By the time Eric Clapton launched his solo career with the release of his self-titled debut album in mid-1970, he was long established as one of the world's major rock stars due to his group affiliations the Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, and Blind Faith which had demonstrated his claim to being the best rock guitarist of his generation. That it took Clapton so long to go out on his own, however, was evidence of a degree of reticence unusual for one of his stature.
Wembley Stadium has seen its share of stars, benefits and concerts, but none quite like this. Some of England's biggest and brightest stars come out to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela on his 70th birthday. This concert features full sets from Dire Straits, who was joined by Eric Clapton, Sting, George Michael, Eurythmics, Simple Minds, Peter Gabriel, UB40, Tracy Chapman, and many others…
This release includes only set with Dire Straits and Eric Clapton.
Life in 12 Bars is the name of Lili Fini Zanuck's feature-length 2018 documentary about Eric Clapton, so it fits that its accompanying soundtrack also attempts to tell his story, only through song. To that end, the double-disc soundtrack doesn't limit itself strictly to music Clapton recorded himself, either on his own, as a sideman, or with the many bands he's played in over the years. It kicks off with three vintage blues sides – "Backwater Blues" by Big Bill Broonzy, then two cuts from Muddy Waters – and it later finds space for Aretha Franklin's "Good to Me as I Am to You" and George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" (although, oddly, nothing from the Band's Music from Big Pink, which changed the course of Clapton's career as thoroughly as hearing blues for the first time).
Eric Clapton Young Man Blues (1994 Japanese-only 16-track CD album featuring the 1960s rhythm and blues works of young "Slow Hand", including Bluesbreakers, Yardbirds & immediate sessions with Jimmy Page).
At his peak, Eric Clapton was nicknamed "God" by his fans, an indication of how highly regarded the guitarist was during his glory days. This phrase, immortalized in graffiti that spread across London in 1967, originated a few years earlier when Clapton was playing with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers just after leaving the Yardbirds in 1965. Clapton never was comfortable with the nickname - he embraced "Slowhand," titling his 1977 album after it - but "Clapton Is God" is a pivotal part of his story and an instrumental moment in the rise of the guitar hero, a rock & roll cliché that didn't exist prior to EC…