Clapton Was God

[@davidespinosa1910]

The "girl" with Les Paul is his wife, Mary Ford. They would do crazy multitrack records with tons of layered vocals, and she is flawlessly in tune. Those records are very hip by modern standards. And he *invented* multitrack recording ! Also IIRC, Les Paul didn't even like the guitar they made -- he was always tinkering and proposing new features.

[@platypuspracticus2]

The guitar you'd see Lea Paul with most frequently later in life would be a guitar that was made in the 70s: the Les Paul Recording. It had a lot of the features that Les wanted and continued to use the instrument well after production stopped.

[@extansegura]

Mary ford was incredibly good

[@flyingrat492]

@@platypuspracticus2I’ve seen his les Paul recorder in person, it’s a beautiful guitar and has tonnes of cool features not on the production versions or reissues.

[@alanshewitt]

Yeah that’s kinda dismissive to refer to Mary Ford as “he travels with a girl”

[@accseller8386]

More like she was his wife and music partner. Story was Les got Gibson to discontinue the poorly performing Les Paul guitar because Les was going to divorce Mary and he didn't want to split Gibson royalties with her. Could just be another myth in the history of guitars.@@alanshewitt

[@jennjohnson3582]

As a guitarist and a retired history professor, I love these. They are solid rock history and I’ve learned a lot from Josh.

[@J.C...]

I assume you watch 5 Watt World, then?

[@jennjohnson3582]

@@J.C... yep.

[@needlenosemusic]

@@J.C... I don’t but I will now

[@J.C...]

@@needlenosemusic Enjoy. Keith has quite a library of content to keep you busy for a bit 👌

[@Jackmc2112]

Couldn’t agree more!

[@georgeminton69]

Hi Josh, great stuff as always. Having said that... There were two bluesmen who called themselves "Sonny Boy Williamson." The picture you showed is "Sonny Boy I," John Lee Williamson. He wrote Good Morning Little Schoolgirl, and died (was murdered) in 1948. The Yardbirds played with "Sonny Boy II," Alec 'Rice' Miller. He wrote Help Me, One Way Out, Bring It On Home, Don't Start Me To Talkin, many more. (sorry if someone else already pointed this out)

[@samroney6644]

You took the words right out of my mouth. I started typing the same comment but saw you got it out first

[@sup1e]

@@samroney6644 May as well toss in that Chas Chandler showing up with Jimi and asking to sit in isn't really close to equivalent to a dad asking for his daughter to sing with a giant pop star either while we're making corrections :)

[@PatchOToole]

Love this Josh. Just to add a note that Phil Lynott, looking for a band name and being a big Clapton & bluesbreakers fan, saw the album cover with Clapton & the Beano comic and took the name of a character in it for his band's name. Tin Lizzie became Thin Lizzy and all that unfolded from that.

[@AJNpa80]

If you're Irish it sounds the same both ways you spell it, bit of a nudge nudge wink wink.

[@AJNpa80]

I suppose unless you're fancy.The old man, a Dub from the north east side, fifty years on, the accent faded mostly, when he's at work, but always still says th like a t. The accent turns back up for awhile when he goes home,the music comes on or he gets near another Irish person. I lived there for a good while myself. Much tinner accent on me.

[@widmer64]

These story times are awesome Josh. You should sit on a couch wearing a robe, lofers, smoking a pipe and sipping a scotch by the fireside when you do these episodes. Love it! More please!

[@TheBrokenStairs]

These episodes are the equivalent to a teacher rolling a TV out in front of the class to play Bill Nye when they don’t have a lesson plan ready and I love it. Haha

[@danmar007]

I've been here for all of it. Clapton, Beck, Hendrix were my heroes back in the sixties. Then came Ritchie Blackmore, Martin Barre ...............

[@TheSavagederek]

Eric Clapton and Jimi were the 2 players who got me into guitar and changed my musical outlook. And the reason I've always been a Stratocaster guy.

[@marcofioravanti4176]

SG = "Solid Guitar". That said, I enjoyed this episode very much: Josh being full into his mission of telling stories and tales of rock & pop music history, where one step led to another concerning the participants, their sound and their gear.

[@CarsInDimension]

ES = Electric Spanish

[@starmorpheus]

@@CarsInDimensionLP = Let’s Pee

[@alanshewitt]

I know this isn’t a history of the Gibson Les Paul, but SG = “Solid Guitar” is not an obscure fact. Odd that he’d whiff it

[@TLDnoR]

Man its amazing how much love you pour into these. Thanks Josh and everyone behind the camera

[@LotharOfTheHillPeople]

Clapton's interview after Hendrix's death is heartbreaking. He said he had picked up a left-handed Strat on tour and was planning to give it to Jimi after they hung out at a Sly Stone concert, but they never ended up meeting up. "The next day, whack, he was gone and I was left with that left-handed Stratocaster."

[@BoomTexan]

I wonder if he still has it.

[@shaunw9270]

@@BoomTexan A widely debated topic in Jimi Hendrix circles on social media. There actually is no evidence of said left handed Strat btw.

[@startrekmike]

@@shaunw9270 I guess I have two questions. What kind of "evidence" is required? We have that interview/documentary footage of Clapton talking about the guitar and how it was going to give it to Hendrix but since he was never able to give it to him, what evidence are you expecting? It isn't like the Hendrix estate would have a receipt of other documentation confirming a gift that was not given. It isn't like Clapton can really prove his intent beyond saying it like he already did. The next question. Why is it even debated in Hendrix circles? Is there a specific reason why the Hendrix fanbase would not want this story to be true?

[@shaunw9270]

@@startrekmike You sound very defensive of this . Evidence would be anyone else apart from Eric saying he had this left handed Strat for Jimi , and the story has two versions that I've read over the years. Of course there's interest in Jimi Hendrix circles, everyone who's into him and guitars , want to find that Strat including me , but as much as it's a cool story , there's no proof that this actual Strat existed.

[@startrekmike]

@@shaunw9270 It isn't really defensiveness. It is genuine confusion. It just seems like a really, really silly thing to build up this big debate about. Let's take the Clapton and Hendrix factor out of the equation entirely and just look at this as Guitarist "A" purchasing a guitar for Guitarist "B" but is unable to actually give the gift because Guitarist "B" dies suddenly. If random Guitarist "A" told you that story while displaying obvious grief, would you feel it appropriate or even rational to then ask for "proof" that such a guitar existed? What would that achieve? Why is that "proof" even important? I suppose this whole thing is interesting to me because I get the gut feeling that this is rooted in some desire for a "rivalry" between two very famous, very well loved musicians. That they could not possibly be friends and that there must be one that "wins" over the other in some kind of nonsensical competition. What are you really expecting at this point? Do you think that Clapton is going to do a TV interview where he says "Hold on! Before we finish up, let me just pull this left handed guitar out and show it as evidence that it exists!" Would that be enough? Would the stupid internet debate then shift to "Is it the real guitar? Is it all just a lie to cover up another lie? How far does this rabbit hole really go?" My interest in this isn't so much defensive. it is just that I don't get why it is even a issue at all. It just comes off as bizarre fan drama for the sake of itself.

[@marksonanything]

Clapton with his Gibson and Marshall could destroy anything. Full force of nature🔥

[@aledum1815]

Facts.

[@wernermoser3406]

😁😅

[@stephenlandry9343]

When I started playing in 1975 you had to hunt down a music store that had a Marshall to try. If that wasn't bad enough alot of stores would not let you demo the amp unless you proved that you could play. Marshall was very expensive and even if you got to demo it you could not turn up loud enough to get that great sound. I call it the great Marshall dilemma. In the 70s also there was no computer anything, for me I couldn't have dreamed of the tech of today. You had to work alot harder to get good. Hell I don't even think I saw tabs till the mid 80s. But it was a great time to be a young player. I have 4 jhs pedals and love them all. Great video ! I learned alot thanks.

