Kenneth Womack - All Things Must Pass Away: Harrison, Clapton, and Other Assorted Love Songs

FOR ERIC CLAPTON, MEETING THE BEATLESand especially George Harrisonwas a turning point. It was December 1964, and the Yardbirds, with nineteen-year-old Clapton playing lead guitar, were one of the supporting acts for Another Beatles Christmas Show, which comprised twenty-one dates at Londons Hammersmith Odeon. As it happened, the Yardbirds were sixth on the bill behind the Fab Four, of course, along with Freddie and the Dreamers, DJ Jimmy Savile, Sounds Incorporated, and Elkie Brooks. The brainchild of Beatles manager Brian Epstein, the Christmas shows proved to be a seasonal hit in 1963, and the 1964 installment would equal, if not eclipse the previous years take. For the Beatles, the Christmas shows would be a tiresome affair, especially after having experienced a whirlwind of global fame across that incredible year. Not only would they perform two sets per day for eighteen of the Hammersmith Odeon dates, but they would also be decked out in full costume for a series of comedy sketches, including one that required them to dress up, Eskimo-style, as Arctic explorers in search of the Abominable Snowman.

Meeting the worlds most famous band was a big deal for Clapton. Years later, he would remember vividly the moment in which the group strode into his orbit. Hanging out backstage at the Odeon was where I had my first meeting with the Beatles, he later recalled. Paul played the ambassador, coming out to meet us and saying hello. I remember him playing us the tune of Yesterday, which was half-written, and asking everyone what they thought. He didnt have the words yet. He was calling it Scrambled Eggs, and sing

In their own way, the Yardbirds were also on the move. Eric joined the band after sixteen-year-old lead guitarist Anthony Topham was forced to quit the group by his parents, who preferred that their son concentrate on his schoolwork as opposed to performing nightly in a music club. At first, the band seemed like the perfect fit for Clapton, who listened to the Yardbirds regular set at Londons legendary Crawdaddy Club. They were playing good R&B, songs like You Cant Judge a Book by Bo Diddley, and Smokestack Lightning by Howlin Wolf, Eric remembered, and for me, just the fact that they knew these songs was enough for me to enjoy them. Fancying himself as a blues purist, Eric couldnt resist the opportunity to be Tophams replacement, and besides, Eric later wrote, for the first time in my life, I now had a full-time job as a musician.

During his first three months with the Yardbirds, Eric reveled in the opportunity to perform the blues night after night. As he recalled, What I immediately liked about being in the Yardbirds was that our entire reason for existence was to honor the tradition of the blues. We didnt write any songs at first, but the covers we chose to do defined our identity. The Yardbirds enjoyed a regular gig at the Crawdaddy courtesy of their manager Giorgio Gomelsky, the up-and-coming promoter who operated the club in the back room of the Station Hotel. Still smarting after losing out to Andrew Loog-Oldham in his effort to rep the Rolling Stones, Gomelsky was determined to transform the Yardbirds into a world-beating success.

For Gomelsky, Eric seemed like the perfect vehicle to accomplish this end. As a member of the Yardbirds, Clapton was making his name as a virtuoso soloist at the Crawdaddy. Gomelsky even played a part in deriving the guitarists famous nickname. As Eric recalled, While most other bands were playing three-minute songs, we were taking three-minute numbers and stretching them out to five or six minutes, during which time the audience would go crazy, shaking their heads around manically and dancing in various outlandish ways. On my guitar I used light-gauge guitar strings, with a very thin first string, which made it easier to bend the notes, and it was not uncommon during the most frenetic bits of playing for me to break at least one string. During the pause

Claptons nickname would endure, although his tenure with the Yardbirds would prove to be decidedly short-lived. By the time that the band shared the bill with the Beatles at the Hammersmith Odeon, Eric could barely conceal his disgust as the group charted a new direction under Gomelskys management and, in particular, as bassist Paul Samwell-Smith assumed a leadership role. For Eric, the writing was on the wall: with Samwell-Smith as his mouthpiece, Gomelsky intended to fuel his ambitions for the Yardbirds by recasting them as hitmakers, as opposed to blues-breakers. Those six-minute blues effusions would soon be replaced by three-minute tunes with commercial appeal. The December 1964 release of the bands first long-player rendered this last point indubitably clear for Clapton. Entitled Five Live Yardbirds, the album offered a study in contrasts. On the one hand, it depicted Eric and the band in full blues power back in their club days, yet on the other, it stood as a stark reminder for Eric of the bands imminent transition away from their blues-laden sound.

For Eric, the final straw arrived in the form of For Your Love, the single that would radically alter the Yardbirds identity. Composed by Graham Gouldman, who would later find stardom of his own with 10cc, For Your Love had been originally intended as a vehicle for the Beatles. Indeed, Gouldmans manager had gone so far as to enlist a colleague to get a copy of the demo into Epsteins and the Beatles hands at one of the Hammersmith Odeon Christmas shows. In his heart, Gouldman knew that it was all for naughtJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney were not in the habit of shopping for compositions, given the renown they enjoyed as songwriters. The song eventually found its way into the hands of Gomelsky and Samwell-Smith, who produced a February 1, 1965, Yardbirds session at IBC Studios. Clapton had championed Otis Reddings Your One and Only Man as the Yardbirds next single, losing out to Samwell-Smith, who preferred the Gouldman tune. After they completed For Your Love, Samwell-Smith wouldnt entertain any notions about recording the Redding tune. As Clapton later recalled, Sam did his first and everyone just said, Oh, thats it. No need to try yours. So I thought, Fucking hell! and I got really upset and bore a grudge, and I think that when they said it I actually made up my mind that I wasnt going to play with them anymore. It was like kids, you know. Besides, he was already fed up with the groups new power