11 Incredible Eric Clapton Guitar Solos

*Photo: Ckuhl at Dutch Wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0

It’s time we acknowledge another guitarist with an excellent repertoire of work. We are, of course, singling out one of the absolute best musicians in the world: the man known as “God,” and that man is Mr. Eric Clapton. Much like with Jimi Hendrix, there isn’t a whole lot that can be stated that hasn’t already been reiterated endless times before. Yes, Clapton is one of the greatest guitarists of all time. He’s also acutely influential and has inspired millions of subsequent guitarists. Yes, he’s been in many successful and highly significant bands and has had a successful solo career. Yes, he’s sold millions of records. Yes, he’s been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame more times than any other musician; that little tidbit isn’t that important, but it was fun worth noting. And yes, he’s played with some of the greatest bands and musicians; he was friends with Hendrix. You all get the idea of where I’m going with this.

Nothing needs to be said about a human like Eric Clapton; he’s too great to sum up in simple words. As a fellow guitarist, Clapton’s influence on me is pretty immense; his stellar blues-rock credentials during the Cream era were too much for the peripherals of my young ears to contain appropriately. But personal musings aside, Let’s not take up too much more filler with this introduction; with lists like these, the excitement of delving into an artist’s work and sharing your personal favorites with others to enjoy tends to override the plethora of these introductions. So, it’s time for ClassicRockHistory.com to compile another list of exciting guitar solos and some great songs.

# 11 – Anyday

After Cream split up, Clapton decided to branch out on his own and take up more projects; Derek and the Dominoes was one of them. They only put out one album, 1970’s Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, but that was enough to cement their legacy. The thing about the record, and this song in particular, is that Duane Allman played with Derek and the Dominoes; Clapton invited Duane to jam with them after witnessing an Allman Brothers concert that night, which pretty much sealed the deal.

Anyday was one the first songs that Duane sat in on, lending his powerful bottle-neck slide as Eric Clapton dukes it out with his multilayered guitar riffs and a rock-solid guitar solo about three minutes that commands your attention.

# 11 – Bell Bottom Blues

Here’s another Layla cut; this one is one of the many songs dedicated to the woman who inspired the entire album: Pattie Boyd. She was George Harrison’s wife at the time; she’d go on to leave him for Clapton. But during this period, Clapton became infatuated with this woman; she was somebody he couldn’t have, so what better way to profess one’s undying love for somebody than by using the medium of art? You have to give this woman credit. She’s been the inspiration behind Rock’s most iconic songs: George Harrison’s Something, Clapton’s Layla, Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?, our number 9 slot, and the Beatles’ I Need You, For You Blue, and It’s All Too Much, to name a few.

Bell Bottom Blues is one of Clapton’s most poignant songs. It features a soft and delicate solo at around the two-minute mark that speaks volumes about the agonizing love he was feeling for Pattie; those pinch harmonics he integrated within the solo also add to it.

# 9 – Only You Know and I Know

In 1970, Clapton began touring with the music duo Delaney & Bonnie, who had their rock ensemble named Delaney & Bonnie and Friends; some of the musicians who played with them included the likes of Duane and Greg Allman, George Harrison, Leon Russell, Dave Mason, Rita Coolidge, King Curtis, and Bobby Whitlock. After the departure of Blind Faith, Clapton shared the stage with the duo for their live record, On Tour with Eric Clapton. It’s also worth noting that Delaney Bramlett significantly influenced Clapton, encouraging him to sing more, and even produced his debut solo album. Another fun fact: Delaney taught George Harrison how to play slide guitar.

Anyway, Only You Know and I Know is a fine example of Clapton utilizing both rhythm and lead playing without making it all about him; this time period for Eric was him at his peak.

# 8 – Had to Cry Today

Now that we’ve mentioned Blind Faith, let’s take the time to reflect on their incredibly interim career, which consisted of just one album: their self-titled debut. The record itself was quite successful, despite being infamous for its banned cover art involving a topless young woman holding a plastic airplane. But despite that, the music here is incredible, especially the opening track, Had to Cry Today.

It has a nasty riff and a remarkable cluster of blues runs that only highlight Eric Clapton’s colossal transformation as one of the very best of his generation. It starts with that rude-sounding solo at the 2:30 mark and ends at 6:45 with those baying overdubs of guitar solos viciously going at it with one another.

