Most people never lose interest in the music that first captivated them as children. Even though musicians come and go from the industry, there will always be a few songs that touch someone’s heart and transport them back to their earliest musical experiences. Eddie Van Halen said he would never be able to listen to the song “Crossroads” in the same way again after learning about the inner workings of Cream. For him, Eric Clapton was that musician.
While Eddie’s sound is unique that no one else can imitate, Clapton’s bluesy lines are easy to identify. Even though Van Halen plays most of his songs like a crazy man, he occasionally intersperses his trademark tapping licks. Examples include “Spanish Fly” and “Eruption.” He combines these with traditional blues scales.
However, Clapton was born for a whole other kind of shredding. Clapton used his guitar as a means of communication, with every bend typically sounding like his instrument was crying out in pain as he played. This is in contrast to musicians who abuse their instruments whenever they play or try their hardest to get any strange sound out of them.
However, “Crossroads” turned into one of the most enduring live recordings ever made when he teamed up with Cream. A lot of people have played the song at open mics since it first came out. Most listeners will probably write it off as dad rock. But what Clapton accomplished on the finished version is truly captivating.
Clapton recalled feeling embarrassed about the solo at first since he felt out of step with the others since the group got off track halfway through. However, he eventually got back on track in the last leg of the solo before leaving for the breakdown. This featured Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce leading the charge.
Eddie thought that kind of brilliance was perfect. But when he learned that it was purposefully put together in that manner, his teenage heart broke. He said, “I was really bummed when I heard from [producer] Andy Johns that Cream’s ‘Crossroads’ was put together from different shows.” I was ruined by that. It wasn’t just one performance, as I had assumed. I’m not sure if any other artist has released a live album that is truly live.
However, Cream is by no means the first person to figure out how to combine clips from a show to get the greatest experience. Even Van Halen’s fellow hard rockers, Judas Priest, had to piece together parts of Rob Halford’s vocals in the studio. They did this as one performance after losing the tapes for the album “Unleashed in the East.” Rob Halford recorded over half of Kiss’s breakthrough record, Alive, in the studio.
There’s nothing wrong with being able to enhance some of the harmonies in the background. However, Eddie never showed interest in doing that. He saved his best songs for the stage. If any of them come across as a little rough, that’s just another way the record gains some personality.
