<\/p>\n
Besides being one of the greatest songwriters and bassists of all time, Paul McCartney also is a really good guitarist, having played the instrument in many Beatles\u2019 classics.<\/p>\n
Performing with John Lennon, George Harrison and witnessing the rise of Jimi Hendrix up-close he saw many of the greatest guitar players in the world, so he can easily spot a good musician. Over the decades he has given his opinion on many famous guitar players, including the legendary Eric Clapton.<\/p>\n
What is Paul McCartney\u2019s opinion on Eric Clapton<\/p>\n
Like George Harrison also was, Paul McCartney is a fan and a friend of Eric Clapton<\/a>. He has already said that Clapton is a really good guitarist, and although in the late 60s Clapton had already reached \u201cGod\u201d status for many fans, in 1990 McCartney said: \u201cI think Clapton is real good, particularly these days,\u201d he told Guitar Player<\/a>, interestingly showing that he felt the musician had improved even more over the years. In 2014, when Paul was asked about retirement, using Eric as an example since he had said he was thinking about it, he praised the musician and said he shouldn\u2019t do it because he was good.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Stones go out now, and I go to their show and I think, \u2018It doesn\u2019t matter that they\u2019re old gits. They can play great.\u2019 And I talk to young kids who say exactly the same thing: \u2018They play good.\u2019 I think that\u2019s the deciding factor. It would be a pity if Eric retires, because, shit, he really plays good! But he\u2019s that kind of guy, Eric. I can see him saying, \u2018I\u2019m going to retire.\u2019 He\u2019s kind of a homebody in essence.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued:<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve talked about this before. I remember him joking about how I stand up for the whole show. He said, \u2018I sit down.\u2019 That\u2019s a blues player thing. But he\u2019s just too good a player. I would say to him, \u2018Yeah, by all means, sit down, Eric. But don\u2019t retire,’\u201d Paul McCartney told Rolling Stone<\/a> in 2014. They have known each other since the 60s and back then the Beatle had the chance to see Cream play at a historical concert at the Saville Theatre. The audience that night also included Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townshend<\/a>.<\/p>\n Interestingly, McCartney said that he was actually a bit influenced by Clapton back in the 1960s to buy a new guitar. He once spent some time at John Mayall\u2019s house listening to records with the musician. \u201cYou\u2019d go back to his place and he\u2019d sit you down, give you a drink, and say, \u2018Just check this out. He\u2019d go over to his (tape) deck, and for hours blast you with B.B. King, Eric Clapton. He was sort of showing me where all of Eric\u2019s stuff was from. He gave me a little evening\u2019s education. I was turned on after that, and (bought) an Epiphone,\u201d Paul McCartney told Vintage Guitar.<\/p>\n The Beatles considered asking Eric Clapton to join them when Harrison briefly left<\/p>\n Clapton was the only guitarist from outside the band to have played on a Beatles<\/a> record. Although there was some resistance from Paul and the other members when George said he wanted his friend to record the guitar solo on \u201cWhile My Guitar Gently Weeps\u201d, they later accepted and approved the result. After tumultuous recording sessions in 1969, George Harrison temporarily left the band because he felt his songs were not getting the recognition and necessary effort from the other members. In recordings from the \u201cLet It Be\u201d sessions, after Harrison was gone, Lennon said: \u201cIf George doesn\u2019t come back by next week, we ask Eric Clapton to play.\u201d<\/p>\n Harrison returned, and it was not necessary to consider Clapton joining the band. However, after The Beatles came to an end, McCartney considered creating a supergroup with other famous artists, mentioning Eric among them. \u201cAfter the end of The Beatles I was faced with certain alternatives. One was to give up music entirely and do God knows what. Another was to start a super-band with very famous people, Eric Clapton and so on. I didn\u2019t like either. So I thought: How did The Beatles start? It was a bunch of mates who didn\u2019t know what they were doing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s when I realized maybe there is a third alternative: to get a band that isn\u2019t massively famous. To not worry if we don\u2019t know what we\u2019re doing. Because we would form our character by learning along the way. It was a real act of faith. It was crazy, actually,\u201d Paul McCartney said in an interview with Mojo<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n One of the few times most of The Beatles\u2019 members reunited and played together was at Clapton\u2019s wedding<\/p>\n Curiously, one of the few times that George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney played live together after the end of The Beatles was at Clapton\u2019s wedding. He had got married with George\u2019s ex-wife Pattie Boyd in Tucson, Arizona in 1979 but months later held a wedding reception at their home in England.<\/p>\n The ceremony happened five years after Harrison and Boyd had split and two years after their divorce was finalized. Even though his ex-wife was marrying one of his best friends, who had tried to seduce her for years, Harrison was on good terms with both and attended the ceremony. That day, the three musicians took the stage at the party with other special guests and played songs like \u201cSgt. Pepper\u2019s Lonely Hearts Club Band\u201d and \u201cGet Back\u201d.<\/p>\n They played together a couple of times<\/p>\n