Have you seen Eric Clapton at his best?

"Seriously, I believe EC to be the greatest guitar player on earth (Jimi, as we all know, came from another planet!)."

When I see statements such as this attributed to Eric Clapton I shake my head in wonder. A more accurate statement would be "I believe EC to be one of the most successful guitar players on earth." Over the years there have been numerous threads here placing EC on a pedestal he hardly deserves if one is looking at the technical mastery of his instrument. This is not to say I have not enjoyed and appreciated EC's contribution to rock and blues, but clearly there are many much more accomplished guitarists on planet earth, particularly in the jazz and classical realms. I've always believed he reached his peak as a musician with Cream, most likely due to his association with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker.

Tswhitsel:
It's true that Eric may not be as versatile as, say, Chet Atkins (by choice is my guess).
However, Eric Clapton is a master of his instrument and does things that completely boggle my amateur player's mind (example: Try to learn to solo in Cream's "Badge" and get back to me).
What makes Eric's music special is his Artistry and the true love he finds in playing.
BTW, Mr. Clapton's hallmark is "the technical mastery of his instrument".
Ask anyone who plays the guitar (and isn't green with envy).

Saw Cream at Fillmore West in 1968,also, and yes, as I recall there was SOME ATMOSPHERE.!!!

I think I lost some hearing at that concert.

Saw Clapton on his 25th Anniversary tour ( in the late 80's). Mark Knopfler was his back up guitarist.Played all his old stuff, although the encore was Dire Straits, Money for Nothing ... strange choice in my opinion. It was the best concert I've ever seen.

All great insights! I have the Cream reunion DVD and Eric played as good as I've ever seen him. I pray that this recent tour produces a DVD also. I personally cannot rank guitatists. They all bring their own unique gifts. I wish I had seen Duanne and Eric together, but Derek does a more than credible job filling Duane's shoes either with Eric on this tour or playing with the Allman Brothers. I personally enjoy seeing Jeff Beck or Eddie Van Halen in concert because they haven't mellowed with age at all. They are both guitar gunslingers and are very exciting to watch play, but neither produces that sweet "woman tone" (Eric's own description) that Clapton makes. Again, if you have the chance to see Eric and Derek together - do it. Eric doing "Layla" songs is as good as it gets!