Back to Blog
Songs like layla unplugged7/1/2023 ![]() You see Layla and Manjun were forbidden to be together by their families much like Eric could not be with Pattie. Clapton felt it was a corollary to their situation. “Layla” which is the centerpiece of this album and was inspired by the Arabic poem Layla and Manjun. Clapton was all deep down the well of drug and alcohol addiction at the time, but he entered the studio and spilled his heart and guts all over the best songs of his career. This album eventually sealed the deal and Eric ended up with Pattie. Clapton was having an affair with her and was tormented because he was good friends with George. At the time this album was recorded Eric was inspired by George Harrison’s wife, Pattie. Some of the best songs ever written deal with loss or heartbreak and unrequited love and this album is jam packed with them. The wall of guitars from Clapton and Duane Alman hooks you right off the start with that riff and if that does not do it for you then the most heartfelt vocal performance in rock should seal the deal. “Layla” – Derek and the Dominos – (Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs, 1970) For many, this is the track that took Eric from guitar hero to God. When they all start soloing at the same time it is a mixture of chaos that only a couple of virtuoso musicians could pull off. The song really gets special though when the three members of the power trio play take it out for an extended drive live. Eric even squeezes in a reference to the pop standard “Blue Moon” during his solo. The atypical tom-tom drumming for a rock song that emphasizes 1 and 3 instead of the typical 2 and 4 gives the song a unique groove. Later both Clapton and lyricist Peter Brown added to the song. The story is that it started out based on a bass line by Jack Bruce after a trip to see Hendrix play in London. There is a blues base to this song with some of the ’60s psychedelia mixed in. “Sunshine Of Your Love” – Cream – ( Disraeli Gears, 1967) While the version on Layla is good, Eric improved on the song when he added an orchestra during one of his residencies at the Royal Albert Hall. He claims that it was actually written about a girl that Eric met in France after recording Harrison’s All Things Must Pass album. Eric started writing it well before they entered the studio. Bobby Whitlock who received a co-writing credit on this song 40 years later, claims that this was not written about Pattie as was the rest of the album. You can hear the anguish in his voice as he describes their fight. In this case, Duane Allman had not yet joined the group when they recorded “Bell Bottom Blues.” A slow blues that paints a picture of a man who desperately wants to keep a relationship going. Layla is a treasure trove of material written by Eric. “Bell Bottom Blues” – Derek and the Dominos ( Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, 1970 & 24 nights, 1991) And yes… I left “Wonderful Tonight” off the list. I set myself a goal of songs that his contribution was paramount or critical to the song. Trying to stick to songs where he had a key role in the writing of the song, which could have been just providing a truly memorable guitar solo for it, also ruled out classics like “I Shot the Sheriff”, “Cocaine”, “After Midnight”, “Crossroads,” and a lot more. Which for a blues-based musician is difficult, since it ruled out amazing albums like “From the Cradle” or “Me and Mr. With all that in mind, I tried to avoid covers of someone else’s songs. This truly looks like an impossible task. What did I get myself into…? How do I sum up a career that spans over 50 years and by my count when you throw in all the guest recording work that he has done has appeared on well over 350 different recordings…? No matter what I do there are so many songs that are “classics” that someone is going to be upset that I left “Wonderful Tonight” off the list. After contemplating it a little though some fear and dread started to set in. All their really big hits came later on, and I don't really know any of their songs.When this article was suggested I jumped at the chance to write it. ![]() The last time I really paid any attention to them was also in the early 90's, when they had a hit with Give it Away Now. ![]() ![]() I find the version annoying though.)įor the Chili Peppers, I don't know any acoustic songs by them. (Come to think of it, Eric Clapton did unplugged as well, one of the first ones, and he had a huge hit with an acoustic version of Layla. Anyhow, Nirvana's was particularly good, and they released a CD of the performance. ![]() The heyday of the show was the early 90's, but I think it continued on longer. It was a concert show on MTV - Unplugged, where they would get a band or an group and have them play their songs with acoustic instruments in an intimate, club like setting. I'll have to learn it now that I think of it.įor Nirvana, they had an album come out at the end of their existence called MTV Unplugged. Eric Clapton's Tears in Heaven is very nice. ![]()
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |