Slowhand my keister Slowbland is more like it. After Derek and the Dominos released Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs in 1970, I would have gladly concurred with those messages on London walls proclaiming, “Clapton is God.” But the times they are always a changin’, and rarely for the better, and nowadays I’d be more inclined to agree with the proclamation, “Clapton is God Awful.” That’s no easy feat, and Clapton deserves credit-along with a gold watch and forced retirement-for pulling it off. ![]() Second, that the public ate up the slowed-down 1992 acoustic version, and that it went on to (how? why? gak!) win a Grammy for Best Rock Song-beating out Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in the process-just adds fuel to the fire of my belief that the American public (and its ruling classes) have been spoon fed pap for so long they’ve become addicted to the stuff.Ĭlapton may well be unique in that the very same song should mark both the high-water and low-water marks of his career. I know what makes the original “Layla” such a landmark, but evidently poor Eric hasn’t a clue. Two points: First, that Clapton liked the resulting work speaks volumes both about his sad slide into schlock, and his own inexplicable inability to judge the merits of his own work. Take all the yearning and desperation out of the vocals, reduce the song’s marvelous momentum to a slowed-down slacker shuffle with a vaguely Spanish flavor, and as for the coda-that brilliant and magical piece of musicianship that still moves me all these years (and thousands of listenings) later-eliminate it altogether. It was genius, really, the simplicity of it. I’m not certain Jesus could have pulled it off, but Slowhand made it look easy. And you’ve got to hand it to the “Clap” he hit upon the perfect way of turning a diamond into a 4-day-old piece of sushi. Suffice it to say by the time Clapton’s 1992 MTV Unplugged appearance came around, reducing the great “Layla” to saccharine and ashes must have come as naturally to the English guitarist as spouting racist National Front bile. Once a musician has succumbed to recording treacle there’s no turning back it gradually becomes easier and easier to produce treacle (after all, it sells!) until one becomes a habitual and hopeless treaclemonger, and before you can say “Change the World” or “My Father’s Eyes” it’s second nature, and the jig is up. ![]() Me, I suspect the answer lies in another of his hits, the unbearably sappy “Tears in Heaven” (or the earlier “Wonderful Tonight”). Listen closely following Eddie's slide solo to hear Larson and Diamond Dave make sweet harmonized magic.What causes a man to start fires? More importantly, what causes a man to burn down his greatest song, transforming it from genius to schlock as if possessed by the spirit of evil spirit of Lionel Richie? This is a question only Eric “Slowhand” Clapton, whose original recording of “Layla” with Duane Allman is one of rock’s most transcendently lovely songs, can answer. Templeman suggested a different sound for one of the choruses and brought in country singer Nicolette Larson, who was working in a neighboring studio, to lend vocal support. LL Cool J / A Tribe Called Quest / De La Soul (1991) In the early days of Unplugged, every episode featured multiple artists, giving us shows like Great White and Damn Yankees, Sinad O’Connor. The idea to use a slide came from producer Ted Templeman, and while Eddie was initially leery of trying it, he practiced for a few days and, in typical VH style, pulled off the part with aplomb.Īnother first: Could This Be Magic? represents the debut of an outside singer on a Van Halen album. The track, which marks the guitarist's first recorded bottleneck moment, finds Eddie's whimsical acoustic slide playing expertly shadowing David Lee Roth's vocal on the verses. But guitarists of all stripes found a lot to like in the bluesy-and boozy, slightly off-kilter Could This Be Magic? Van Halen - Could This Be Magic? (1980)Įddie Van Halen gave acoustic-shred fetishists much to chew on in 1979 with Spanish Fly, a hummingbird-fast flamenco instrumental from Van Halen II. Five years later, Ozzy Osbourne included an extended, studio outtake version of Dee on his album Tribute, reminding us all of Rhoads' immense and largely untapped talent.ġ1. Tragically, Rhoads was killed in a 1982 plane crash, at the age of 25. Fingerpicked on a nylon-strong acoustic, the piece is by turns playful, melancholy, heartbreaking and hopeful. ![]() Rhoads grew up in a musical family - his mother, Delores, runs a music school in North Hollywood, California - so it was only fitting that "Dee," all 49 seconds of it, paid tribute to the woman who inspired and nurtured his dreams. But while electrified Ozz rockers like Crazy Train and I Don't Know wowed the metal masses, it was the solo classical piece Dee that was Rhoads' true masterpiece. With his inventive, neoclassical spin on Eddie Van Halen's already established bag of tricks, Randy Rhoads became the new heavy metal guitar king after fans heard his work on Ozzy Osbourne's 1980 solo debut, Blizzard of Ozz.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |