Great rock stars are all stage creatures. The ability to summon up a jam session and play like you’re abusing your instrument half the time is a dexterity that takes years to fully master, whether or not they truly think of themselves as the greatest showmen of all time. Even though Eric Clapton had unique guitar skills, he recalled performing a song for Pete Townshend that he had never wanted to play.
But it’s crucial to keep in mind what Clapton had already experienced to comprehend where he was at that point. Since departing the Yardbirds, the Cream frontman had emerged as one of the most captivating guitarists. Nobody could blame him for embracing the nickname ‘God‘ given to him by everyone else.
Only Eric Clapton and possibly Jeff Beck could have been regarded as the greatest technically proficient guitarists of their era following the death of Jimi Hendrix. Clapton was always the one with taste, even though Jimmy Page was undoubtedly in the conversation as well. It was almost as if the guitar was a long-lost lover calling for assistance whenever he took lead breaks.
However, a portion of that suffering originated internally. In the early 1970s, Clapton was battling his unfulfilled love for Patti Boyd. After he had taken her from George Harrison, he was also battling severe addictions that were not going away quickly. The image of a man being led into a room, even after he’d achieved all of his goals in life, is depicted after a night of heavy drinking in ‘Wonderful Tonight‘. It’s much less romantic than you probably remember.
Townshend put together a show for his friend in 1973. The lineup included some of his closest friends on the road. This group included Steve Winwood and Ronnie Wood of the Faces. The intention was to keep him on the straight and narrow. Since Townshend was already becoming concerned about Keith Moon’s drug use, he reasoned that he should assist another addict. He wanted to help in any way he could.
The only issue was that Clapton, who told Rolling Stone, “I did that very much against my will,” never was a fan of the concept. In reality, I wasn’t even there. I had no idea how I had earned Townshend’s idea; it was entirely his. His only reason is that he is a wonderful humanitarian and finds it intolerable to witness people waste their lives.
Even though he hadn’t fully cleaned up his act by then, Clapton still had the strength to continue recording albums like 461 Ocean Boulevard. Fans saw the Clapton they had always imagined, if a bit more reserved than before, all of a sudden. Though perhaps not as many strictly hard rock songs, there were still plenty of guitar fireworks.
For many fans, this may represent a departure from Clapton’s signature sound, but that’s not a bad thing at all. After years of playing as a blues rock journeyman, Clapton was now transitioning into the next stage of his career as a songwriter.
