Clapton: Edge Of Darkness, Updated Edition [Paperback]

Christopher Sandford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 4, 1999

This updated edition of Clapton (based on exclusive sources, including interviews with former band members) discusses his recent albums From the Cradle, Retail Therapy, and Pilgrim; his erratic love life; and his 1998 American tour. From his pioneering work with the Yardbirds and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, through his superstardom in Cream, to his Grammy-winning solo career, here is blues and rock icon Eric Clapton in all his personal and musical complexity.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Christopher Sandford, the biographer of Mick Jagger, Kurt Cobain, and Sting, is also the author of Bowie: Loving the Alien and Clapton: Edge of Darkness. He has reviewed and written about rock music for more than twenty years, for theTimes of London and other publications, and his books have been published in more than a dozen countries.

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; Updated edition (June 4, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306808978
• ISBN-13: 978-0306808975
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,248,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Separates the myth from the man, July 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Clapton: Edge Of Darkness, Updated Edition (Paperback)

"edge of darkness" was an excellent read. other bios of clapton tend to gloss over the periods that are so well-known. this book goes into detail about them and more importantly, about clapton himself. this book takes him off the pedestal he himself may never have wanted to be on and places him directly with the rest of us.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Adventures in Psycho-rock., December 27, 1999

By 

BDH (Massachusetts USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Clapton: Edge Of Darkness, Updated Edition (Paperback)

From a musician's standpoint, I feel that some of the prose of this biography was a little hard to withstand. Don't get me wrong, it was definitely an interesting book. It's just that I wish the story contained MORE about Clapton's music throughout the years, lyrically and theoretically, his equipment and so on ... Clapton the musician. The author did express his opinions of his songs and his albums, which I disagreed with a lot. But opinions are just that: individual likes and dislikes, and everyone's are different. TOO MUCH stress was on Clapton's personality, love life, and inner demons ... the celebrity stuff.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Why did the author write this book?, January 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Clapton: Edge Of Darkness, Updated Edition (Paperback)

I am not sure why the author wrote this book except to make money. It would seem the very crime he accuses Clapton of committing, he commits in this book- namely, not really loving what he is doing. The author indicates having sympathy for Clapton, but what comes across seems to be very distorted. While I do not know all the gossip about Clapton, this book reduces his life to simply adding up 'good' and 'bad' acts. Yes, Clapton by all reports was not a healthy adult (I don't know about now) and not well integrated. The author, rather then developing this lack of integration, becomes overly obessed with the 'bad Clapton'. If Clapton's playing was never anything but copying the old blues masters, how can the author complain that his newer music doesn't evoke the excitment and innovation of his earlier playing. You can't have it both ways. The author takes acts of kindness and indicates they are really self-serving acts. I don't want to defend Clapton, but rather wished the author would have viewed his subject in a neutral manner and integrated his upbring/childhood, how he dealth with life and how he made music as opposed to taking the easy way out by doing the 'Mommy Dearest' routine.