John Mayall & The BluesbreakersAlright, Eric Clapton is a guitar god. According to graffiti that is. He left The Yardbirds because they had become too poppy (how dare they!) and found a nice companion in John Mayall for making some whiteman blues music. Sure, Eric Clapton plays the guitar marvelously (just take the guitar solo in All Your Love), and John Mayall has a nice voice, but that doesn't matter at all because this music is boring as hell.
Don't let me be misunderstood: my favourite music instrument? Guitars! Nothing beats a nice guitar melody (Neil Young's Cortez The Killer really kills me each time I hear it), not even a whole string orchestra. There is however one danger: endlessly excellent guitar playing can become too long the same, and eventually boring. No matter how much I love the guitar, a guitar solo extended over an entire cd is not my thing. Just to say: guitar music can be boring even if geniously played.
Well, there are drums too and the harmonica and even a trumpet! It's not that you constantly hear the guitar. But the guitar doesn't save the day either (see previous paragraph). This is blues that misses something, or maybe my standards are too high after hearing Muddy Waters.
Still, some exceptions: All Your Love (nice guitar solo!),
Another Man (the simple approach, but John Mayall's voice shines), What'd I Say (fine melody) and Key To Love (a bit poppy, haha!). However, even these songs drown a little in the overall album sound.Alright, let the stoning begin. But I'm sure there are better Eric Clapton albums to be found than this one.
(Nog even herhalen: All Your Love,
Another Man, What'd I Say, Key To Love)
