{"id":578435,"date":"2026-05-11T17:31:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T17:31:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/578435\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T17:31:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T17:31:13","slug":"the-band-so-good-they-were-beyond-eric-claptons-comprehension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/578435\/","title":{"rendered":"The band so good they were beyond Eric Clapton\u2019s comprehension"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Eric<\/p>\n

Credit: Far Out \/ YouTube Still<\/p>\n

Mon 11 May 2026 15:05, UK <\/p>\n

Most artists who have seen it all tend to feel more cynical when it comes to the supposed \u201cbest new artists\u201d on the scene. Given that Eric Clapton<\/a> was initially nicknamed God in London, he knew a thing or two about hype.<\/p>\n

Anyone can claim to leave people with their mouths on the floor, but some musicians talk a big game only to be a massive re-run of what had come before. While <\/a>Eric Clapton never claimed to be anything more than another preacher of all things bluesy, he remembered being staggered the first time he heard this songwriter play for the first time.<\/p>\n

Then again, Clapton seemed to think a lot differently than most other rock and roll stars from around that time. Whereas some of the biggest bands in England featured a band of brothers that wanted nothing more than to make the audience move, \u2018Slowhand\u2019 was the free agent interested in playing with as many blues players as he could while continuing to refine his craft everywhere he went.<\/p>\n

But around the time that Cream dissolved, Clapton had started looking at music beyond the jamming. Most people could have spent their entire lives trying to dig into their back pages and make something that no one had heard before, but the more he started to tighten his technique, the more he started to feel stifled by playing the same old riffs over and over again without any real emotion.<\/p>\n

Rock had to progress beyond the virtuosos, and with Jimi Hendrix growing past his solos, many artists had started to go back to their roots, which is where Clapton got in contact with The Band. Despite being known as the backing group for Bob Dylan for the longest time, hearing albums like Music From Big Pink<\/a> cast a large shadow on anyone who heard it, whether it was The Beatles taking that rootsy sound for \u2018Don\u2019t Let Me Down\u2019 or Roger Waters learning about what music could mean beyond space rock.<\/p>\n

Whereas Clapton had been friendly with the group, he saw true genius on display when listening to Robbie Robertson\u2019s songs. Although no one could really dethrone Dylan\u2019s handiwork in the rock industry, Robertson managed to put pure heart into every one of his songs, whether that was the harmonies on \u2018The Weight\u2019 or hearing everyone in the group come together for \u2018The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down\u2019. <\/p>\n

While Clapton was happy to learn whatever he could from Robertson, he felt that he couldn\u2019t dwell on that kind of genius for too long, saying<\/a>, \u201cIf I sat down and thought for ten minutes about what he\u2019s given me, I wouldn\u2019t even be able to have coffee with him. I\u2019d be awe-struck. I was devoted to the Band, and every song that he ever wrote for the Band had a profound effect on me.\u201d <\/p>\n

Further reading: From The Vault<\/p>\n

The group seemed to capture the truth of his life. As he continued, \u201cThe story of the relationship in the song \u2018The Moon Struck One\u2019 is so profound. It brings back so many memories of my own childhood that it seems like Robbie must have been there.\u201d<\/p>\n

They had found a way to capture the black music that he adored without it seeming appropraited. This floored and inspired him. \u201cFor me, it was serious. It was serious,\u201d he said, \u201cand it was grown up, and it was mature, and it told stories, and it had beautiful harmonies, fantastic singing, beautiful musicianship, without any virtuosity. Just, you know, economy, and beauty.\u201d<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not like people have to go too far to hear that influence on Clapton. Outside of him getting more into songwriting with Derek and the Dominoes, his entire mentality seemed to change following the group, leading to him going for more laid-back music on his 1970s records like Slowhand. During this period, he even made moves to try and join The Band.<\/p>\n

Considering where he would eventually go, it\u2019s not like Clapton was that far off the mark calling Robertson a foundational piece of his career. Because if it weren\u2019t for albums like The Band, most people wouldn\u2019t have heard Clapton break out the acoustic or get as personal as he got on \u2018Tears in Heaven\u2019.<\/p>\n

He was now moved to capture his own experiences, and that was largely borne from following The Band\u2019s lead. He even recalled watching his beloved group warming up. \u201cI remember Robbie saying, \u2018We don\u2019t jam. There\u2019s no point sitting here and trying to, you know. We just write and work.\u2019 And I was very impressed.\u201d He was so impressed, in fact, that he\u2019s never recovered from their influence.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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