Cream — Stormy Monday


Wanted to share this cause it’s Cream really well recorded. I can’t play their older stuff on the big rig as much as I like it because it’s not well recorded and I just can’t. But I recently found this recorded live in Royal Albert Hall in 2005 that IS well recorded, and it includes possibly the best Clapton guitar solo I’ve heard and one of my faves ever given its combination of intricacy and musicality — and it’s three masters at work. Fun to watch here, but you can pull it off Qobuz, turn the lights way down and be transported to Royal Albert Hall.  Pretty fun.

https://youtu.be/44GHRBBz_eA?si=urk7Z_W0do2bppug

soix

Cream live at Royal Albert is a wonderful package.  Audio disc + dvd of the shows.  Classic.  

Different strokes. Personally, I’ve always preferred the B.B. Bland/Allman Bros. arrangement. 

FWIW, my favorite performance and favorite Clapton guitar work from the Albert Hall reunion gigs is this version of "We’re Going Wrong". As much as I love the bluesy stuff, in this performance the band is deep in the zone and there’s a power and-- dare I say, majesty-- that I find particularly striking. Clapton’s soloing combines lyricism and power in equal measure and it’s when he’s playing from this this place -- drawing from both his masculine and feminine sides-- that I find him most compelling. Needless to say, YMMV.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soxYa1XqYyw

@stuartk my favorite track from those shows as well. Something special happens on that one. 

@zlone 

Something special happens on that one. 

Yes! 

On the DVD, Clapton announces "I think we're going to play every tune we know". Of course, they didn't. Due to age, EC can be forgiven for having forgotten some but nevertheless, I wish they'd played  "World of Pain" and  "Tales of Brave Ulysses".

 

 

@stuartk @zlone Great song!  Definitely has a haunting feel about it that’s accentuated by Ginger Baker looking like a drumming corpse. 

There's plenty of great blue guitarist doing their cover of Stormy Monday,  and there's Eric Clapton taking ownership of the great T- Bone Walker classic.

The 2 other guys aren't bad either.

Cream has been in my collection since the 60s!

 One of the finest solos of that era is Crossroads. 
There are many bad recordings of Wheels of Fire, but , surprisingly, there are some gems out there. I know because I have 2 copies. Problem is, lots of them are beat up. Too many stoners who didn’t take care of there stuff. 
 For example, White Room- excellent drum with rhythm and well tuned. Ginger Baker is just accurate and plays as if he’s an octopus. Jack Bruce sings with passion and emotion. I love Those Were The Days, sweet and too short. 
 If you find a clean copy, grab it! 
 Of course, Disraeli Gears is out there and some copies are fantastic. 
My Benz LPS, Dynavector XV-1 and Etsuro will testify!

Stormy Monday by Lee Michaels is killer. 
I like Bobby Blue Bland, too. He put it on the map. 

@tablejockey

I didn’t hear T Bone’s version until many years after I heard the Live at Fillmore East version and I still tend to view the B. Bland/Allmans arrangement as my baseline for comparisons. Played as a generic I/IV/V, the tune always sounds oversimplified/truncated to me. Clapton does fine but as I hear it, doesn’t come close to "telling a story" like both Duane and Dickie did with their solos. But it’s a matter of taste, clearly.

 

There’s plenty of great blue guitarist doing their cover of Stormy Monday, and there’s Eric Clapton taking ownership of the great T- Bone Walker classic.

@tablejockey I take issue with you saying Clapton was “taking ownership” of the song. That’s a poor choice of words. He hasn’t taken “ownership” of the song any more than any other guitarist or band has — it’s just their interpretation of the song and that’s all, and that has been going on in music forever. Don’t single out Clapton, cause that’s not right or fair.  BTW, the Allman Brothers’ version Live at the Fillmore is awesome.

I have a guitar playing buddy who prefers "You don’t Love Me" played straight, like on J. Mayall’s "A Hard Road" while I much prefer it swung like the Allmans did it. The nature of the Blues allows for many different interpretations of what might be called "Blues Standards". As in Jazz, it’s all about each player making the tune their own, in their own way. And that’s a beautiful thing, no?

"Played as a generic I/IV/V, the tune always sounds oversimplified/truncated to me"

"That’s a poor choice of words. He hasn’t taken “ownership” of the song any more than any other guitarist or band has — it’s just their interpretation"

LOL! GOOD GREIF!

Soix- Simply MY observation as a 50+ year guitar wanker..

Weird YOU start a thread, and make such a comment.

There are some old, grumpy "get off my  lawn!" posters in here.

Save the energy for a cable, fuse or digital vs analog thread

 

LOL! GOOD GREIF! Soix- Simply MY observation as a 50+ year guitar wanker.. Weird YOU start a thread, and make such a comment.

@tablejockey I made such a comment because it was a poor choice of words, even for a guitar wanker. Clapton neither professes nor has any “ownership” of this tune, so maybe you wanna clarify what you meant by your words. Otherwise, you’re free to leave.

@soix I think all tablejockey was saying is that Clapton’s version of the tune is definitive, FOR HIM.

