• Guys, we've spent considerable money converting the Les Paul Forum to this new XenForo platform, and we have ongoing monthly operating expenses. THE "DONATIONS" TAB IS NOW WORKING, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE TO KEEP THE LES PAUL FORUM GOING! Thank you!

Peter Green and the Bluesbreakers Better than Clapton?

ourmaninthenorth

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 28, 2009
Messages
7,119
I prefer Gary Moore's version more than Peter and Eric's.


One of those songs that's stuck in a place and time, wore the tape out... Can't hear the song without being whisked back to a Greek Island, late 80's, sun on me back. mostly pissed up, most of the time, with a Lady who I couldn't understand a bloody word of what she was saying. She wasn't Greek, she was from Liverpool....that as they say is a whole different story.

Wot bloody larks.

Great clip of Greeny 57gold.

:salude:salude
 

sidekick

New member
Joined
Jun 20, 2005
Messages
3,060
There is a new album coming out next month featuring early or the original Fleetwood Mac 1968-1970 with newly discovered live material and studio demo stuff which the master tapes were found here in the US unlabeled but in excellent condition.

Thanks and interesting. ... :) ... I like listening to that type of material and some years ago similar with some band member conversation was made available in the Blue Horizon sessions/recordings (London UK) box set.
 

ourmaninthenorth

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 28, 2009
Messages
7,119
This track has haunted my musical mind from first listen to the present day.

I would consider my guitar playing world complete if I could get within a country mile of this geezers touch and phrasing.

I can't, and I'm glad.

A blissful musician, whom I adore without condition.

 

goldtop0

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 19, 2003
Messages
8,931
Okay Midnight, did you play over the first clip and where did the second one come from.
 

Standard Magic

Active member
Joined
Mar 31, 2019
Messages
101
My vote goes to Green. He's the reason I bought an LP in the first place, hadn't played guitar in about 20 years until I discovered him now I'm playing almost every day. Green in the BB or post BB doesn't matter, Clapton couldn't inspire me the same way and I've heard of Clapton long before but only discovered PG just a few years ago.
 

mipstoo

Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2017
Messages
142
Personally, give me Peter any day...

But if we talk about the Bluesbreakers, then I think Eric was groundbreaking... The tone and the use of a LP thru a Marshall were new and set a standard for many to come over the next years, who knows how we would look at Jimmy Page, Peter Green and many others today if it wasn't for that short period of Eric playing at the BBs and later on Cream. I must admit that Eric's playing during that time was great but sometimes he used too many notes, Peter was more 'balanced' but not as ground breaking during his time at the Bluesbreakers.

But over the next years, Peter's playing was far more pleasing and inspiring imo... but that's very personal of course.
 

agogetr

Active member
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Messages
451
Gringo and Bassman, we tend to agree on a bunch of stuff but definitely not this. First off there is not better, just preference. Unless you want to define better. Clapton is better how, technically?

Led Zeppelin was the biggest band in the world way bigger than Cream or anything involving EC. Page’s music and riffs are so iconic and have truly stood the test of time, way more than anything Clapton did. Seriously, the best licks of Layla were laid down by Duane.

Not to be a Clapton basher but other than Cream, he leaves me a bit cold. And while being the first to crank a Les Paul into a full up Marshall could be considered innovative and is probably one of the reasons EC is so heralded. The licks and phrasing at the time while fresh to most English audiences were liberally borrowed from a bunch of American players who came up from the Delta. And I’m not talking about Elvis.

Maybe one day I’ll stumble on a track that might lend me some insight into Clapton’s fanatic appeal by some but from what I’ve heard, Green is more expressive, Page is Fvcking Beethoven and Duane who gave Southern Rock an almost jazz feel is more versatile.
i,m withya jp. page is and was 'the man' . also becks blow by blow was deeper than anything i ever got from clapton. i loved when clapton did 'if i could change the world' that was epic . i dont know if he wrote it. i also dont care and dont care who wrote pages stuff. zep is the second best band in the history of music. now let the pummeling begin
 

slammintone

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 19, 2001
Messages
2,003
I vote “tie”! I love them both equally in the Bluesbreakers. Tie does not mean they play nor sound identical. Each guitarist brings something otherworldly with them as they’re playing but that’s about it. In the context of John Mayalls band they were both masters of this craft at ridiculously young ages.

