One thing I’ve recently pledged to do in my free time is catch up on the classics – to really get in tune with the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, etc. etc. etc. It’s not that I haven’t listened to them, it’s just that I feel like I’ve never really LISTENED to them. Given them their deserved time to rattle around my brain and become a part of my life. As a wannabe music writer, I feel like that’s a gap in my education that should be addressed.
I got a good head start on the learning process last weekend when I visited the Pacific Northwest. Six friends and I hit up the San Juan Islands and spent four heavenly days in a cabin by the sea, bookending our days with coffee at sunrise and wine at sunset. The house we stayed in was awesome, and had a full-house speaker system, through which we blasted great tunes. The three CDs in rotation for the weekend? Paul Simon’s Graceland, a Greatest Hits of the 70’s collection, and Eric Clapton’s Unplugged.
I have long been a fan of Graceland (it’s probably my all-time favorite) and I have nothing but love for the 70s, but it was really Unplugged that had me buzzing all weekend. The disc is exceptional – great acoustic songs played by one of the best guitar players of all-time to a crowd eager to cheer on an idol. Clapton does not disappoint in the least, and the songs get stuck in your head for days. I’ve been humming “Alberta” everywhere I go, and I can’t get the rhythms of “Before You Accuse Me” (a Bo Diddley Cover) out of my head.
It’s a fantastic album that gets me psyched to delve into some legendary albums. Any recommendations?
Eric Clapton – Alberta (YSI) (filesavr)
Eric Clapton – Before You Accuse Me (YSI) (filesavr)
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