"No reason to get excited", the thief he kindly spoke. That’s from Bob Dylan. Don’t want anyone accusing me of stealing.  If you think someone is saying something inappropriate, you can ask them what they mean before getting angry.  That's better for all of us.

@tablejockey 

I don't see what you're objecting you re: my comment about playing the tune as a I/IV/V, given that it was just an opinion. I never claimed it was gospel truth! In matters of esthetics, there will always be differing opinions. How this translates to "get off my lawn" eludes me.

Isn’t that just one of those concerts you really really really wish you could have gone to?

If you think someone is saying something inappropriate, you can ask them what they mean before getting angry.

@tomcy6 First, I’m not angry — I just merely said I take issue with the assertion that Clapton took “ownership” of the song, which is utter hogwash given many other bands/guitarists have covered this song. Second, and if you read my prior post, I clearly asked if that poster would care to clarify his words. If he wants to, fine. And if not, fine and he’s perfectly able to “get off the lawn.” I still take issue with the words he used initially.

I don't see what you're objecting you re: my comment about playing the tune as a I/IV/V, given that it was just an opinion. 

@stuartk Apparently he can have his opinions but you’re not entitled to yours — hypocrisy.  Good grief. 

Another one worth listening to is Clapton’s Crossroads 2 (Live in the Seventies) album.

 

One more that is stunning is the Cream album Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-4-5-6 2005. My personal fave.

T-Bone Walker owns the song, but this is my go to version by Roomful Of Blues, Duke Robillard on the guitar.

 

If you like the RAH version of Stormy Monday, AND I DO, try Soulshine from Allman Bros Where It All Begins. The dueling duo of blues/rock guitars is amazing. First tune I played after my last upgrade and it still blows me away.

Soulshine is up there w/ the Allman Bros classics w/ great guitar work  & Gregg’s vocal is also outstanding. 


I never got why some of of Cream’s recordings are so poor. It’s a shame because the music is excellent! Their engineers must have been joining  in on the heroin et al….

When I was a senior in hs, I didn’t know what HQ audio was. But, I  thought Creams’s Wheels of Fire sounded great on 8 track while driving around in my dad’s 1966 Sport Fury!

Great post Soix.   It’s too bad a great call out turns into such rubbish that you have to defend your song. LOL. 

To me, the blues has to be bitter and heartfelt. The closest Mr. Clapton came was a live bootleg when he was playing with Mayall. It certainly isn’t audiophile. I think it was the Flamingo Club.

This is not about sonics:

 

Apologies if already covered in this thread.

To me, the blues has to be bitter and heartfelt.

@whart I respectfully disagree with this.  While the blues started out as a way to express anguish and suffering in the southern United States and can certainly still reflect that, it has morphed over many decades to be much more versatile and translatable to other styles and purpose.  Hell, many of the most popular bands in rock are blues based — Stones, Cream, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Led Zeppelin,  The Allman Brothers, etc., etc., and a lot of their songs aren’t sad at all.  Listen to Keb’ Mo’ — he’s born and raised on the blues in Mississippi and a lot of of his stuff is upbeat while being very blues based while still including songs that represent struggle and hardship.  I’d avoid trying to pigeonhole any type of music because really great music and songs, in my opinion, not only lend themselves but almost beg to be stretched and pulled in different directions to see where they can go.  I for one enjoy the creativity and variation.  But that’s me. 

It’s my GoTo track when auditioning new gear. Absolutely love the sound of the room….the sound of the drums, the bass and guitar….right from the opening riff….!

@soix- I respect your view and you may be right. Thanks for the courteous and thoughtful response. (Keb Mo' was fabulous in concert; Ditto, Etta James, who I considered a blues singer, and a long list of others). 

My personal issue with the blues has to do with a feeling of authenticity. And not about playing style, "period," (acoustic or electric) or the like. Sometimes, I hear bands and players who just simply dial it in- like they hit the notes, but the passion isn't there. Of all the now gone performers I wished I had seen live, it was probably Jimi H- I was told by someone that he'd warm up w/ a blues tune and if the audience was with him, he'd play his ass off. Otherwise, he'd just do his show and walk off. 

The thing I like about that Clapton track I posted is that it is an early example of "riding feedback" pretty much throughout the track. I'm not sure how prevalent that was at the time. Elmore James was pretty notorious for a highly juiced (overloaded) sound--something that Duane Allman picked up on. To me, the early Clapton is my favorite of his work- that board recording of Cream at the Grande in Detroit in 'Oct '67 is absolutely killer. Sadly, it has never been legitimized and remains a bootleg. 

my regards,

Bill Hart

I think that Cream’s studio recordings were perfectly listenable, although Disraeli Gears was the worst of them I think. So good though that I still listen to it.

@soix 

Apparently he can have his opinions but you’re not entitled to yours — hypocrisy.  Good grief. 

Apparently so...

@whart

Elmore James was pretty notorious for a highly juiced (overloaded) sound--something that Duane Allman picked up on.

Duane stated his main influence for slide tone and phrasing was actually Blues harmonica players... which makes sense and is consistent with your description of "highly juiced".

 

@roxy54

I have the old MoFi gold cd of "Disraeli Gears" (includes stereo and mono) and have no objections to the sound.

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