Clapton to retire...

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  • fretfinderfretfinder Frets: 4978
    edited July 2014
    luscombe said: I'm always surprised when so many people dismiss his post Cream work.
    That must be because they don't recognise great singing, songwriting and guitar playing when they hear it.   :)
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  • luscombeluscombe Frets: 155
    luscombe said: I'm always surprised when so many people dismiss his post Cream work.
    That must be because they don't recognise great singing, songwriting and guitar playing when they hear it.   :)
    Absolutely! Love him, or loath him, Eric is a national treasure. We have been lucky to have him for so long.
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  • RocknRollDaveRocknRollDave Frets: 6431
    noisepolluter said:


    I wonder what would happened if he'd worked with Rick Rubin?


    Let me save Mr Clapton the expense of enlisting Rubin's help.. I'll do the job for free:

    "Think back to when you were at the height of your Cream era...and instead of splitting the band up, imagine you went on to make your definitive Cream album...What would that have sounded like? THAT'S the album we're going to make"




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  • BlueingreenBlueingreen Frets: 2582
    edited July 2014
    DrBob said:
    I don't say this as a dig at Clapton as I have no particular opinion about him either way but some of the reasons stated for his stepping back do amuse me a bit.

    As one that has to fly frequently for work I totally get that airports aren't a fun place to spend time but I'm guessing that at his level he's beyond having to stand in the same queue of oxygen thieves at the Sleazyjet desk as I do and I'm guessing the hotels he stays in are probably pretty plush as well ?

    And of course the pivotal point is, he 's Eric Clapton, I'm guessing he's probably alright for few quid and unlike the rest if us schmucks who will probably have to work until we're 70 just to have enough cash to live the relatively short bit after retirement he surely could've jacked it all in 20 years ago if he'd have wanted ?

    Like I say, there genuinely is no bitterness in this, just think it's funny how one's perspective gets a bit skewed by your surroundings..
    I've stood next to Rick Wakeman in a long, tedious airport queue before and he must be worth a few bob.  And by and large, a hotel is a hotel.  I've stayed in a few posh ones on work-related trips and wished I was at home.

    Sure he has plenty of money but by 69 even most office drones prefer to live on their savings rather than earn a few more quid.

    I've no difficulty in imagining a lot of the touring and being away from home is a pain in the backside.  Since he doesn't need the money it's a question of whether the enjoyable bits outweigh the irritations.  Of course playing to packed houses with a fantastic band is the stuff of dreams for most of us, but we haven't been doing it for 50 years. For me there's no mystery about him wanting to jack it in.  
      
    “To a man with a hammer every problem looks like a nail.”
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  • funstuiefunstuie Frets: 77
    I am exactly half his age and I want to retire.
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  • scrumhalf said:
    He did that rockabilly seesion thing with Carl Perkins in the late 80s, I really thought he'd lost it at that point with all of the Armani crap but he proved he could still burn on that programme.
    A bit of a thread resurrection, but this is on Sky Arts right now. Amazing stuff, with added Ringo and George.
    I'll get a round to buying a 'real' guitar one day.
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  • SchmoSchmo Frets: 168
    That’s a great show, a true classic-will record on catch-up
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  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 22515

    I'm not really a fan, but I've always admired the way he's handed his career (not the drink and drugs and racist rants period...).

    He's aged gracefully, doesn't stumble around in leather trousers with a wig, silly jewellery and a load of smeary tattoos.  A bit boring?  Maybe, but he's nearly 70, good luck to him if he wants to retire.  Some of the other creaky old sods still treading the boards should follow his example.

    That said, I was quite amazed to see footage of him playing with Hawkwind the other day.  I had no idea he'd even know they existed.

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  • Philly_Q said:

    he's nearly 70, good luck to him if he wants to retire.

    He’ll be 75 next March.
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  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 22515
    edited December 2019
    Philly_Q said:

    he's nearly 70, good luck to him if he wants to retire.

    He’ll be 75 next March.

    Fuck, I should've known that.  1945, of course.  Didn't even notice I was commenting on a five-year old thread.   Although fair play to me, I did start by actually reading the opening post.

    He didn't really retire then, did he.....?

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  • Philly_Q said:
    He didn't really retire then, did he.....?
    Happily not. I saw him at Hyde Park last year - he’s got several European dates lined up next year and is doing a charity gig in London in Feb in aid of Leonard Cheshire in memory of Ginger Baker.
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  • FretwiredFretwired Frets: 24601
    He didn't say he's retiring but just scaling down, doing a bit of leafleting for the BNP, stuff like that.