# 7 – Presence of the Lord

But with one Blind Faith deep cut comes another; this is a fantastic song. An excellent piano progression accompanies it, and Steve Winwood’s bellowing vocals bring to life the sentimentality of the soul-searching lyrics. But what truly pumps life into this sweet, solemn, and resolute composition is Clapton’s guitar solo around the 2:30 section of the song. His stylistic efficacy with the wah-wah pedal correctly punctuates the Presence of the Lord in a big way.

# 6 – Crossroads

We couldn’t make an Eric Clapton guitar solo list without throwing in this electrifying cover of Robert Johnson’s classic. It’s a classic, simple and plain. And the provenance of that kind of statement lies within Cream’s status as a premier jam band. When a band like that performs on stage, anything can happen; the kind of chemistry Baker, Bruce, and Clapton harbored was the kind of spontaneity that made their improvisation so exciting. This guitar solo, along with that erratic blues riff, continues to liquefy faces forty years later.

Read More: Top 10 Cream Songs

# 5 – Hideaway

During his tenure with the Yardbirds, Clapton soon became weary of the band’s newfound success; he thought that their more pop-oriented sound would deter from the Blues/R&B style that he was more accustomed to. So he decided to call it quits and join up with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers in 1966; the record was aptly titled Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton, but it’s also known as the Beano album because Clapton is seen in the album cover reading a British comic called Beano.

This record saw Clapton doing what he was born to do: play the Blues. This instrumental cover of Freddie King’s version of Hideaway demonstrates an equilibrium of homage, originality, tribute, and infectiousness. Even though it’s an instrumental, those gritty licks he puts forth should be more than enough proof that he had the ferocity of the blues inside of him.

Read More: Top 10 Yardbirds Songs

# 4 – Sunshine of Your Love

Just like with Crossroads, the acclamation for Sunshine of Your Love speaks endlessly for itself. There’s nothing to emphasize that you all probably already know. It’s one of the giants of classic rock, and this psych-studded, bluesy guitar solo opened up the minds of millions who would proclaim Clapton as “God.”

# 3 – White Room

Here’s the epitome of Clapton’s wah-wah pedal dexterity. It’s one of Cream’s big hits, and for various reasons, but it’s perhaps most lauded for the amazing closing guitar solo Clapton unfolds without any effort whatsoever. It creates a fully established understanding of the guitar, piled on with his volatile energy and the added confection of the wah-wah effect, making this solo one of the pinnacles of his five-decade-long career.

# 2 -While My Guitar Gently Weeps

The Beatles rarely had other musicians share the spotlight with them, but since this was George Harrison’s opus, it was only fitting to recruit his best friend, Mr. Clapton. During the White Album session, things were quite manic between the four men; musical and personal differences clouded their ability to work with one another. When it came time to record this brilliant tune, Harrison was having trouble recording it. So one day him and Clapton were driving around when George floated the idea to him that he should come to the studio and play guitar on the record; Eric was hesitant at first, but he ultimately agreed. The result? A timeless classic with some of Clapton’s most incredible licks ever put to wax. Those two solos he unleashes from the depths of his soul have long been hailed as his most treasured work; the minimalist approach he utilizes puts more emphasis on his beautiful string bends and vibrato as opposed to his usual soloing technique.

# 1 – Spoonful

For this list, we could have just as easily added exclusively live performances, because let’s face it, Clapton is at his best when he performs live and off-the-cuff. But for the number one slot, Cream’s 16-minute rendition of Howlin’ Wolf’s version has to be singled out for Clapton’s guitar work. Going back to the statement that was made about the sheer power of Crossroads, all three men are in complete control of their rapport, and they create a force field of vivacious harmony that’s so cool and fresh that everybody else who soon comes after just couldn’t help but adopt those traits from a band like Cream; and every guitarist just couldn’t help but aspire to keep up with Clapton……even the greatest guitarist of all time: Jimi Hendrix.

This Fillmore East performance is beyond what one could expect out of Clapton. The entire 16 minutes is the equivalent of one big guitar solo, which makes it so great. Clapton’s mercurial attitude when it comes to picking out all of the right licks and passages, all the while getting you to move to the rhythm, is why he’s in the top five.

Read More: Top 10 Eric Clapton Songs

*Full Photo Credit : Photo: Ckuhl at Dutch Wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

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