I do however strongly prefer Greens guitar tones better though!
 

danieldoranie

New member
Joined
Nov 17, 2019
Messages
13
Right there with you. However, lately, I have come to discover (through many hours of watching old live performances on YouTube when I should be working) that many of the licks that I most loved from Peter Green era Fleetwood Mac were actually Danny Kirwan. Peter Green was the better songwriter, by far, but Danny Kirwan would choke and shake his gold top and bursts, the effect being this very unique and aggressive vibrato. Peter Green had a lot of beautiful, melodic, “sweet” licks ala B.B. King (his idol), but Danny Kirwan was the angry young man personified.

For me it’s not a question, though in all honesty, i’m not a huge Clapton fan. Not denying his talent but to me PG is much more expressive. Of course as a practical matter, there is no better just preference but I thought it worth noting.

On this clip, I find PG somewhere between Jimmy and Duane who along with Green are my two favorite LP slingers. The tone afaic is preferable to Beano too. Beautiful hollow vocal Les Paul tone. Enjoy the clip.



 

rialcnis

Active member
Joined
Jul 5, 2019
Messages
221
In the discussion of the early super- electrified Blues tones don't leave out Michael Bloomfield

here he is in 1964


 

Tarcisioo

Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2014
Messages
385
Clapton is god, Duane is Jesus and Bloomfield is the devil himself! :laugh2:

But yes, Green's bluesbreaker live is better than Clapton's bluesbreaker live. And it's the most unfair comparison I've ever seen on this forum, considering how few and low quality footage of Clapton there is. Compare Clapton's studio work with Mayall to Green's one, that would be fair (I think guitars after the Eric's album got too trebley and reverbey, I dislike most Peter's tones from A Hard Road, but surely there's a few gems: The Stumble, The Supernatural, Sitting in the Rain and Curly are awesome).

Or just compare Green in 67 to Clapton in 67. That would be more fair.

But just don't try to say Green was better while we don't have the footage to prove that Clapton was worse. It just doesn't make sense.

I do believe Green was a better traditional blues player as he was doing it full time that era while Eric was pushing his own boundaries, but Clapton work in the London Howlin Wolf Sessions just tell how brilliant he was playing traditional also.
 

lespaul1970

Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2002
Messages
195
I have nothing but respect for Eric Clapton. What he's done to bring wide spread attention to the blues and it's founding Father's can never be appreciated enough. Having said that, he's not even close to Peter Green IMO. Peter's tone, feel and passion, especially on those early Bluesbreakers/Fleetwood Mac songs is untouchable. Just a text book example of playing with fire and restraint all at the same time. I never cared for some of the stuff Eric has put out in the past 30 years or so. SO commercial and just.. blah.. no fire, no passion, just bad pop music. Which is funny, because the story goes that he originally left the Yardbirds because they were getting too commercial for him.. ????????
 

Tarcisioo

Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2014
Messages
385
I have nothing but respect for Eric Clapton. What he's done to bring wide spread attention to the blues and it's founding Father's can never be appreciated enough. Having said that, he's not even close to Peter Green IMO. Peter's tone, feel and passion, especially on those early Bluesbreakers/Fleetwood Mac songs is untouchable. Just a text book example of playing with fire and restraint all at the same time. I never cared for some of the stuff Eric has put out in the past 30 years or so. SO commercial and just.. blah.. no fire, no passion, just bad pop music. Which is funny, because the story goes that he originally left the Yardbirds because they were getting too commercial for him.. ????????

Yep. Clapton should have died long time ago. Not that I wanted to, but he should. That's how he lived, through hell with his addictions trying to kill himself day after day. It's a miracle he is still alive, really. Most of our guitar heroes didn't survive, some of them were close friend to Eric. One of his toughest moments was just when Jimi died. After that, Eric buried himself in heroin and cocaine and almost didn't leave his home for about 4 years. That was early 70s, while rock music was exploding with success. An he was high in the clouds living like a hermit for years. That stuff messes up your head, just as Peter Green went trough tough times too and disappeared.

But speaking about Eric's later works, I would recommend you to listen to From the Cradle, because it's a damn good all blues album. The 90's were finally good times for a troubled Clapton
 

goldtop0

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 19, 2003
Messages
8,931
But speaking about Eric's later works, I would recommend you to listen to From the Cradle, because it's a damn good all blues album.



Yes that and 'Me and Mr Johnson'.................superb albums.
If anyone's not happy with those two well..........
 
Top