[@Jaggedknife11]

It's my understanding that marshall made a really bad distribution deal with a shady dealer to sell outside of the UK/in the US. This made Marshalls crazy expensive and rare until the very late 70s when the deal expired. by 1980 the cheaper to manufacture, higher gain and master volume equipped JCM800 came out and could be distributed in the U.S for much cheaper. I say this as someone who wasn't there at the time but has read a lot of articles and interviews..

[@stephenlandry9343]

@@Jaggedknife11 Well thanks I didn't know that. That does make alot of sense. It was funny to me that you have this high end amp that you couldn't even check out but it would be the first thing they would show you if you wanted to buy a amp. They'd say so you want a good amp for rock, we have this 500 dollar Marshall but uh don't touch it. In 75 500 dollars was a ton of money. You could get a les paul for about 350 dollars. A les paul custom for about 600 dollars. Today tube Marshalls are kinda pricey but what isn't. Thanks for the info on that. ✌

[@henrygvidonas9573]

@@Jaggedknife11 Correct, Jim entered into an exclusive 15-year distribution deal with a company named Rose-Morris in 1965. Rose-Morris slapped a 55% surcharge on every Marshall amp that was exported out of Great Britain. That apparently did "wonders" for orders and sales abroad. There's a reason why in the US a cottage industry of folks who knew how to pick up a soldering iron at the right end developed, that figured out how to convert a Fender Bassman head into a somewhat acceptable Marshall soundalike. That was much easier and more affordable than to first find a Marshall at all - and then somehow be able to talk the owner into letting you pay it off over the next... eternity. Mike Ness of Social Distortion has one of those and plays it to this day. Additionally, a number of music shops in the UK that sold Marshall products before the deal, were not in Rose-Morris' authorised dealer network and weren't allowed to order anymore, much less to sell anything with the logo on it. Jim kind of/sort of circumvented his own distribution deal by starting Park Amplifiers to be able to supply those shops with product. That was possible because only the Marshall Amplification company was contractually shackled to Rose-Morris, but not Jim Marshall personally. Legally, Park Amplifiers was something he did "in his spare time" _(cough-cough-bullshit-cough)._ They looked distinctly different (...enough to avoid getting sued, at least), and had slightly different circuits. Some people actually prefer the sound of Park-branded amps over their "legitimised" Marshall siblings. They're every bit as good as the official Marshalls from the 1960s/70s, that's for sure. They were made by the same people with the same tools on the same workbenches, alongside each other - so of course they are! You just had to know what they _really_ were... I'm not sure how well known that was at the time. Nowadays the jig would be up and all over the gear forums on the net within a few weeks. Just kidding... make that "within days"! Jim often referred to the Rose-Morris deal as the biggest mistake he ever made. I'm sure a lot of people who were young guitar players in the 1970s agree with him.

[@julienmarchand2499]

@@henrygvidonas9573 Yes, it is all written down in the book "The History of Marshall Amps: The First Fifty Years". People should check this book out.

[@fdfsdfsvsfgsg4888]

"alot"? Seriously? Are you 10 years old?

[@chrisquinn9104]

It was hard for me to understand how influential he was until I realized his style has been adapted so widely by so many people it’s become difficult to appreciate that it was once so innovative and unique. There was this other guy named VanHeusen, or something that said Clapton was his favorite too.

[@Jaggedknife11]

There's a few great interviews with VH where he's playing an electric guitar unplugged in the background. He talks about his love of cream and plays the crossroads solo note for note. Look em up on KZbin.

[@chrisquinn9104]

@@Jaggedknife11 heard it. Great recommendation though, yeah he’s fully nailing the Clapton

[@Jaggedknife11]

@@chrisquinn9104 that interview really helped me appreciate EVH more. at his core his playing is in the same vein of those great, melodic and soulful 60s/70s rock guys but faster. almost literally a huge chunk of hos solos feel like the crazy high-energy of live cream era Clapton but smoother, faster and with a few extra tricks

[@chrisquinn9104]

There is also a lot of Billy Gibbons too, especially in the explosive phasing. Check out Master of Sparks, if you haven’t

[@stratfanstl]

Two additional points to your background. The "Clapton is God" graffiti that spontaneously appeared around London was likely NOT spontaneous. It was likely the result of a promoter working for the Yardbirds at the time. The engineer for the Bluesbreakers album was Gus Dudgeon. If that name doesn't ring a bell, check out the production credits on Elton John's catalog, including Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

[@chrisjohnstone6164]

Hey Josh, I live in Ealing, London, so as you probably know this is very local history for me.. especially as I love this period of music, and it's what got me into guitar 35years ago. You have whittled down so well the interesting facts and have drawn the parallels so clearly ..so thanks .. it's one of the best informative slices of this period I have seen distilled, cutting through all the different stories and opening my eyes to the connections. I'd love to say thanks fella.. please keep up the great work... 💛 Chris -big fan

[@jhspedals]

Thank you!

[@lynnhopewell4728]

It's episodes like this that got me hooked on the JHS channel. History plus tech plus antidotes plus trivia plus a passion for finding "that" sound. This is when you are at your best in this format, as much as I love learning about pedals. Thanks from a guy who started over 55 years ago with an SG plugged into the front of a 65 watt Fender Showman.

[@benmaguire4098]

Hey Josh .. I used to live for a while just around the corner from the Decca records Building which is just next door to an old English Pub called the Railway Tavern .. which is where the Klooks Kleek music nights were held in the upstairs (? ) I think there were two venues .. at one point called the Starlight & the Moonlight .. Anyway That is where the Live album John Mayall's Bluesbreakers Live at Klooks Kleek club .. was recorded .. Fast forward many years & on a rainy cold afternoon I am in the pub with just enough cash for maybe one drink & possibly a half .. & the place is almost deserted except for John Mayall & the Local Hampstead News paper a Journalist with a camera & a note pad & A Blue Plaque .. Now these Blue plaques are like I suppose in America you might have George Washington slept here ( ? ) I don't know ??? Anyway if it had not been for the angry scowling face on John Mayall & the complete ' I never heard of you ' attitude of the young Barman /manager I might have said Hello but ... John left on his own & shortly afterwards the Journalist left too & he left the Blue Plaque with the Barman who threw it on top of a pile of folded bar towels .. now at this point I asked if I could have it if he did not want it ? & I swear he offered to sell it to me for £10 or " a Tenner " ... He knowing full well that I did not have enough to buy my next drink ... oh well .... What can you do ? Later on my wife to be started a Music Club on Sunday afternoon's & I was the " if you have a problem tell me guy " usually this just involved telling one member of another band to buy the other guy a drink & use his own snare / or promise not to trash the amp etc ..... But I met so many Gr8 muso's there & we had some wonderful Jam sessions as we had a No Pay to play policy .. where as at that time in London Band's like Madness etc would pay the Venue a set amount to be able to play ... So I have been married to her now for 27 years .... & although I have some wonderful memories of walking past the place where the Beano record was recorded .. My biggest claim to fame is I once pushed Jason Statham aside to get up on the footrail of the Bar as Last order's were being Called .. But he was a lovely bloke & did not take his jacket off & beat me up .. instead when his Buddy asked if there was a problem Jason said " naw it's allright he's just a Jock " meaning I am Scottish . & getting back on topic I alway's thought John Mayall was a bit of a user yes he picked up some great Talent & drove the Van etc But up close he was not such a pleasant fellow .. Now BertJansch he was a lovely bloke & Stan Webb from Chicken Shack Phil Lynott & Pino Palladino all lovely guys & alway's willing to chat ... enough now huh ?? Bye Stay safe & remember a happy wife equal's a happy life ... Big love from an old Muso who is still getting used to new pedal's .. I truly love your show's / channel & the whole story of your success .. Best of luck to you.

[@howardmaryon]

I was 16 in 1966, living in London, and trying to get a band going with some of my schoolmates. We were all Clapton admirers, but could not get anywhere near the expertise (of course) or the sound. We had worn out gear and nasty little amps with transistors. We sucked. In desperation, I plugged my single pickup Vox guitar (basically a plank with a pickup on it) into my dad’s Grundig tape recorder mic input and turned it up all the way. It wasn’t a Marshall, but it sounded glorious.

[@witchfindergeneralelectric8758]

That's how you get it done. 👏

[@Yardbird68]

I thank EC for leaving the Yardbirds. Because the Yardbirds with Jeff is my kinda of music and the electrified blues that I LOVE to listen to and play. You should do a part III on the late and still great pedals of Jeff Beck videos!

[@lgrim68]

It's so fun imaging Hendrix and Clapton in the sixties. Jimi might have had a tad more natural talent, but they are basically on the same level. Clapton survived longer, so people can criticize his occasional uninspired performance. Hendrix needs no more praise. I am obligated to remind everyone how amazing Eric's chops are. Both play/played with intense emotion, making for highly entertaining performances. Jimi's "Stone Free" from RAH Feb. '69 is mind-blowing (Hendrix Concerts double LP).

[@snörre23]

Imo Clapton was not 1 % of Hendrix

[@lgrim68]

@@snörre23 Have you listened to Live Cream volumes I and II? How about "Disraeli Gears"? BTW, I am the biggest Hendrix fan on earth.

[@samroney6644]

@@snörre23 That's what people say who are oblivious to a large part of clapton's work. You should really listen to more of his live cream & live D&D recordings. EC & JH were both amazing. You can personally like/prefer to listen to whichever one better, but they were both immeasureably great, thus making a quantitative comparison moot. Each had different strengths and faults, which would be its own interesting discussion, but neither contemporaneously surpassed the other in technical prowess. Unfortunately JH died before he could evolve musically, so we don't really know how that might have turned out. Anyone who has your opinion, as expressed in your comment, is either supremely ignorant or is just a troll laying out bait.

[@sup1e]

@@lgrim68 Clapton has an amazing catalog of legendary tunes etc. But when it comes to playing--Hendrix could play anything Clapton could with his eyes closed and EC simply could never reach the same territory as Jimi--just not possible for him. Hendrix was just lightyears ahead rhythmically etc. And Clapton was well aware of it imo. It's not a slight it's just kinda reality.

[@lgrim68]

@@samroney6644 Your post is a very thoughtful and articulate explanation, and illustrates why a comparison has limited value. You clearly love Rock and Blues, and have great ears.

[@msspi764]

I enjoyed this. I got the Best of Cream 1968 album as a Christmas present. The song that touched me most was Spoonful. I checked the credit and it was this W. Dixon guy. Who's that? Obviously figuring that out way pre-internet in rural nowhere was hard. That got me into Blues and I was on a journey. Fast forward a few decades I'm sitting here in Vicksburg where Willie Dixon called home and listening to some of the best blues played by folk you've never heard of, young pickers like Kingfish Ingram and DK Harrell, players like Cedric Burnside and Luther Dickinson, and older folks like Jimmy "Duck" Holmes in Bentonia and Kenny Brown in Holly Springs. I guess you could say that Clapton and Cream sent me on this journey. But I understand how Clapton could have left that stage. It was probably more than just Jimi's musicianship. It was that Jimi was the real deal, just like a lot of the people I see today are. There's a soul to them that Clapton never really captured. He's great technically, but that's not the whole thing.

[@msspi764]

I wrote this before I knew you lived in Jackson and sold your first pedals at Fondren Guitars and later in Tupelo. So you’ve probably seen many of the folks I reference. Jackson and Mississippi are hard places to live, but there are rewards.

[@phoenixvamvakias9329]

I don’t usually comment, but I must. First, Josh, from the first time I watched one of your JHS weekly casts, I was hooked. Short, to the point, super informative, digestible, and best of all, your dry, deadpan wit. But this episode is absolutely fascinating. Like attending a really good lecture on one of my favorite subjects, the history of not just some of my favorite musicians, but the formative years of rock guitar. So awesome. I love the straight up tech and pedal info, but this is incredible. Feel free anytime to do more. Jimi, Jeff Beck. So many greats. You could do a series on iconic players and the pedals they made iconic, like Hendrix episode. Cheers and thanks. Oh, and also my wife says ‘thanks’ for not getting to buy as many pedals as Dan and Mick do.

[@richardclark.]

It is so awesome to hear in depth about the equipment used by players during this period. I am 57 years old and have read anything I could get my hands on since before high school. Everyone wants to tell about crazy tour exploits. Even docs about the making of an album include little info on what was used to make it, lol. I could go on but you get the idea. Your love for the subject may surpass mine and is very welcome and fresh. Thank you!

[@jpdenk]

EXCELLENT video! I'm an old geezer who was massively affected by Clapton's Cream-era playing during my high school years, so this is my kind of stuff. I learned stuff from your video I didn't know. I saw him in concert 3 times in the course of a little over a year, first in 1969 with Blind Faith, then in 1970 as guitarist with Delaney and Bonnie, finally with Derek and the Dominos. To be honest, I wasn't impressed with him live in either of the first 2 concerts (with Blind Faith, equipment problems made it hard to hear Clapton, and to make things worse, Rory Gallagher's Taste was an opening act, and Rory was amazing, may have put Clapton off), but got a glimpse of the guitar god with Derek and the Dominos, which was unexpected, but thrilling beyond description.

[@mickdestiny6542]

If you know of and have heard that first Taste album and seen live footage of Rory, i would say anyone would be nervous about going on stage after Rory Gallagher. What a show you witnessed. Hats off to you, sir.

[@jpdenk]

@@mickdestiny6542 Thanks, Mick. They were all shows to remember even if EC wasn't quite up to form a couple times.

[@samroney6644]

Man, what I would give to either have been born about 20 years earlier or go back in time for that. As a guitarist, I missed the best times there ever were by about one generation. It blows my mind that my parents, who were in their mid 20's at that time, are oblivious to any of this music.

[@jpdenk]

@@samroney6644 Sam, some folks were just not into music that much back then, sorry that your folks don't share your enthusism. If it's any consolation, be assured that you're experiencing an amazing time to be a guitarist too. The access to information such as all the guitarists with educational videos on KZbin as well as anoverwhelming amount of insanely good equipment at affordable prices is like nothing I've experienced in my life. It's a great time to be a guitar player. 🙂

[@PerezBroz-p5o]

What a great story. I've heard this all before but this was a grea conversational style retelling that I could see in my head. Thanks for making my morning ride to work enjoyable. Niw off to listen to the Bluesbreakers album in my earbuds. Cheers!

[@dracul74]

That was awesome. Huge Clapton and Jimi fan. One thing I really love about Clapton is how moved he gets by music. He recanted hearing SRV for the first time and having to pull his car over. Similar to this story with the shakey lighter...

[@charliebaxter5094]

Thank you for this. Inspiring account. I had the good fortune to meet the late great Jeff Beck at his home in Wadhurst, England when i was 17. He was collaborating with an amp builder to integrate a switchable Marshal/ Fender amp design in one amp.

[@marmadukewinterbotham2599]

I had a Dallas Treble Booster in 1965. I bought my first guitar (Hofner Galaxie) and small amp from a chap for £25 and he threw the treble booster in. I used it for a few years and back then it was no big deal. There was no such thing as 'gear heads'; guitars and amps were tools and bought like you would go to a hardware store (ironmongers shop here in the UK) and buy tools. There was no social media of course, and no guitar magazines. The only way you learned to play was to play records over and over, listening hard to what's going on, and figuring it out. No books, no tutorials except Bert Weedon's 'Play In A Day' thin booklet which didn't help with learning the music style we were all into. In the 80s or thereabouts I had a clear out and threw away the treble booster as I wasn't using it. Nowadays of course I'm mortified that I did that!

[@mikeaustin4138]

I've read many accounts that indicate Hendrix and Clapton used to go to jam sessions in NYC on the regular. Roger McGuinn, in particular, talks about jamming with Jimi and Eric. Also, Eric has said many times that he ordered a left-handed Strat for Jimi and was getting ready to give it to Jimi when he learned of Jimi's death. So, there was mutual respect and even, perhaps, a bit of a friendship between the two. I've also read that when medics were called to Jimi's home, they mis-diagnosed his condition and administered an incorrect treatment.

[@sonicboompole2774]

I'm old enough to understand how information flowed was discovered pre-internet but I really appreciate you breaking it down for the kids who don't. We're so far down the rabbit hole now that it is very easy to forget WHY all this stuff is so magical and how mysterious all of this stuff was at the time. Music is the real time machine. All of this information just highlights the historic significance of the artist and inventors who've shaped our lives for the past 60 years or so. Oh, and btw....Hendrix is GOD. Thanks man.

[@stratman9449]

for me there are 4 gods.....🙂Clapton, Hendrix, Page and Billy Gibbons......and of course many more "minor" side gods.....haha......Rory Gallagher for one...

[@TejoAgus]

It has always amazed me how Blues went from the USA to the UK and then it went back home with the British invasion and Hendrix as a new and wilder version mixed with rock and psychedelic stuff. All those steps are so enjoyable in their own way.

[@alanwann9318]

One name worth mentioning CHRIS BARBER he promoted and brought blues legends to tour England 1960,s Howlin Wolf Muddy Waters, Sister Roseta Tharpe. Big bill broonzy

[@heyryanramsey]

I’m a major JHS fanboy. But, that aside… these are awesome. I love watching AND sharing. Normal “people” don’t care about the pedal stuff we all nerd out about, let’s be honest, we are a weird bunch. But this content is GOLDEN. Love your passion to tell and preserve the stories. One question… when did Clapton shift from the LesPaul to the Strat I’ve always associated with him?

[@JuanCarruyo]

Clapton started using Fender guitars after Cream. So, with Blind Faith he had a Tele with a strat neck and after when he did his first solo album and Derek and The Dominoes he used Brownie. Which has apparently put together from 6 strats he bought off a pawn shop. He gave 3 to George Harrison, Steve Winwood and Pete Townshend and from the other 3 he assembled a two tone sunburst strat nicknamed Brownie.

[@rbauer1632]

@@JuanCarruyo Actually, it was not a pawn shop. It was a music store that Clapton would visit when in New York. The owner was overstocked on strats. They just weren't selling, and he offered Clapton as many as he wanted for around $100 apiece.

[@coldacre]

one thing that gets glossed over in that 1965 period, when he gets his first Les Paul he spent months playing the Les Paul into the AC30. he didn’t just stop using the Vox the day that he strapped on a Les Paul. he’s using an AC30 on the Mayall single “I’m your witch doctor”

[@johnmundt7834]

Clapton obviously borrowed from a lot of people and mixed it all together but I think Buddy Guy gets overlooked in it. I hear so much of Buddy Guy’s style in Clapton

[@julienmarchand2499]

He does. He said many times that he saw buddy guy live and that it is exactly what he wanted to do with cream.

[@robertcollins9411]

I remember reading years ago that Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix agreed that the best guitar player was Buddy Guy.

[@benjohnson4810]

True, but i've realized that SRV sounds just like Buddy Guy. It's kind of embarrassing, although SRV was the best SRV impersonator of all time. Clapton sounds like himself, but does copy some other guy's licks.

[@johnmundt7834]

@@benjohnson4810 I hear Albert King as Stevie’s biggest influence

[@benjohnson4810]

@@johnmundt7834 I've always heard that too and it's undeniable, but there was some movie on PBS or something and i heard it in the other room and it sounded like SRV. It was not SRV though, it was Buddy Guy. I think the footage was from the late 80s/early 90s.

[@RabidWookies]

26:34 great pic!! I've never seen that photograph.

[@edhornby4885]

For Your Love was written by Graham Gouldman who also formed 10cc

[@NewFalconerRecords]

He also wrote 'Heart Full of Soul' and 'Evil Hearted You' for the band.

[@stratman9449]

thanks for this video....i enjoyed that.....and yes...it was difficult back then to get "information"...because the "media" was just not interested that much about what happened at the blues and rock "front" scene....i remember heraring clapton saying about Jimi...."You told me he was good....but you didn't tell me he was THAT good...."...i can understand that....and i am glad i grew up during that time....fantastic.....🙂

[@BenjaminHSmith]

Great video and though he's done his legacy no favors, Clapton's impact on rock guitar playing can not be overstated. That said, you showed a picture of the wrong Sonny Boy Williamson. That's John Lee Curtis Williamson, commonly referred to as "Sonny Boy Williamson I," who died in 1948. The Yardbirds toured with Rice Miller, A.K.A. "Sonny Boy Williamson II." I know it's confusing but both are pretty important dudes that shouldn't be confused.

[@CBusMike872]

Recent Clapton Interviews… kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGK2iJikbpqjobc Part 1 kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKqWgpKhiNl1mpI Part 2 His legacy increases as his bravery is on full display.

[@michaelsicowitz362]

I wish I could share how things were back then. I was there but really young. I saw Clapton with Blind Faith in 69 in Milwaukee. That festival had insane talent - Midwest Rock Fest - 3 weeks before Woodstock. We were bummed Clapton was so laid back already. But anyhow I met up with the Marshall distributor the day before Clapton played. Back then we had one guy who sold Marshall. It was called Metropolitan Music and that was it man .. one guy had the only Marshall. So when this festival came all the guys borrowed the gear from that store. The night Led Zep played it was the first night .. I said hey how's it going. Then tells me he provided every act with Marshall. No one brought their own gear except guys using Fender. I could go on for hours. It was a great time. The point being not many people used Marshall. There just wasn't enough of them. BTW Led Zep was awesome that night probably July 25 1969. Clapton the following night and Johnny Winter closed on Sunday night. Jeff Beck was there but rained out Sunday. That would have been all 3 Yardbirds and only god knows they may have jammed if they wanted. All three were at the same place but it freaking rained. Later

[@fruhentus4437]

This is great ! Please continue producing videos like this ! Subbed

[@derekhenderson1730]

It made me so nostalgic with this story Josh, I was in my early teens when all this was going on, a very exciting time in popular music history. Sorry for being a wee bit pedantic, but the Animals were not a London band, they were all from Newcastle. Thank you so much for this, it brought back many great memories.

[@Dmwilson1970]

Great stuff! Thanks for doing these. Didn’t Joe Walsh give Page his first Les Paul?

[@ryangunwitch-black]

Man, oh man. Joe Walsh is such a great player. I never realized until I sat and watched my uncle play a bunch of it. No backing or anything. Just those guitar parts. Such cool stuff.

[@sense1240]

Page had a three pickup les paul custom before that. Joe sold him the 59 standard that he's known for .

[@timadams8583]

Really enjoyed this. Loved the picture at about 2min which is actually Guildford (I misspent a lot of my youth in the Bulls Head) - now well known as the home of Andertons. Ripley is a village just north of Guildford. (from a Ripley resident!)

[@ChrisHendrix117]

Isn’t it always a little funny how artists find their own voice by trying to chase or replicate their tonal idols? Fun stuff! Thanks for sharing!!

[@robgreen4521]

Still part-way through the video and loving every minute of it! One minor point on Clapton's sound popularizing the Les Paul: Jimmy Page was already a big fan of LPs, as he had acquired a black 3-pickup model around 1963 while he was a session player; I'm sure he was playing it with a totally different tone, of course. Nicknamed "Black Beauty" it was stolen in the US in 74 or so, but eventually made its way back home -- another interesting story, with a few interesting write ups you can find online now. Nonetheless, we can see that he played the Telecaster (which was a gift from Jeff Beck) while he played in Yardbirds, and Jimmy plays this for early Led Zeppelin as well. For whatever reason, the LP's were his main stage guitars by this point (most likely because he was going for the same sound of a humbucker plugged into cranked valve amps), but I think most of guitars heard on their first albums -- including the well-known Stairway solo, were recorded on the white Tele.

[@verigone2677]

Page was famous and popular, but it was the Clapton craze that brought back the LP...it was Page's popularity that brought the solid color versions back. Kind of the thing back then, if you were a Clapton guy you got a burst, if you were a Page guy you got Black or White, and if you like Jeff Beck you just played whatever was closest.

[@robgreen4521]

@verigone2677 for sure. My first electric was a badly made cherry burst copy. By that time (80's), Clapton and Beck were Strat players, but it was Page and Plant on the poster in my room. Seems like all the hard rock bands were playing LPs, Vs or explorers by this point. I read a joke last week that the guitar that sold the most Les Paul's in the 70's was JP's telecaster 🤣

[@DavidDyte1969]

The Crossroads box set from 1988 is a great way to learn about his career to that point. Really beautifully put together and covering a multitude of styles and bands.

[@thaddeusfields4360]

Oh man, what a great collection! His live version of Double Trouble should be required listening for all!!!

[@hball6695]

it's exhilarating to see Josh tackle Clapton and the British blues scene with so much knowledge and passion! A fine piece of video.

[@allthingsclassicrock]

“History is what it is.” Brilliantly said. Great video as usual josh!

[@tomduckworth8335]

It was good of you to bring this up and point out how influential he was. I think his commercial success over the years overshadowed that. I also think early on he figured out being just. a guitar hero is kind of a dead end street if you want commercial success. I loved him and he is why I have played guitar for the last fifty years. I have a difficult time with him now because of things he has said and done. He has done some good things for people like his Crossroads projects but he is very misguided in other ways.

[@NewDawnCircle]

I've been detractor of Clapton for a long time, but if he was the first to plug a Les Paul into a Marshall, I owe a LOT to him because that's my favorite sound in the world. Great episode!

[@Jaggedknife11]

Take a deep dive into bluesbreakers through Derek and the dominos years. Amazing stuff, especially live cream Albums. His solo career was boring and most think he's overrated because that's what they know plus maye 1-3 cream, Derek and blind faith hits.

[@davidstovall8573]

@@Jaggedknife11 Why would you be a detractor? Just curious. Eric's tone is awesome. He makes it look so easy. Page, Clapton, Beck, SRV, and Hendrix. A league of their own. Pioneers for sure!

[@Jaggedknife11]

@@davidstovall8573 Not quite sure what your question is. What I'm trying to say is, in my opinion, what I've heard of his solo career material is mostly boring and uninspired. a few tracks are good but I'm mostly not a fan. I can understand those who think he's an overrated guitarist/musician if all they've heard are his biggest solo hits, and maybe a hit or two from his early bands on classic rock radio. if that's all you hear of clapton yet at the same time he's presented as this guitar god and boomer rock icon then I'd understand if you're a hater. however, once one looks deeply into the Bluesbreakers album, Cream (especially live stuff), Blind Faith and Derek & the dominoes (and some may also say Delaney and Bonnie) one will find a better understanding of how deeply influential, and still impressive, his playing was/is.

[@davidstovall8573]

@@Jaggedknife11 I don't have a question. Eric is a pioneer and one of the best. Just my opinion.

[@robertvavra414]

Other guitarists may have independently "plugged a Les Paul into a Marshall" at about the same time (e.g. Jan Ackerman, the fine guitarist with Focus) but Clapton was ABSOLUTELY the one who put that sound on the map! It was a different world back then; good guitars and amps of any kind were few and far between. Among young aspiring guitarists, the BEANO album was "The Shot Heard Around The World" !

[@NathanaelFosaaen]

Another important issue here is that Hendrix was from the Pacific Northwest. The musicians that both Clapton and Jimi Idolized were from the American Southeast. They both were outsiders.

[@thebreakfastmenu]

Clapton's greatest influence was how the world of music came together to stand against his racist tirades in the late 70s.

[@howardmaryon]

I am British, and apart from his guitar playing, back then everyone in the business knew he was arrogant, difficult to get along with and an all round b’stard so his xenophobic attitude was just par for the course, really. I don’t suppose he has changed much.....

[@lovewillspill4460]

Apparently people are still crying about it 50+ years later🤣

[@aceflibble]

@@lovewillspill4460 Because he's never apologised for it other than saying "I dunno, I was drunk/high I guess", which is nowhere near enough of an apology for the sheer magnitude of the hate he was spewing everywhere, and literally within just the last couple of years he's spent all this time championing far-right-wing politicians and activist groups, constantly complains that rich white men are somehow being oppressed, and spreads completely inaccurate (dangerously inaccurate) myths about COVID and how masks and vaccines are some kind of conspiracy to stop his (already illegal) hunting parties.

[@thebreakfastmenu]

@@lovewillspill4460 People are still crying about southern pride 150 years later soooo

[@stratmatt73]

Virtue successfully signaled. Feel better now?

[@NewFalconerRecords]

The Yardbirds made two singles in 1964 before 'For Your Love' and two tracks --- 'Good Morning Little Schoolgirl' and 'A Certain Girl' --- feature Clapton playing through a transistor fuzz unit, most likely made by Roger Mayer. Mayer made fuzz boxes for Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page as well. The earliest British recording that I could find using a fuzz box was Jimmy Page playing on a track called 'Skinny Minnie' with the band Carter-Lewis and the Southerners (March 27th, 1964). Check all these tracks out, they're really good.

[@lanegarrett7220]

Great video, could you please do another on Pete Townsend since he was another big character in this timeframe?

[@henrygvidonas9573]

The Who were the first real "Marshall Wall" band with two full stacks on each side, really. Not for long though, since Pete and Jim had philosophical differences about the temporal aspects within the exchange of goods and services for money in cash. Also, Jim thought Pete was a snotty-nosed brat. In come Sound City and Hiwatt...

[@lanegarrett7220]

That bit about Pete being a snot nosed brat makes sense, since it's been documented Pete and Roger have had many fist fights over the years That being said, I've heard many time over neither Eric or Jimi ever wanted to follow after the Who played a set, plus the fact the 100watt Marshall came from Pete's insistence on a louder amp

[@richardjohnson2331]

It wasn't Jim but his son Terry that made Pete mad. If you read Jim's autobiography, it was Pete that inspired Marshall to make the JTM-45, the stack and the JTM100s first used by Eric, Jimi and Pete.

[@mikem668]

I saw both Cream and Hendrix. The beauty of those days was I didn't see race, though I do see the irony of the Clapton‐Hendrix meeting now. Several years earlier I'd seen Mississippi John Hurt. Obviously I knew he was an old black man from Mississippi. My step-father, who was 60, went out and bought a Guild acoustic, the Mark II instead of Hurt's Mark V, and started taking guitar lessons because of Hurt's performance. Of course I knew something about the racial situation. I "read" Life magazine and sang We Shall Overcome in church. But in the period Josh is describing, I chose my music based on, if anything, Ed Sullivan, record clubs - Atlantic was a big label - and eventually my friend's college age brothers and sisters and underground radio. I was a college freshman when Hendrix died.

[@strychen]

I believe Derek and the Dominos was the pinnacle for Clapton. He's come close a few times, but never surpassed, IMO.

[@TheDilligan]

Maybe in the studio. I'd say Live Clapton pinnacle was around 2007. He only got better an better at performing. Saw him last year and that was incredible. Still probably the best rhythm and lead playing I've ever seen. But I think he was probably better in mid 2000s. His age is starting to catch up with his hands now.

[@strychen]

@@TheDilligan yeah, I was definitely referring to his recordings. I got to see him at the Crossroads festival back in 02 or 03 (cant really recall what year). It was a great show.

[@Gaslight.Guitar]

Absolute masterpiece

[@strychen]

@@Gaslight.Guitar 100%! Def in my top 5 al time favorite albums.

[@rodrossi9749]

Duane Allman owns that album.

[@fireglo450music]

To answer about number of Tracks on the Beano record, I don't know for certain but I would expect it's either 3 or 4. The Beatles were on 4 tracks up until 1968, and a lot of the Shel Talmy stuff from '64-'66 was 3 track. I think there was very early 8 track by '66 but I would be shocked if anyone other than The Beach Boys was using it.

[@TheDilligan]

In my experience, the easiest way to tell a guitarist doesn't know their stuff is when they say Clapton sucks or something like "all he does is play A-minor pentatonic."

[@witchfindergeneralelectric8758]

Clapton sucks.

[@RambleTone]

I could be wrong, but you posted a picture of Sonny Boy Williamson, who actually wrote Good Morning Little Schoolgirl which the Yardbirds covered. But the Sonny Boy that the Yardbirds toured and recorded with was SBW the 2nd , the II, who apparently was really no relation but tried to jump on the originals coattails and in the end became more well known than the original. (More history lol🎙)

[@realadamnixon]

Sonny Boy II's real name was Rice Miller. A true character, by all accounts.

[@stevenhowes530]

Beano was my intro to Mayalls bands. I bought it on a whim sometimes in the 80s' bought everything I could after that. As good as Beano is I still like Green's playing better.

[@harrisfrankou2368]

Love the tracks Greeny Curly Alabama Blues all of it...in many ways Peter is better for me.

[@stevenhowes530]

@@harrisfrankou2368 For me it's the live "The Stumble" On Fire!

[@Jaggedknife11]

Two sides of the same coin. Clapton's early stuff is textbook "blues but harder/more" and Greeny's is "soft, soulful blues BB king style but more"

[@kaarefestvog6540]

I think PG was the more expressive player.

[@abradfordajb]

Absolutely excellent video. I lived through those times as a young guitar player, and i didn't even KNOW most of this stuff! You're right .... back in the day, there weren't many avenues to pick up on info. Thanks for this vid. Really alot of fun to re-visit my youth.

[@thomascroce4672]

Clapton with Cream absoloutly amazing. Tone, vibrato, phrasing unimginable at that time. Some good takes with the Bluesbraekers leading up to Cream. Listen to sleepy time live from live Cream 2. the epic Crossroads lightening in the bottle.

[@tarvisponsdebeaumont794]

If they ask me which is the greatest electric blues performance ever, Sleepy Time Time from Live Cream is my answer. I was literally traumatised by the bold tone or the 3 instrument, the aggression and the unbelievable phrasing of Eric's solos, and I still am, after listening to that track a million times.

[@lifetimes2983]

Actually Sleepy Time Time is on Live Cream 1 but so so right . Clapton just vicious and powerful on the lead on that tune but both Live Cream recordings just tear it up to my ears.

[@JJ-nq3ll]

Love it, love it! Great & Amazing video. Make them more often! 🎸🎸

[@jeff3388]

I started listening to music at 12 or 13 when when my dad got a new iPod and I got his old one with his music on it. He had a lot of different stuff, classic rock, country and some folk/gospel type stuff. He had Hendrix on there but what what really stood out to me was Cream, (Sunshine, Crossroads and White Room). I couldn't even describe it to someone then but now I know it was something about his phrasing and the way he played over the chord changes that was different from any other guitar hero. I was a history nerd so it didn't take long to find the Beano album. I downloaded it off mp3va for .15c a song and first listened to it the next day on the bus to school. I can remember it was a sunny September morning and the leaves were still green, at the corner of 20th and Big Bay Rd. The first few notes of All Your Love played and the way I thought about music was changed forever. The perfection and ferocity echoed whatever was going on in me at the time and without that I'm sure that I would have never started playing guitar. When I tell someone I'm a big Clapton fan they often like to go into the who was better, him or Jimi, or bring up the story about Clapton walking off when he first saw Jimi play. I don't care about who was better or any of that. For me Clapton is my #1 because his melodies sounded like he was playing what was in my head, and I didn't understand how that could be possible, so I started playing guitar to just to try and figure that out. And its been fun.

[@Jaggedknife11]

YES!!!. Took me years to really appreciate Clapton in they way you describe him. Amazing sense of melody in his playing. EVERYTHING is a hummable blues line that builds on the previous lick and feeds into the next while also responding to the chord changes. For a short period from his debut through to his first solo album he was truly god.

[@IvanDelado]

I saw a couple of videos, well only audios about Cream doing rehearsal or something like that, I don't have the link right now but you can hear a pause then a click and the guitar tone change

[@pCeLobster]

The pre-Internet world was really so mysterious and exciting. I remember seeing a Rickenbacker bass for the first time when my friend got one second-hand and it was like WOW what in the world is that? It was the coolest looking thing I'd ever seen. I had never even heard of Rickenbacker before. And that was high school. Nowadays I'm sure every high school guitar kid is well aware of every brand just from the internet and social media.

[@anonymousforensic]

I just finished watching Hip Hop Evolution on Netflix and all the early years of MCs developing in New York are controlled by scrounged up technology, small technique innovations passing by word of mouth, and who can find the raddest records in dusty shops to steal breakbeats from. It’s so magical.

[@ibberman]

Like he told Guitarist magazine in 2011, When did you first hear the instrument and think to yourself: "That's what I want to play?" "I think on the early Elvis records and Buddy Holly - when it was clear to me that it was an electric guitar, then I wanted to get near it. I was interested in the white rock 'n' rollers until I heard Freddie King - and then I was over the moon. I knew that was where I belonged - finally. That was serious, proper guitar playing and I haven't changed my mind ever since.I still listen to it and I get the same boost now that I did then."

[@arceneaux777]

I am not seething, as mentioned earlier - but I never really thought much about Clapton. There are moments I love, but - oh dear, let the flames begin, that he is overrated.

[@arceneaux777]

BUT I love your show.

[@Jaggedknife11]

But have you deeply listened to his early catalogue? Fuck most of his solo stuff but his early career is amazing. Blues breakers album, live cream volume's 1 and 2 albums. Amazing blues playing with stunning phrasing and melody.

[@startrekmike]

What does "overrated" even really mean? I understand the actual definition well enough but when you actually stop and think about its usage in these kinds of contexts, it ends up being a pretty meaningless statement. Let's put this another way. I don't like Taylor Swift. I am obviously not in her target demographic and I don't really enjoy any of her music. If I were to talk to some folks who tend to listen to a lot more of that kind of thing, they might tell me that they really like her and that they think she is a pretty big deal. Are they wrong? Does my general distaste for her stuff render their enjoyment and even their enthusiasm for her work less valid? If I were to look down my nose at them and say "I think Taylor Swift is overrated!", I am really just telling them "I don't value your ability to form meaningful opinions about what you like and don't like." Saying something like "I don't personally like her stuff" or "I am not really the kind of person her music is targeting" would be a more useful, more honest thing to say. This brings us to Clapton. As guitarists, we often encounter other guitarists with wildly different tastes than our own. If I were to talk to some of my friends who are pretty heavily into heavier sounds, they will likely say something to the effect that "Clapton is overrated, Joe Satriani is a much better guitarist!" and while they are technically correct in the sense that Satriani is objectively a more skilled and musically educated guitarist, that doesn't really provide any backing for the "Clapton is overrated" comment. Especially when you consider that on the other side of that extreme, you will have Clapton fans who will look down on more technical guitarists and call them "overrated". Who is right? What value does the term "overrated" even provide in these kinds of conversations?

