I've Got A Rock 'n' Roll Heart - If You're Paying For It
For the record, I am not a fan of artists licensing their music to sell things, no matter how unique or prestigious said things may be. There are memories associated with particular songs and I would, for example, just as soon that memory not involve David Caruso.
Which brings up the new
T-Mobile ad starring Eric Clapton. Clapton, of course, is no stranger to whoring out his product: Back in the 80s, Anheuser-Busch used “After Midnight” to sell Michelob beer. I guess the admen didn’t consider the irony there.
I can understand artists seeking sponsorships – I know it costs zillions of dollars to tour and having a large corporation underwrite it can help out. And I suppose if it’s a product the artist truly believes in, why not put your name on it. Or, you can just take Pete Townshend’s attitude and say,
“This is my music, not yours. I sell it wherever I like.” But I don’t get the phone thing. This has gone beyond using a great Clapton song in the advertisement to designing a special Eric Clapton model telephone. According to the T-Mobile Website, it comes “with a classic Fender sunburst-inspired design” and “preloaded with music from Eric Clapton.” I just don’t get it, but then again, I’m not a Techno-Beaver kinda guy. The company I work for has thoughtfully provided me with a pretty lo-tech cell phone and I seem to make do with that. As much as I admire Eric Clapton, and as beautiful as I think the Fender Stratocaster is, I just don’t see the need for a $450 telephone with faux sunburst colors. I can buy a lot of Clapton records with that $450. Hell, I could just about buy a
real Strat for that kind of money. And without the monthly bills from a pain-in-the-ass phone company.
I can see from different things I’ve read that feelings vary widely on the idea of commercial use of classic rock music. Some people think it’s the reality of the times and that it actually helps introduce a new audience to the songs. Others feel the music is sacrosanct and shouldn’t be whored out to the highest bidder. If you care to, drop me a comment and let me know what you think. In the meantime, here’s the song Clapton and T-Mobile are using to hawk this latest gadget.
I’ve Got a Rock ‘n’ Roll Heart.mp3 Labels: clapton, classic rock, guitar heroes
"Clapton is God" - Hear it here, then go read about it
There is, in today’s
New York Times, an excellent article about the upcoming Eric Clapton autobiography, “Clapton: The Autobiography.” The book should be in stores this week.
The
Times article sort of takes the approach that the public’s primary interest in the book will be Clapton’s version of his relationship with Pattie Boyd Harrison. Despite the newspaper’s emphasis on this one aspect, the article makes it clear that this is but one small piece of the notoriously private Clapton’s life. Even Clapton himself now downplays the relationship: “At the time it was kind of like swinging, very loose and amoral,” the
Times quotes him as saying. “I think we didn’t give it too much thought. It was really only later that we realized that we treated each other quite badly.”
Beyond Pattie Boyd, though, “Clapton: The Autobiography” covers the scope of EC’s career and life, from being raised by his grandparents, through his battles with addiction, and the 1991 death of his son.
It’s the discussion of Conor’s death that led the
Times to praise Clapton’s “distinctly measured tone, which never becomes hysterical or sentimental, even when writing about painful, dramatic or unflattering situations.”
Clapton said his editors called him to ask why he had taken such a detached tone when writing about Conor’s death. “I had to explain that it was impossible to re-enter that period of time,” he said. “It’s so traumatic that I can only really talk about it from a distance, as if it were someone else.
“Someone recently read the book and told me I was really hard on myself.” Clapton said. “I think that’s a misunderstanding of it. I just tried to take responsibility for all the different phases of my life.”
I enjoy reading well-written biographies and autobiographies and I expect this book will not disappoint me. Clapton’s status as a rock icon / living legend practically ensures an interesting read.
“Clapton: The Autobiography” is due out Oct. 9, by Broadway Books.
After reading about the upcoming Clapton book, I dug around a bit and found this recording of a Mar. 24, 1978, show at the Memorial Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. If I date-checked correctly, this would have been during the
Slowhand tour.
Worried Life Blues.mp3 Peaches and Diesel.mp3 Wonderful Tonight.mp3 Lay Down Sally.mp3 Rodeo Man.mp3 Fool’s Paradise.mp3 Cocaine.mp3 Double Trouble.mp3 Badge.mp3 Nobody Knows You.mp3 Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.mp3 Key to the Highway.mp3 Layla.mp3 Bottle of Red Wine.mp3Labels: books, clapton, classic rock, live music
Saturday Boxing - Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton.
