Just finished reading the book "Bobby Whitlock, a Rock n' Roll Autobiography". Gives a lot of insight into the evolution of Layla. Bobby was the unsung, underrated member of that iconic band.
According to Bobby Whitlock, this was a jam that Eric kept adding guitar bits too. It was going to get left off the album as just another jam, but Bobby asked for 20 minutes and wrote lyrics for it. He came back into the studio and started to sign them, had Eric jump in with their "Sam and Dave" singing, and this song was done. Crazy and amazing. Wish Bobby and Eric had done more together. He, for me, is more important than any other Domino, including Dwayne.
Clapton’s instincts to be just a member of a band were correct. Virtually all of his best work was done as part of the collaboration and teamwork of a functioning band vs the dynamic of star backed by a supporting cast of plug and play musicians. Too bad the label thought they knew better.
I love how Clapton near the end plays the same note over 20 times in a row. And its PERFECT. This is SUCH a great song from the best single album of all time.
Drummer and Jim Gordon student here. I learned this song, even posted a cover video, then heard this. I got taken to school. Holy moley, Jim's groove here is miles deep.
The fills he does on “Anyday” blow me away too. 3:26 to 3:46 there is a guitar part that repeats four or five times. Jim adds a completely different and tasty fill between each. He just never ran out of ideas.
The great Jim Keltner, who was tight with Gordon, said he had to learn how to play like Gordon so that he WOULDN'T play like Gordon. I guess running two kits together in D&B made Keltner apparently, perhaps, unconsciously, copy Gordon. I'm a guitarist, and I'm never going to be Eric Clapton. You're never going to be Jim Gordon. You know what those guys had going for them? They were themselves. They weren't copying anyone...they just played what they felt. All we can do is be the best "us" as musicians we can be. We can pick up tricks or maybe a technique from these guys, but ultimately we have to carve out our own path in the wilderness.
@@bradparker9664 Absolutely. This gets at something I am trying to preach to my son. And it’s one of the biggest mental obstacles facing any aspiring musician-heck, anyone who wants to be good at anything. It goes by a lot of different names. Perfection bias. Great being the enemy of good. Embracing your nobody-ness. Basically, it’s the reality that you have to be willing to suck at something before you’ll be great at anything. Dig into the bios of any of the great players you admire, Clapton, Keltner, Jeff Beck, Santana-and you will certainly find the time before Clapton became Slowhand, that he sucked. He knew he sucked. People told him he sucked. People booed. Most people quit before they even reach that point. Like you said, I’m never going to be Jim Gordon, so what’s the point? What all the greats had going for them was they didn’t let fandom and the desire to be great discourage them from trying to be good first. They embraced the suck and worked through it. Today, the “Comments” section is probably what makes most people quit before they get started. As a fellow guitarist, I know you have been to the shows (pick the name and genre) Jeff Beck, Robben Ford, Zappa, Satriani, George Lynch, etc. Three chicks. 1200 guitar snobs. If you read the comments, it’s a wonder anyone takes their axe out of its case. Your advice is the crux of the biscuit. You be you. F what other people think. Play because you love to play.
Hey-I’m a huge Jim Gordon fan, from this D&D stuff to All Things…, Delaney & Bonnie and Zappa. I’m also a big Mike Shrieve fan and I was listening to a Santana collector podcast the other day and he mentioned a period of time after Layla when Derek & The Dominoes and Santana were hanging out in the same studio and jammed together a fair amount. Do you happen to know if Jim and Mike knew each other, we’re fans of each others playing, etc. I’m a guitar player, but it seems their level of proficiency, dynamics and approach to the instrument is similar. I know Jim wasn’t the easiest guy to hang with, especially at that point in time, but the thought of those two guys exchanging ideas blows my mind. Most people have seen Shrieve’s Soul Sacrifice solo at Woodstock, but recently someone turned me on to the Santana Soul Sacrifice performance at Tanglewood 8/1970. I’ve never seen anyone play like that. It’s here on YT and the sound quality is phenomenal. If you’ve never seen it, it’s worth a look. I also stumbled onto a version of “Savor” from Santana’s Woodstock set that was put out on “Santana-The Woodstock Experience” Shrieve does a cymbal solo that uses a lot of the same dynamics he used in Soul Sacrifice. The fact that I, a guitar player, am recommending a cymbal solo to anyone, is an indicator of how amazing it is. Worth a listen if you haven’t already. Thanks. Keep on keepin’ on!
@@psaint60 Thanks for the nice words. I have no idea if Gordon and Shrieve knew each other, but my guess is that they hadn't met prior to the jam session. Mike was planted in San Francisco and that scene, and Gordon, at that time, was so busy that he almost had no time to socialize. Gordon was either in the studio or on tour constantly back then. But who knows? I sure don't. I'm sure they had respect for one another, both having come from the jazz scene as young drummers.
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs 1970
Drums, Congas and Shaker 0:04-6:14
Guitars, Bass and Organ 6:16-12:35
Vocals 12:39-15:40
Whitlock said Jim Gordon was "like a freight train." He is certainly correct in that description. Man he is certainly laying it down here.
The late, GREAT Jim Gordon 🥁 RIP Sir, you were a GrandMaster
Just finished reading the book "Bobby Whitlock, a Rock n' Roll Autobiography". Gives a lot of insight into the evolution of Layla. Bobby was the unsung, underrated member of that iconic band.
According to Bobby Whitlock, this was a jam that Eric kept adding guitar bits too. It was going to get left off the album as just another jam, but Bobby asked for 20 minutes and wrote lyrics for it. He came back into the studio and started to sign them, had Eric jump in with their "Sam and Dave" singing, and this song was done. Crazy and amazing. Wish Bobby and Eric had done more together. He, for me, is more important than any other Domino, including Dwayne.