    Clapton sells out .. why is he leafleting for a French bank .. I thought he wanted Brexit  ... BNP Paribas must be paying him a fortune .. not impressed.


    Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
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  • FretwiredFretwired Frets: 24601
    Great guitar player and human being IMHO. He went to Hell and back gave up the booze and drugs and runs the Crossroads Guitar Festival to raise cash to help addicts. He influenced a lot of the world's best guitar players .. I don't get the hate.

    Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
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  • hollywoodroxhollywoodrox Frets: 4078
    edited December 2019
    I  like august , it’s quintessential  80s 
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  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
    I thought he did in 1969.
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  • Fretwired said:
    Great guitar player and human being IMHO. He went to Hell and back gave up the booze and drugs and runs the Crossroads Guitar Festival to raise cash to help addicts. He influenced a lot of the world's best guitar players .. I don't get the hate.
    He said some bad shit then did more good than a lot of people will ever do.  Net balance plus quite a lot. Good guy and great guitarist / songwriter.

    I’m not a Clapton worshiper or out, but what he’s done stands up for itself.



     
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  • fandangofandango Frets: 2204
    Philly_Q said:

    That said, I was quite amazed to see footage of him playing with Hawkwind the other day.  I had no idea he'd even know they existed.

    Reminds me that Frank Zappa jammed with the Pink Floyd back in the late 60’s. Probably was a lot of that inter-band stuff going on - especially with large festival type rosters. Noting also the late peerless Ginger Baker played drums for Hawkwind on a couple of albums. So that’s 2/3rds of Cream who played with the great Dave Brock. Who knew?
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  • soma1975soma1975 Frets: 6625
    Instantly recognisable voice on the guitar. 

    Instantly recognisable singer. 

    100 million+ album sales.

    Influenced thousands of guitar players.

    Has championed blues for over half a century. Has championed blues artists who sing his praises. 

    Practically single handedly brought acoustic guitar playing back into mainstream music in the 90s. 

    Played Amnesty, ARMS, Live Aid, Concert for Bangladesh, Tsunami Aid, War Child benefit, Concert for Sandy relief, Nelson Mandela's birthday concert. Countless hundreds of other charity gigs including his own Crossroads festivals and the Princes Trust stuff. 

    Sold off his squillion quid's worth of classic guitars to fund a charity.

    Still gets called a wanker and a racist and that he hasn't done anything since 1969. It's pathetic. 
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    Been uploading old tracks I recorded ages ago and hopefully some new noodles here.
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  • TINMAN82TINMAN82 Frets: 1845
    soma1975 said:
    Instantly recognisable voice on the guitar. 

    Instantly recognisable singer. 

    100 million+ album sales.

    Influenced thousands of guitar players.

    Has championed blues for over half a century. Has championed blues artists who sing his praises. 

    Practically single handedly brought acoustic guitar playing back into mainstream music in the 90s. 

    Played Amnesty, ARMS, Live Aid, Concert for Bangladesh, Tsunami Aid, War Child benefit, Concert for Sandy relief, Nelson Mandela's birthday concert. Countless hundreds of other charity gigs including his own Crossroads festivals and the Princes Trust stuff. 

    Sold off his squillion quid's worth of classic guitars to fund a charity.

    Still gets called a wanker and a racist and that he hasn't done anything since 1969. It's pathetic. 
    This is all that needs said on the subject really. Couldn’t agree more.
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  • soma1975 said:
    Instantly recognisable voice on the guitar. 

    Instantly recognisable singer. 

    100 million+ album sales.

    Influenced thousands of guitar players.

    Has championed blues for over half a century. Has championed blues artists who sing his praises. 

    Practically single handedly brought acoustic guitar playing back into mainstream music in the 90s. 

    Played Amnesty, ARMS, Live Aid, Concert for Bangladesh, Tsunami Aid, War Child benefit, Concert for Sandy relief, Nelson Mandela's birthday concert. Countless hundreds of other charity gigs including his own Crossroads festivals and the Princes Trust stuff. 

    Sold off his squillion quid's worth of classic guitars to fund a charity.

    Still gets called a wanker and a racist and that he hasn't done anything since 1969. It's pathetic. 
    Stick a bow on it, that’s the thread wrapped up nicely !
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