

LIB - yeah I saw that article the other day and it's completely misleading - it suggests that Cocaine hasn't been in the playlist all these years - which is utter baloney.

Rocky - anytime Woody or MT got a partial credit with a Jagger/Richards credit, that's "code" for we didn't have anything to do with this song, so we grant you your 1/3 credit. Always been like that.

I realize we're veering way off-topic, but could StonesTod or anyone else tell me where it's established as common knowledge that "anytime Woody or MT got a partial credit with a Jagger/Richards credit, that's 'code' for we didn't have anything to do with this song, so we grant you your 1/3 credit. Always been like that." I find it hard to believe that Jagger and/or Richards did not contribute significantly and earn their co-writing credits on Everything is Turning to Gold, Dance, If I Was a Dancer, Black Limousine, No Use in Crying, Pretty Beat Up, One Hit to the Body, Fight, Dirty Work, and Had It with You. I accept all of those songs may have originated with Woody, but they sure sound like Jagger and Richards did their due diligence to my ears. Ventilator Blues, I can't really say, other than I think it suspect that Jagger would sing lyrics completely written by Mick Taylor. I would have thought it more likely that the song was built around Mick Taylor's riff and all three contributed to composing and arranging the finished song.

Rocky - it's educated guesswork - nobody here can give you a definitive response. I know that MT has said (to me personally) which songs HE wrote (Mick and Keith making no writing contributions) - and he's only credited with 1/3 on those. So, I'm extending that "practice" to it's logical conclusion. Granted, MT may be lying or mistaken, but I would think he has "less to lose" about being dishonest than would M or K.

I would hope there is some middle ground to the "credit" discussion on Stones writing credits. Otherwise you go with StonesTod's version and that is sad,sad,sad.....to say the least.

Wonder what happens to Jim Gordon's royalties for co-writing Layla since he's locked up for life for killing his Mom?

Thanks for the response, StonesTod. For the record, which songs did Mick Taylor say were completely his?

Clapton saying that he just started playing Cocaine again is the same as The Who saying that this is their first tour in over 20 yrs....

Clapton is being self depracating. His performance at the RAH this year was , if anything, better than in 2001 or 2004.

Chav Watch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Clapton is being self depracating. His performance
> at the RAH this year was , if anything, better
> than in 2001 or 2004.

Agreed. This year @ the RAH was much better than 2001.

The question isn’t, “Is Eric Clapton one of rock’s greatest guitarists?” But rather, “Does he want to be?” Judging by last night’s nearly sold-out show at the TD Banknorth Garden, Clapton hasn’t made up his mind. He’s mostly committed, but there’s a little, nagging piece of him that wants him to sound less like B.B. King and more like Phil Collins.

This King/Collins dichotomy is something Clapton has fought his entire career. After the transcendent rock-blues of Cream, Blind Faith and Derek and the Dominos came “Wonderful Tonight,” “Tears in Heaven” and “My Father’s Eyes.” Thankfully, this tour leans much more toward the B.B. King end of Clapton’s continuum.



At the onset, it didn’t seem like the band had much passion. The opener, “Pretending,” and the follow-up,

“I Shot the Sheriff,” were mediocre.

With “Old Love,” things began to get both more interesting and intimate. Robert Cray - who played a set of blues numbers with his own band - joined the band and seemed to lay down a challenge to Clapton and his touring guitarists, Doyle Bramhall and Allman Brother Derek Trucks. If all four were going to share the stage, they would have to work hard to one-up each other.

“Motherless Children” -with Clapton, Bramhall and Trucks playing the euphoric melody line - answered Cray’s challenge. Clapton’s guitar tone seemed to change after the first few lackluster songs. What began as a lead guitar sound you’d hear on bad Don Henley record evolved into a firey, visceral wail.

Right behind him came Bramhall. After an apprenticeship with Jimmy Vaughan and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Bramhall graduated to Clapton’s band a few years ago. He’s a classic blues player who can solo nearly was well as Clapton. But it was Derek Trucks who dominated.

Trucks is the only post-Hendrix guitarist of the bunch.

On “Little Queen of Spades,” Trucks’ solo drowned out the other guitarists. His slide playing was faster and louder and slower and looser than his peers. When playing the long exit to “Layla,” he evoked Duane Allman note-for-note but more often played with his own unique voice.

Clapton’s no idiot (and he’s certainly no coward). Bringing Trucks along forces Clapton to be at the top of his game and potentially be outplayed. He also knows his fan base. The show ended with “Wonderful Tonight,” “Layla,” “Cocaine” and “Crossroads.”

It’s a shame he couldn’t have ignored a few hits in favor of a few more blues numbers, but he knows what the people come for. He can’t bring Derek and then not play “Wonderful Tonight.” It’d be too B.B. King of him, and he’s still got that Phil Collins half to please.

jed.gott@yahoo.com. Eric Clapton, last night and tonight at the TD Banknorth Garden.

I was at the show at Mohegan Sun Casino last night .

If Clapton truly believes that he's losing his touch , he was the only one in the venue last night that did .

What a great performance , by all those involved . They all worked their arses off and it was much appreciated by those in attendance .

Robert Cray as a warm-up ? He definitely deserves the spotlight .

Eric..!! follow the leader...start up the playing-piano-thing....

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1cdog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I would hope there is some middle ground to the
> "credit" discussion on Stones writing credits.
> Otherwise you go with StonesTod's version and that
> is sad,sad,sad.....to say the least.
>
> Wonder what happens to Jim Gordon's royalties for
> co-writing Layla since he's locked up for life for
> killing his Mom?

Looks like he got his Royalties

[www.drummerworld.com]

Clapton sucks ass. He's done that for about 15 years now. I hate that whining guitar. People say it was bad to have Sheryl Crow on syage with the Stones, but if that's bad, then Clapton in 1989 is equally bad. It sounds like a fart when he plays that guitar. And what I hate most is that every white blues musician over the age of 40 in this world, thinks that Clapton's way of doing it is the blues way. Same wih Gary Moore although that's lesser for him. Clapton's way is not blues. Robert Johnson, Muddy and John Lee Hooker is blues. Clapton is a frickin' wannabe.

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