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All Along, We Had to Talk About It

Books

Eric Clapton has had literally millions of pages written about him. Books, magazine articles, and websites have reviewed, examined, and chronicled just about every note he has played, every word he has spoken, and most everything he has done during the course of his life. The last fifty years of his life is an open book, to use a bad pun.

Books have been well researched and otherwise. They have been based on fact and rumor. They have provided enjoyable, interesting, and sometimes boring reads. They have sold well, and many have quickly disappeared. No matter how many books have been written, there will always be more on the way.

Eric Clapton is one of a very few musicians who has maintained a high level of popularity for nearly half a century. He has, for better or worse, kept himself in the public eye, and yes, some of it was unintentional. He has accomplished a lot, produced an extensive catalog of music, and lived a life of brilliance and sometimes excess. He has proven himself to be a music god on one hand and a very normal and often vulnerable human being on the other. Through it all he has been fascinating for his huge fan base.

The following books are both helpful and at times essential in understanding Eric Clapton as both a person and musician.

Eric: The Autobiography

The first book anyone should turn to when exploring, or trying to understand, someone of note is his autobiography, if available.

Clapton published his autobiography in May 2008, and it remains the definitive book about his life for obvious reasons.

Like all autobiographies, it only contains what the author wants his readers to know. Everyone has secrets, and if the author wants to keep something private, whether thoughts or actions, then so be it.

Any autobiography is life as the author or principal participant sees it. Examining oneself is not always easy. There must be an ability to look inside with insightfulness and clarity, which is not an ability all people can do.

Eric Clapton, to his credit, managed to produce a very personal book. His childhood and formative years find him at his most vulnerable.

His relationships with women are probably the area of least depth, especially concerning some who were not as well known as Patti Harrison Clapton Boyd.

As with many books of this type, the response was both critical and worshipful, which is probably as it should be. Yes, the book is self-centered in places, but that is the nature of the autobiographical beast. If you consider yourself important enough to write about, especially hundreds of pages, then some self-centeredness is needed.

Clapton has been one of the best guitarists in the world for close to fifty years; his fans have known it, and he has known it as well. He has very few living equals. “Clapton is god” rings true for his fans and for him.

He did not really need to write this book, as his fame and fortune are secure. It for some reason helped him on his journey through life. Whatever the hesitations may have been, understanding Eric Clapton as a person starts here.

Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me by Patti Boyd

Except for the musicians themselves, very few people have been as much a part of the inside story of the 1960s and 1970s music scene as has Patti Boyd.

She has received a lot of criticism along the way, and such was the case when this book was published. There are a lot more Clapton fans in this world than there are Boyd fans. She is telling her side of the story concerning her relationships with George Harrison and Eric Clapton. They were and always will be two of the more iconic figures in music history, and there is no way she could have completely pleased their huge fan base.

Still, for anyone even remotely interested in the life of Eric Clapton, it is an essential read, for better or worse.

In the final analysis, I found it more fascinating than good.

Cream: Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker—The Legendary Supergroup by Chris Welch

Chris Welch was a writer for the British magazine Melody Maker.

His book is a nice overview of the band that includes interviews with most of the principal characters.

Welch takes the time and energy to probe beneath the surface a bit, and his examination of the group’s label at the time puts a different spin on the book, which is welcome.

The extensive concert dates and recording sessions may be more than casual fans would want, but they will be of interest to Clapton aficionados.

This book is an overview of Eric Clapton at a certain period of his life and should be approached as such.

Crossroads: The Life and Music of Eric Clapton by Michael Schumacher

While the book was published in 1999, which makes it a little antiquated, until the Boyd/Clapton autobiographies, it was one of the better examinations of Clapton’s life. It remains an interesting read.

It’s nice to compare many of the stories and situations to the versions in the aforementioned autobiographies.

Crossroads is a very smooth journey through the life and music of Eric Clapton from a somewhat unbiased viewpoint. It is well written and has a flow to it, which not only increases one’s knowledge of E. C. but does so in an entertaining way.

It is time well spent for any Eric Clapton fan.

Eric Clapton: The Complete Recording Sessions: 1963-1992 by Marc Roberty

Marc Roberty is one of the foremost Clapton experts on the planet. Just google his name or plug it into the Amazon book section, and you will find a multitude of books written by him that deal with our favorite subject. He recently joined Bobby Whitlock on his autobiography, and they have produced one of the better looks at the rock music scene of the last forty years that you will ever find. Any of his books concerning Eric Clapton are highly recommended.

The original publication date was 1993, which makes it another somewhat out-of-date book, as 20 more years of Clapton’s recording career have come and gone. However, what is there is well researched, comprehensive, and exhausting in a good way.

Roberty does not miss much, as bands, personnel, songs, guitars are present.

It remains a fine reference for anyone even remotely interested in the career and history of Eric Clapton.

Strange Brew: Eric Clapton and the British Blues Boom 1965–1970 by Christopher Hjort and John Mayall

Everything you ever want to know about the British blues and then some.

The book is basically a document of the day-to-day, and sometimes hour-to-hour, lives of Eric Clapton, John Mayall, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, and others who have entered Mayall’s musical orbit through the years. The book then moves outward from its base to the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Free, Jeff Beck, and others.

The nature of the book takes it beyond just Eric Clapton, but in doing so it provides a solid introduction to many of the characters who have shared the musical stage with him.

Clapton’s career is covered from his time with the Yardbirds through his Derek and the Dominos period.

The sheer amount of research that was needed for its publication is overwhelming.

It is a good read for anyone interested in the period and music. It may seem all-inclusive, but it is not and does not try to be. It covers a period of British music now frozen in time and does so very well.

Clapton, The Authorized Biography by Ray Coleman

If you want to go way back in time, and I shudder at the thought that 1988 is now a part of history and that there are now Clapton fans who were not born in that year, then Ray Coleman’s book is a nice introduction. The best part is you can pick up a used copy on Amazon for about $1.00.

The book is extremely dated twenty-five years after the fact and has a cheerleader aspect to it, but it is a nice overview of the now first part of his career.

It doesn’t really dig beneath the surface and should be used as a primer before moving on to the more substantial reads that are out there.

It you go to the book sections in Amazon and Ebay and do a search for Eric Clapton, hundreds of titles will surface. No doubt many more will be added in the ensuing years. They are all available for exploration, relaxation, knowledge, and criticism. Have at it!