No better rock vocals anywhere than on this album. Clapton had an amazing rock voice, and then there's Whitlock
Who cares? Whitlock was not playing drums.
WHITLOCK WAS PURE GENIUS IN THE ENTIRE TIME PERIOD
Agreed. A pity it took decades for the wider audience to learn this. Cheers!@@jimnagel5611
Clapton’s instincts to be just a member of a band were correct. Virtually all of his best work was done as part of the collaboration and teamwork of a functioning band vs the dynamic of star backed by a supporting cast of plug and play musicians.
Too bad the label thought they knew better.
One of my favourite songs EVER. It is a masterpiece.
Martyrpiece?
I love how Clapton near the end plays the same note over 20 times in a row. And its PERFECT. This is SUCH a great song from the best single album of all time.
Man, this is killer! I would love to hear Jim's drums isolated on Bell Bottom Blues!
Would love to hear a deconstructed version of “Anyday”. Jim Gordon’s fills are even more impressive than his playing on this.
At a minimum Derek & the Dominoes must be inducted to the hall of fame, not for Eric but Bobby carl and jjim
Drummer and Jim Gordon student here. I learned this song, even posted a cover video, then heard this. I got taken to school. Holy moley, Jim's groove here is miles deep.
The fills he does on “Anyday” blow me away too. 3:26 to 3:46 there is a guitar part that repeats four or five times. Jim adds a completely different and tasty fill between each. He just never ran out of ideas.
The great Jim Keltner, who was tight with Gordon, said he had to learn how to play like Gordon so that he WOULDN'T play like Gordon. I guess running two kits together in D&B made Keltner apparently, perhaps, unconsciously, copy Gordon.
I'm a guitarist, and I'm never going to be Eric Clapton. You're never going to be Jim Gordon. You know what those guys had going for them? They were themselves. They weren't copying anyone...they just played what they felt. All we can do is be the best "us" as musicians we can be. We can pick up tricks or maybe a technique from these guys, but ultimately we have to carve out our own path in the wilderness.
@@bradparker9664 Absolutely. This gets at something I am trying to preach to my son. And it’s one of the biggest mental obstacles facing any aspiring musician-heck, anyone who wants to be good at anything.
It goes by a lot of different names. Perfection bias. Great being the enemy of good. Embracing your nobody-ness. Basically, it’s the reality that you have to be willing to suck at something before you’ll be great at anything.
Dig into the bios of any of the great players you admire, Clapton, Keltner, Jeff Beck, Santana-and you will certainly find the time before Clapton became Slowhand, that he sucked. He knew he sucked. People told him he sucked. People booed.
Most people quit before they
even reach that point. Like you said, I’m never going to be Jim Gordon, so what’s the point?
What all the greats had going for them was they didn’t let fandom and the desire to be great discourage them from trying to be good first. They embraced the suck and worked through it.
Today, the “Comments” section is probably what makes most people quit before they get started. As a fellow guitarist, I know you have been to the shows (pick the name and genre) Jeff Beck, Robben Ford, Zappa, Satriani, George Lynch, etc. Three chicks. 1200 guitar snobs. If you read the comments, it’s a wonder anyone takes their axe out of its case.
Your advice is the crux of the biscuit. You be you. F what other people think. Play because you love to play.
Hey-I’m a huge Jim Gordon fan, from this D&D stuff to All Things…, Delaney & Bonnie and Zappa.
I’m also a big Mike Shrieve fan and I was listening to a Santana collector podcast the other day and he mentioned a period of time after Layla when Derek & The Dominoes and Santana were hanging out in the same studio and jammed together a fair amount.
Do you happen to know if Jim and Mike knew each other, we’re fans of each others playing, etc.
I’m a guitar player, but it seems their level of proficiency, dynamics and approach to the instrument is similar.
I know Jim wasn’t the easiest guy to hang with, especially at that point in time, but the thought of those two guys exchanging ideas blows my mind.
Most people have seen Shrieve’s Soul Sacrifice solo at Woodstock, but recently someone turned me on to the Santana Soul Sacrifice performance at Tanglewood 8/1970. I’ve never seen anyone play like that.
It’s here on YT and the sound quality is phenomenal. If you’ve never seen it, it’s worth a look.
I also stumbled onto a version of “Savor” from Santana’s Woodstock set that was put out on “Santana-The Woodstock Experience” Shrieve does a cymbal solo that uses a lot of the same dynamics he used in Soul Sacrifice.
The fact that I, a guitar player, am recommending a cymbal solo to anyone, is an indicator of how amazing it is. Worth a listen if you haven’t already.
Thanks.
Keep on keepin’ on!
@@psaint60 Thanks for the nice words. I have no idea if Gordon and Shrieve knew each other, but my guess is that they hadn't met prior to the jam session. Mike was planted in San Francisco and that scene, and Gordon, at that time, was so busy that he almost had no time to socialize. Gordon was either in the studio or on tour constantly back then. But who knows? I sure don't. I'm sure they had respect for one another, both having come from the jazz scene as young drummers.
Bobby was the man and still is, sadly Eric doesn’t want to get together… the greatest mistake he will ever make
I for one dont get that. And why was Bobby not on The Concert for George or any of EC's Crossroads get togethers?
Jim Gordon laying it down like Bernard Purdie. Have Mercy!
Many Thanks ! My favorite album, so many guitar part from Clapton...And the duo Clapton Withlock amazing
This is tight.
That’s what she said……but for real, the pocket is locked.
What happened to the part where clapton goes “wooooo” right after the intro …Mandela effect?
idk
Listen to the background chatter on the vocals track. WTF. This is a great song and album, but the production is a mess.
No wonder with all the electric energy who could control or contain themselves pure genius isn't always clean and neat