[@Jaggedknife11]

@@startrekmike clapton put out good stuff in his early career and got a reputation as a highly talented and influential guitarist. later, he turned to simpler singer-songwriter stuff with some light guitar solos and blues influence. his reputation as a guitar god was built in his early days yet most knew only the surface hits of those days and his solo stuff. to many it seems odd that he is elevated by the music press, guitar players, guitar companies, and 60s cultural documentaries yet the music they hear of his is not very good or guitar heavy. It's more that people just see the cultural juggernaut of his rep not lining up with what they hear on radio and in romanticized boomer nostalgia. when you think of cliche Page/Hendrix/SRV hits you also immediately hear heavy and blazing playing up front.

[@bradleyvigus9533]

So great thanks, would love a Bob Dylan episode: broke, trying to play for lunch money, borrowing/taking records. Loved this video and the one where you visited the crossroads. Thanks JHS.

[@ScottfromBaltimore]

I was most familiar with 80's Clapton when I started listening to rock music, then I worked my way back to Cream, but I first heard of the Beano record on the bluesbreaker episode here, and on Keith Williams' short history of it. I had no idea how much good stuff Clapton did or helped to cause. I kinda knew he was in the Yardbirds, but it was too hard to keep track. Thanks for laying it right out!

[@humbucker1414]

The version I heard was EC initially got a 4x10 Marshall combo but went back and swapped it for the 2x12 so it would fit in the trunk of his car.

[@drbalchin1]

Great episode as ever! Would love to see an epsiode on Alexis Korner and John Mayall! I'm not sure that British music would ever be what it was without them

[@NWLee]

Yes and others who never became prominent there in England when skiffle went from folk to blues.

[@steveharris3943]

Known most of the story for some time, but you managed to really give a sense of just how quickly the whole thing happened, which was new to me. And I’m old enough to remember Cream riffs being on the list of ‘we’ll ban you from our store if you play these’. Brilliant show

[@dylanharris9131]

I’m a simple man. I see a JHS video, I click! 🤘🏻🎸

[@sharplespaul]

Being 48 yo and playing metal as a kid….I met my guitar mentor and he gave me 3 albums….Allman bro’s 71 Fillmore,The Beano album,and Band of gypsy’s…..Changed my life forever at 20yo….Great stuff Josh.

[@fossilmatic]

A synopsis of well-worn, oft-repeated anecdotes (often true enough). It’s how we understand these origin stories through the lens of subsequent developments, so fair play there. The role of Mike Vernon in producing that record in the studio is really important to understanding what was being sought, what was accidental or intended. The contemporary development of volume as physical presence in the London music scene was also informed by people like Townshend in the Who. Often our versions of what happened, what elements were important are formed by looking back through a lens (like the impact of Hendrix). That scene was very small. The idea that it was hugely influential at the time on the general music scene could be put in a different context easily by checking what was on the charts at the time. Subsequently our selective vision of that time is as big a player in ongoing influence as the actual contemporary extent it had.Our myths become our “history” and formative of us, in effect. If you love this music and period, look deeper than this.

[@tonybatt3081]

There is no question that Clapton and CREAM influenced Hendrix. Just listen to his interviews before he went to London.

[@howandlightning]

I think the sonny boy Williamson you posted a picture of was the first sonny boy Williamson. The yardbirds toured with Rice Miller, aka Sonny Boy Williamson II. FYI

[@cheenu711]

"Clapton leaves the band and he suggests his friend Jimmy Page join the band." "And a guy named Jeff Beck joins the band." In hindsight these events are just so crazy to me. Three of the most influential guitarists of all time being so close together.

[@TheTubeDude]

It was a Russian Communist plot in the UK. That's why Jimi was by far the greater. Clapton influenced nobody's playing in any meaningful and permanent way. Hendrix, well we know.

[@robertvavra414]

Clapton was the first of three great guitarists in the Yardbirds. He was also the first of three (at least) great guitarists with John Mayall!

[@bbrotherton6345]

Wonderfully done! A little history....... When I saw Hendrix at Jarhunderthalle in Frankfurt in '69, he using two Fender Super Showman stacks. Maybe rentals?!

[@herbertwest3083]

I hate it that when people talk about Clapton it’s always people fawning over him. People never seem to remember that he was so intensely racist during the 70’s that there was an entire music festival (rock against racism) spawned because of an ugly tirade he went on. All of this he pinned on drugs and alcohol which doesn’t make you racist. Today he’s on the anti-vax train. He’s not a great guy and it’s shocking to me that any company wants to work with him. Also, Mary Ford is not just some “girl” Les Paul toured with. She was a great singer and guitar player, and less importantly, his wife.

[@kevinmercer8265]

Fuck Eric Clapton. In his words, from the stage to the audience: “Do we have any foreigners in the audience tonight? If so, please put up your hands. So where are you? Well, wherever you are, I think you should all just leave. Not just leave the hall, leave our country. I don’t want you here, in the room or in my country.” I don't care if you're drunk, or high, or plain stupid-you don't spit these words forth from any other place than hate. Decades went by and this was all whitewashed, but the recent antivaxx bullshit he is pedaling seals it for me. It's a huge bummer. Listen to Buddy Guy and Hendrix instead.

[@StefanGBucher]

Amen!

[@thisdyingsoul76]

It should be noted that Page was initially the bassist and stepped into the guitarist role when Jeff Beck left. Not sure if this was The New Yardbirds or if it was before.

[@craigmorris74]

Pete Townshend’s collaborations with Jim Marshall are what drove the quest for high volume at that time. No doubt Clapton was highly influential, but The Who were at the forefront of volume in the mid 60s. Also, Zep NEVER billed themselves as the New Yardbirds, just the Yardbirds (until Chris Dream filled a lawsuit to stop). There is one flyer that bills them as the New Yardbirds, but this wasn’t the name the band was using. There are a lot of fake adverts that use that name.

[@natenobrakes6292]

This reminds me of a Clapton biography I read in my early 20s while travelling in Thailand. Thanks for bringing those memories back.

[@basementriffs]

Great episode. Regardless of what you think of Clapton as a person, it's hard to deny his influence on music in the early to mid 60's.

[@curragh4635]

i heard clapton is a great guy . you must be one of those vaccine mandate jagoffs

[@basementriffs]

@@curragh4635 No, but it says a whole lot about your character that you assumed that I am. Triggered easily much?

[@AmiliaCaraMia]

@@curragh4635 The press around Clapton lately is absurd.

[@curragh4635]

@@basementriffs not triggered at all pal. But I guarantee my comment about you was spot on

[@curragh4635]

@@AmiliaCaraMia the press have blood on their hands. It's as corrupt as the government itself. Then you have shows like the view that do nothing but spread hate and people actually believe what these women are saying... 80% of the people bashing clapton think he didn't get vaccinated LOL. That's how braindead people are

[@lloydthayer9093]

Josh……the photo you have up at 6:50 is the wrong Sonny Boy Williamson……there were two Sonny Boys ……The first was John Lee Williamson (pictured) who died in 1948. The Yardbirds toured with Sonny Boy Williamson II ( Rice Miller) who “borrowed “ his predecessors name……..just an fyi…..respectfully 👍🏼

[@ngsanfo7927]

Being a massive Keith Richards fanboy, I’m always a little perturbed when he’s not mentioned as THE pioneer “burst” player in Rock & Roll. He had his “Keith Burst” on stage well before Clapton started using one

[@matthewduquette6241]

He was off by and amp, Keef was using fenders at the time which didnt match the Power and over driver E.Cs tone was producing, also keiths lead work while cool, is just not as notable at E.Cs

[@MP40meatballTR]

I think it is not only a matter of who used the aforementioned gear first, it’s about how these players utilized the gear and how they played. Eric Clapton pioneered THE sound of rock. It is the sound that comes to mind of anyone when they hear the words “rock music”.

