Tag Archives: Eric Clapton

FLY TOMORROW

Chapter One: A potted history 1963–1967 An ambitious but ultimately doomed attempt to summarise the early days of blues legend John Mayall John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers started playing London’s famous Marquee Club in late 1963. In the following year they released a first single and backed John Lee Hooker on his British tour. In […]

1974 COUNTDOWN | #44 — #41

#44 QUEEN SHEER — HEART ATTACK If Queen II announced their arrival as an exciting rock band, Sheer Heart Attack was the band’s breakthrough. The irresistible single “Killer Queen” introduced the world to the theatrical camp of Freddie Mercury and propelled them up to #2 in the UK charts. There are still little progressive flourishes […]

SUN + MOON + HERBS

From the golden art deco inspired cover through the fascinating story of a planned three LP magnum opus, The Sun Moon and Herbs is a highlight in the long career of the New Orleans legend ‘Mac’ Rebennack, aka Dr John, The Night Tripper. Blending the good Doctor’s various styles and influences into an ecstatic musical […]

LET IT GROW

When 461 Ocean Boulevard was released in July 1974, it is extraordinary to note that Eric Clapton, at twenty-nine years of age, was a veteran of The Yardbirds, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, and Derek and the Dominos. Not to mention two solo albums. Under 30 with more than fifteen album credits. Not bad, […]

BEARDED RAINBOWS

Eric Clapton and girlfriend Charlotte Martin were at London musician’s club The Speakeasy in Spring 1967. It was the same club where, not long previously, Eric had his first taste of LSD in circumstances that were probably not your average first trip, even in that much mythologized year. The way Eric tells it, ‘the Beatles came in […]

SMILING PHASES

STEVE WINWOOD How do you approach the catalogue of an artist active over many decades in several different outfits who has a substantial solo output to boot? That’s the question I’ve been pondering, on and off, since a blogmate expressed interest in reading a little about the career of one of the great rock singers, […]

10 AUTO ALBUM COVERS – READER’S CHOICE

There was a great response to the recent post of album covers featuring automobiles. Folk enthusiastically shared suggestions for covers that could have been included and nominated some personal favourites. So why not build another ‘Car Covers’ post? I’ve added a few more of my own favourites too. * * THE COVERS Delany and Bonnie – On […]

TIME OF THE PREACHER

In the mid-80s I shared a house in Kensington. That’s not the Kensington next to Hyde Park in London. It’s the inner city village adjacent to North Melbourne, squeezed between Flemington Racecourse, the railway line, and the Maribyrnong river. It was a good time. Ali and I got on well, sharing some commonalities –uncommunicative mornings, […]

THE VINYL CONNECTION ANNUAL REPORT

It’s a little over a year since Vinyl Connection started adding alphabet clumps to the swirling word-clouds of the blogsphere. Fifty-three weekly posts of 1,000 words (give or take), roughly the same again of Cover Art specimens, plus a few odds and sods along the way. In these past twelve months, VC has attracted ten dozen […]

TOUCH THE DISTANT BEACHES

Eric Clapton and girlfriend Charlotte Martin were at London musician’s club The Speakeasy in Spring 1967. It was the same club where, not long previously, Eric had his first taste of LSD in circumstances that were probably not your average first trip, even in that much mythologized year. The way Eric tells it, ‘the Beatles […]