snipelfritz wrote:Clapton was a great player, but a terrible songwriter.
That's pretty much it right there. I listened to some Clapton when I was 16 and in a blues phase...but it didn't take long for even stupid 16-year-old me to realize that all his best songs were either a.) written with other people [Yardbirds, Mayall, Cream, Dominoes] or b.) directly stolen from good artists.
Just for fun, I looked up his list of solo US Top 40 "hits" (writers in parentheses), it's pretty staggering:
1970.10.17 After Midnight (J.J. Cale)
1974.07.13 I Shot The Sheriff (Bob Marley, obviously, and God is this a horrid cover)
1974.11.02 Willie & The Hand Jive (Johnny Otis)
1976.10.16 Hello Old Friend (apparently he actually wrote this turd)
1978.01.07 Lay Down Sally (co-written by Marcy Levy and George Terry)
1978.05.13 Wonderful Tonight (George Harrison should get co-credit since it was about his wife)
1978.10.14 Promises (Richard Feldman, Roger Linn)
1979.02.24 Watch Out For Lucy (only made #40, not sure I've even heard this)
1980.06.21 Tulsa Time (Danny Flowers)
1981.02.28 I Can’t Stand It (Clapton)
1983.01.29 I’ve Got A Rock N Roll Heart (Steve Diamond, Troy Seals, Tony Seals, Eddie Setser)
1985.03.09 Forever Man (Jerry Lynn Williams)
1992.02.08 Tears In Heaven (co-written by Will Jennings)
1992.10.03 Layla Unplugged (co-written by Jim Gordon, heroin & George Harrison's tramp of a wife)
1996.07.20 Change The World (Tommy Sims, Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick)
1998.02.21 My Father’s Eyes (Clapton)