[@craigmorris74]

@@MP40meatballTR sorry, the sound of rock was Chuck Berry

[@MP40meatballTR]

@@craigmorris74 rock’n roll =/= rock. What would come to the mind of an average person when they hear the word rock? Its the sound us guitarists describe as “PAF’s into a cranked marshall”, which was pioneered by EC.

[@craigmorris74]

@@MP40meatballTR In The 60s, Dave Davies sound on you really got me was far more influential than Clapton. And they were all playing Chuck Berry licks. Rock is an an American form, and Chuck Berry invented its guitar sound.

[@chriswarren1618]

Ads a Teenager in mid to late 1960s I saw just about all the top musicians live and it was musically the most exciting time of my life. Yes, that JM Bluesbreakers Album is Classic especially Hideaway. Strange, only one of my heros I did not get to see then was Clapton. I did get to see him in Orlando Fl 2008 but he had no stage prescence. Im sure Joe Bonymaster was in his band and being promoted by EC. By the way, I purchased a Les Paul Gold Top in 1980 and still own different one now. I love this Guitar thru a Marshall, But why are they so heavy, especially playing live gigs? In my Band days I also had a sweet Marshall 30th Anniversary 100W Combo. That too, with the massive magnet on the Celestion speaker, was so heavy to transport, but well worth it. PS, in the 1970s I had a sideline making custom Amps and Cabs and I actually built and sold Lead Cabinets with bright 10 inch Celestions at least a month before Jim Marshall started selling them. My claim to fame!

[@davidburnsmusic]

It's really depressing how Clapton went from idolising black American musicians to the racist rant that led others to found Rock Against Racism. I know the early years and the gear is what you're focusing on here and that came later, but it's still something that can't go totally unnoted.

[@DS-nw4eq]

Lol. He made a cover album in the 2000s of just Robert Johnson tracks and said he was the greatest blues musician that ever lived. There is a difference between skin color and culture. Black culture is hypocritical and they generally despise white people. Ever live in a predominantly black area? I have been for over a decade. First barber shop I walked into they palmed my head like a basketball and cut all my hair off. You don’t know what you’re talking about.

[@davemish4163]

There were actually two men who claimed the moniker Sonny Boy Williamson. Your picture identified the wrong one. That Sonny Boy never played with The Yardbirds.

[@plantagenant]

Clapton's playing was fantastic in his youth, full of attack and venom. For me his playing was never the same after he recovered from his heroin addiction.

[@alanwann9318]

So many Roads for example live

[@palodine1]

Ive always preferred Clapton's Bonnie and Delaney, Derek and the Dominos and into the Slowhand period. Very soulful and actually even helped launch certain aspects of southern rock via Duane Allman.

[@lordofthemound3890]

I always think of this as Clapton’s “The Band” phase, when he was trying to mimic their vibe.

[@titussardonicus338]

Clapton's most important legacy is Rock Against Racism.

[@pamelabrigham2033]

Hey Josh this is Phil Brigham, Pam’s husband. When Clapton left John Mayall to play in Greece, Peter Green replaced him, only to lose the gig when Clapton returned, and according to Mayall, Green was not too happy about it. When Gibson discontinued Les Paul Standards, they released the SG version, calling it a Les Paul. Les Paul did not like the SG type Les Paul, and asked that his name be removed from the model. Later he admitted “shows what I know” because the SG(stands for Standard Guitar, I think) became Gibson’s best seller. And Les would have received $1 on each one sold. Great job telling the story. Two of my favorite “Eric Clapton tone” albums remain the Beano and Fresh Cream.

[@johnbuell8035]

SG = Solid Guitar

[@greggromano1285]

The only person relaying the nervous Clapton after Hendrix played with Cream story was Chas Chandler, who was Hendrix's manager. A great story to promote your new artist. In Clapton's very frank autobiography, this incident is never mentioned. I've always been suspicious of this story.

[@craigmorris74]

But his band mates and several eyewitnesses tell the story.

[@BrentAdams]

"Those Were The Days"! This was the Clapton that I always appreciated. His sound and playing were fantastic.....sometimes a little "lost" in the jams...but overall, I feel these were his Glory Days as a Guitar Player.

[@gavinrayment4107]

Hendrix music was so much more inventive and had so much life in it. Clapton sounds boring in comparison. Hendrix is still God musically.

[@misterknightowlsguitarrant6984]

I fully concur. I never understood the obsession with EC.

[@ClandestineCrystals]

Hendrix is definitely more God than Clapton.

[@kaarefestvog6540]

The playing on the Beano album and the live performances around that gave him the worship. I think he took criticism from people like Robert Fripp personally (who basically thought ECs playing in Cream was a form of masturbation). That and hearing the depth of what the Band was doing made him really question his own playing and the music he was making.

[@colinmcnab6145]

I'd rather listen Clapton Bluesbreaker/Cream era than Hendrix anyday. I saw Hendrix at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival he was more of a showman with all this teeth playing crap.

[@Parrollo]

Love this history lesson. The Beano Album and the "Day Tripper" riff Clapton sneaks into "What'd I say" is awesome. One gripe though is that The Animal's were from Newcastle not London.

[@rahzark]

Clapton always felt like a "you had to be there" kind of thing to me. When I first heard Hendrix it was probably past the year 2000 and it still blew my mind. Clapton's music always felt unimpressive, not sure why. I totally get that he had a massive impact on people at the time, it's just hard to feel the same way today, I think.

[@Jaggedknife11]

When you say "his music" do you mean his solo stuff? I find it odd to judge his career and influence off of anything post Derek and the dominoes. Yardbirds/John Mayall through Cream, Blind Faith and Derek and the D's is some of the best guitar playing ever. Live cream Vol.1 and 2 feature some of the most powerful, melodic, and beautiful blues playing ever. He is THE guy to do Blues but more technical/heavier that is the basis of where Hendrix, page, EVH (who cited clapton in cream as his only big influence), blackmore and a whole host of rock giants style's begins.

[@sdrebels13]

He was the first British guitar hero, that’s why he’s so famous. His playing on Derek and the dominoes is amazing, keep on growing in particular has some great playing between him and Duane allman

[@andyt5833]

Also he kind of sucks as a person which makes it hard to really enjoy anything he did today. I had Slow hand as a kid and almost wore it out on my record player though.

[@sdrebels13]

@@andyt5833 you’re saying that simply because you disagree with his politics lol, sad

[@elyasse1323]

​@@Jaggedknife11 I understand what he means. Machine gun, killing floor, voodoo child... Hendrix blows everyone away to this day. Clapton is great too, I love the beano album and his cream era but it doesn't sound as exciting now as it did in the 60s. Have a 6 year old listen to Hendrix and Clapton, he'll like Hendrix more. Sadly not everyone plays the guitar and appreciates Clapton's music as it should.

[@JuanCarruyo]

I like these videos but ignoring The Who's role in both this and the Jimi videos in terms of the Marshall story sticks out to me. It was Pete who told Jim to clone his bassman and it was both Pete and John who asked Marshall to build 8x10 speaker cabinets so they could be louder. They were too heavy for the roadies so they sawed them in half (or so the story goes.) Ronnie Wood also got an 8x10 as well. Both Pete and John kept pestering Marshall to make higher wattage amps throughout 1965 and 66. Of course, Pete got annoyed and switched to Sound City amps which became Hiwatt and stuck with those for a long time.