"Layla! You got me on a step."
Eric Clapton has recorded with so many bands since he debuted as a young guitar prodigy with the Yardbirds in the mid-’60s, it’s tough to keep the guy’s résumé straight. A good place to start is the 1988
Crossroads box, which gathers a little bit from all corners (the Yardbirds, Cream, Derek and the Dominos, etc.) and stopping before all that ’90s crap.
To prep you for his show at Blossom on Saturday, we offer Clapton’s Top 3 greatest hits.
1. “Layla” – The Derek and the Dominos version, not the slow, acoustic one he’s been playing in concert the past 15 years. Clapton and Duane Allman’s guitar duel still thrills.
2. “Crossroads” -- Cream’s 1968
Wheels of Fire album also includes a 16-minute version of “Spoonful” that totally rocks, but Clapton’s solo on this cover of Robert Johnson’s blues classic may be his all-time best.
3. “I Shot the Sheriff” – Clapton smoothed the edges of Bob Marley’s original-gangsta tale. But he brought reggae – years before it became a dorm-room staple – to the masses in a big way.
--Michael Gallucci
Eric Clapton performs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at Blossom Music Center, 1145 West Steels Corners Road in Cuyahoga Falls. Tickets range from $31 to $131, available by calling 216-241-5555. For a preview, listen to “Layla” below.