A lot of history there. The man’s a damn icon. A legend. And I missed the only real opportunity I had to see him perform live. Again, harkening back to my military career, I had a Clapton ticket in my hand, and was ready to go, when we had an alert. That meant the cancelation of all days off and any other plans. My sergeant didn’t understand
”it’s Eric Clapton, dammit!!”. Instead, I worked 12-hour shifts for a week. Don’t think I’ve forgotten that....
But I do have the 4-disk box set
Crossroads, which covers the first 25 years of Clapton’s career in all its phases up to and including the 1987 Michelob Beer commercial featuring “After Midnight.” This collection was released in 1988, when only genuine superstars were given retrospectives of this sort.
There is a terrific essay by Anthony DeCurtis in the booklet accompanying the disks. It details EC’s roots and career from the bohemian scene in London, through his various early bands, the “Clapton is God” era (“My vanity was incredibly boosted by that ‘God’ thing,” Clapton said), the later collaborations, and into his solo career.
“With nearly a third of its tracks culled from the ‘rare’ and ‘unreleased’ files,
Crossroads is a piece of primo rock & roll detective work,” wrote
Rolling Stone critic David Fricke (
read the entire review). “Add to that more hits and top-drawer guitar solos than you could shake a Strat at, and you have a rich, comprehensive portrait of a man blessed with undeniable greatness and cursed with doubt about his ability to carry that weight.”
I’ve attempted to pull a lot of the unreleased and live tracks from these disks and not stray too much into “Classic Rock Radio” territory. There isn’t any commentary on the individual tracks; only the recording information, so what you see is what I have.
New Music Disclaimer: Some of this stuff may have surfaced elsewhere since the release of this set.
I Wish You Would.mp3 The YardbirdsRecorded at Olympic Studios March/April 1964.
Released July 1964 as the A-side of The Yardbirds’ first single.
Have You Ever Loved a Woman (live).mp3 John Mayall’s BluesbreakersRecorded live at the Flamingo Club, London, April 1966.
Lawdy Mama.mp3 CreamRecorded at BBC Studios, London, December 1966
Previously unreleased.
Sleeping In the Ground.mp3 Blind Faith Recorded at Morgan Studios, London, June 1969, during the Blind Faith sessions.
Previously unreleased.
Tell the Truth.mp3 Derek and the DominosRecorded at Trident Studios, London, August 5, 1970.
Released August 1970 as the A-side of Derek and the Dominos first single, but was subsequently recalled.
Mean Old World.mp3 Eric Clapton and Duane AllmanRecorded at Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida, October 2, 1970, during the Layla sessions.
Evil.mp3 Derek and the DominosRecorded at Olympic Studios, London, May 1971 during sessions for The Dominos’ second album.
Previously unreleased.
I Shot the Sheriff (live).mp3 Eric ClaptonRecorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, December 5, 1974.
Previously unreleased.
I Found a Love.mp3 Eric ClaptonRecorded at Dynamic Sounds Studios, Kingston, Jamaica, September 1974 during sessions for
There’s One in Every Crowd.
Previously unreleased.
Further On Up the Road (live).mp3 Eric Clapton Recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, April 28, 1977.
Previously unreleased.
I Wanna Make Love to You.mp3 Eric ClaptonRecorded at Sunset Sound Studios, Los Angeles, Spring 1986 and mixed at Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida, Fall 1986 during the
August sessions.
Released January 1987 as an extra track on the 12” single of “Behind the Mask.”
After Midnight.mp3 Eric ClaptonRecorded at Power Station Studios, New York, and mixed at Streeterville Studios, Chicago, September 1987.
Labels: clapton, guitar heroes
Which brings up the new T-Mobile ad starring Eric Clapton. Clapton, of course, is no stranger to whoring out his product: Back in the 80s, Anheuser-Busch used “After Midnight” to sell Michelob beer. I guess the admen didn’t consider the irony there. 
I can see from different things I’ve read that feelings vary widely on the idea of commercial use of classic rock music. Some people think it’s the reality of the times and that it actually helps introduce a new audience to the songs. Others feel the music is sacrosanct and shouldn’t be whored out to the highest bidder. If you care to, drop me a comment and let me know what you think. In the meantime, here’s the song Clapton and T-Mobile are using to hawk this latest gadget. 
