Me and Mr. Johnson

Eric Clapton

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 30, 2004)
• Original Release Date: March 23, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• Copy Protected
• ASIN: B0001HAHXW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (257 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,354 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #35 in	Music > Blues > Modern Blues
  #38 in	Music > Rock > Rock Guitarists > Guitar Gods
  #61 in	Music > Blues > Contemporary Blues

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's impossible to overemphasize the importance of singer-guitarist-songwriter Robert Johnson's contribution to blues music. The same can be said of Eric Clapton, one of Mr. Johnson's most dedicated interpreters. From his work with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers to Cream and beyond, Clapton has arguably attracted more widespread attention to Johnson's music than any other living musician. A decade after his all-blues From the Cradle (which included no Johnson material), Clapton jumps into the icon's catalog with both feet by covering 14 Johnson tunes. With a stripped-down veteran band that includes such longtime associates as drummer Steve Gadd, keyboardist Billy Preston, and harmonica ace Jerry Portnoy, the guitarist attacks these songs with passion, intelligence, and a refreshing lack of blues-rock pretense. From the upbeat jump of "32-20 Blues" and "They're Red Hot" to the slower, grinding "Little Queen of Spades" and "Milkcow's Calf Blues," Clapton acquits himself well, eschewing his slicker inclinations with arrangements that underscore Johnson's rawest tendencies--although perhaps he doesn't seem sufficiently terrified when walking with Lucifer on "Me and the Devil Blues." Still, this is a successful and admirable return to his roots, one that will hopefully introduce an even larger audience to Johnson's seminal work. --Hal Horowitz

Product Description

On Me And Mr.Johnson, Eric Clapton covers 14 of the 29 songs Robert Johnson, the most mythic figure of the blues, wrote and recorded in his lifetime. For fans of deep blues,it doesn ’t get any better than this. After the success of Clapton ’s first two traditional blues albums —1994 ’s Gram- my-winning triple-platinum, #1 pop From The Cradle, and 2000 ’s Grammy-winning, double-platinum,#3-charting Riding With The King collaboration with B.B.King —Me And Mr.Johnson finds Clapton once more at the crossroads of blues and rock.

The cover illustration by Peter Blake includes both published photographs of Robert Johnson: a rendering of the Robert Johnson Studio Portrait / Hooks Bros., Memphis c. 1935 / © 1989 Delta Haze Corporation / the Robert Johnson photo booth self-portrait, early 1930s / © 1986 Delta Haze Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

90 of 102 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a very good job, May 15, 2004

By	Riccardo Pelizzo (baltimore, maryland USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When Clapton recorded and released his 'Unplugged' few years ago, he made wonderful covers of both Robert Johnson's Malted Milk and Walking Blues. The result was absolutely brilliant. I had not heard a more inspired, passionate,soulful Clapton in years.
I would say that the opposite is true of 'Me and Mr. Johnson'. Leaving aside why Clapton decided to record the 14 songs he chose instead of Rambling on My Mind, I'm a steady Rollin'Man, and so on; the record has a major problem.
There's no energy, there's no strength, there's no passion. If you listen to Robert Johnson's original recording they're phenomenlly powerful. In Clapton's rendition, those very same song almost put you to sleep.
Love in Vain is a perfect case in point. It is a very powerful song, one of those songs that strikes some chords inside you. Robert Johnson created that magic, the Rolling Stones were able to preserve that magic in their cover, but all the magic is lost with Clapton. Love in Vain is almost boring. Clapton is a great guitar player and great bluesman, but the arrangements he chose for this record are terrible. They take all the energy away from these great great songs. What a disaster.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Concept - Poor Execution, February 10, 2008

By	M. Brevetta (Singapore) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The power of Robert Johnson's music lies in his haunting lyrics, stark arrangements, and tortured delivery. Unfortunately, in reworking Johnson's songs for "Me and Mr Johnson", Eric Clapton has robbed them of their original power, substituting instead competent, but out-of-place, Chicago Blues-style arrangements and disappointingly hackneyed vocal delivery. Johnson's lyrics alone are left to carry the load and, alas, they cannot.

Clapton can do better, and, indeed, he has. Listen to "Malted Milk" from Unplugged and "Terraplane Blues" and "Ramblin' on My Mind" from
Sessions For Robert J. (CD + DVD) for proof that he can interpret Johnson's music in inspired fashion. Given the magnitude of Robert Johnson's influence on Eric Clapton, a Clapton album comprised entirely of Johnson's songs seemed a very promising undertaking. If only "Me and Mr Johnson" had lived up to that promise . . .

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Mildly Tepid, Yet Bland, August 19, 2004

By	SirGeorgeMartini "ElDorado" (Chihuahua Legs, Wyoming) - See all my reviews

Eric Clapton has been introducing the "Blues" to new audiences for almost his entire life. Early in his career, he could take an obsure blues song like "Crossroads" and make it into a rock hit. A number of Robert Johnson's songs were recorded in the corner of a hotel room on ancient equipment. These harsh sounding, yet powerful performances can send chills up your spine. Sadly, "Me and Mr. Johnson" is just plain boring to listen to. The song arrangements stay mostly faithful to the original recordings, but there are too many instruments on them. The band contains some fine musicians, but they sound so polished and lifeless. Clapton's playing is competent as usual, but it lacks the enthusiam that used to set him apart from all his peers.