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Eric Clapton — Please Be With Me
Album: 461 Ocean Boulevard
Avg rating:
7.4

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1178









Released: 1974
Length: 3:21
Plays (last 30 days): 1
Oh my word, what does it mean
Is it love or is it me
That makes me change so suddenly
Looking out, feeling free

I sit here lying on my bed
Wondering what it was I'd said
That made me think I'd lost my head
When I knew I'd lost my heart instead

So won't you please read my signs, be a gypsy
Tell me what I hope to find deep within me
Because you can't find my mind, please be with me

Of all the better things I've heard
Loving you has made the words
And all the rest seem so absurd
'Cause in the end it all comes out, I'm sure

Won't you please read my signs, be a gypsy
Tell me what I hope to find deep within me
Because you can't find my mind, please be with me
Comments (81)add comment
Cowboy and Dwane Almond
 Ngoziman wrote:

So dull compared to the original. Why no Cowboy, Mr G?

Went and listened to the Allman/Cowboy version and it is also really good - great slide guitar, maybe nicer instrumentals overall. But on that one Duane's vocals are pretty nasal unlike the smooth Clapton, so I like both.

Familiar with the record but not this song. Thought it was Grateful Dead.
So dull compared to the original. Why no Cowboy, Mr G?
Sounds like Jorma  K.
sounds like Duane Allman! Is he back?
I can't abide this pantywaist bollix from a moronic, racist anti-vaxxer
why play this weak version when you coulda played the magnificent Scott Boyer and Duane Allman og version
 pyrateparadox988 wrote:

Holy Moly. This song brings back memories. My Mom and Dad were backwood hippies and had a reel to reel with hours of these tunes on it. This song was like a lullaby when I was a kid.  Sigh. I miss the 70's.



So, I'm laughing & crying - I was a student, when I meet this album in Voice Of America (I'm from Siberia). I'm 62 now and you can imagine my senses.
Great album. 
Funny that this album would pop up today. Last night I watched a documentary on HBO about the Bee Gees and how Barry, Robin and Maurice, their musical fortunes fading,  relocated from England to Miami and more specifically, 461 Ocean Blvd., after Clapton encouraged them to do so. What developed at that house and at Criterion Studios was the "Miami Sound" and after that the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. I had no idea.
Holy Moly. This song brings back memories. My Mom and Dad were backwood hippies and had a reel to reel with hours of these tunes on it. This song was like a lullaby when I was a kid.  Sigh. I miss the 70's.
Nice, but he can’t match the harmonies of Cowboy. We need Cowboy on RP.
Just a quick note to say thank you. It has been a while since I stopped by and today listening in from my new life as an expat living in The Netherlands has been a wonderful and warm experience. Thank you for being out here.
possibly my ultimate favourite E/C tune
Hey, this is for the guys on the couch, with a bag of chips, and their favorite beverage. 
Cut the artist some slack. The group Cream was nothing short of groundbreaking. 
He earned his chops. If you all have accomplished anything close in your life, please speak up.
More cowbell?
 talus wrote:

I pretty much agree.  
 

sure why not
Dominos was high water mark.........

Sigh, if only Hendrix had lived instead
SHEER BEAUTY - breathtaking, soul-soothing...
 bokey wrote:
If you'd stop yelling you'd hear that was dobro work.
 
{#Roflol}
 thewiseking wrote:
THIS IS NOT ERIC CLAPTONS. THIS IS DUANE ALLMAN WITH COWBOY OFF THE ANTHOLOGY ALBUM. PLEASE CORRECT THIS EGREGIOUS ERROR. THE GUITAR WORK DUANE DOES ON THE ORIGINAL SURPASSES ANYTHING CLAPTON EVER DID BY A COUNTRY MILE.
 
If you'd stop yelling you'd hear that was dobro work.
love this song, but I prefer the version by cowboy.  (I think its cowboy?)
 sandpebble wrote:


Recycled Records perhaps?

 
Or maybe you just wish you were a little more mature in your listening experience pebs?
 oldviolin wrote:
Bought this record the day it was released in Monterey, California. Touch me somebody...

 

Recycled Records perhaps?
I have the Anthology LP, and I give this a solid 10.
 thewiseking wrote:
THIS IS NOT ERIC CLAPTONS. THIS IS DUANE ALLMAN WITH COWBOY OFF THE ANTHOLOGY ALBUM. PLEASE CORRECT THIS EGREGIOUS ERROR. THE GUITAR WORK DUANE DOES ON THE ORIGINAL SURPASSES ANYTHING CLAPTON EVER DID BY A COUNTRY MILE.


 
Love both versions of this song.
I prefer the original version by Cowboy off the "5'll Getcha Ten" album!
ah...nostalgia. I don't think I've heard this since it came out.
One of my favorite song -> 10 for me
 talus wrote:

I pretty much agree.  
 

absolutely true. Clapton considers himself a blues musician but he just doesn't have the feel. never came close. his best stuff was the (now dated) psychedelia with Cream
 beelzebubba wrote:
Eric Clapton is a very overrated musician. A tragedy really — he is an incredible guitar player and a master of his blues techniques. But he wastes all his talents on sappy, listless love songs and crap like that. Really inane crap. He is, after you peel away all the layers, just an overblown studio musican who happened to become more than he should have been due to his being in the right places at the right times.....
 
I pretty much agree.  
THIS IS NOT ERIC CLAPTONS. THIS IS DUANE ALLMAN WITH COWBOY OFF THE ANTHOLOGY ALBUM. PLEASE CORRECT THIS EGREGIOUS ERROR. THE GUITAR WORK DUANE DOES ON THE ORIGINAL SURPASSES ANYTHING CLAPTON EVER DID BY A COUNTRY MILE.

 countyman wrote:
I don't remember this song being on the album.
I must have played the opposite side all through college.
Time to go to the attic and pull 461 out for a play.

 

Must be the case with me as well.  So many albums settled into having just one side played, unless there was at least one killer track on a flip side that couldn't be ignored.

I don't remember this track.  I bet if I did pull it out I would say, oh yeah. 


Instant reminder of my first boyfriend who loved this song and played it often when we were together. I met him in 1989, when I was 26 and he was 20. I was on my first solo backpacking trip in Europe. He, English, I, American. Thank you for the sweet, sweet memories. 
Has its moments but perhaps his worst studio album.  However, I love that it's included on the RP playlist.
Our wedding song... :)
Bought this record the day it was released in Monterey, California. Touch me somebody...
fantastic drawing! calypsus_1 wrote:

Eric clapton studie by ~artistmarty
martijn strietman  ©2009-2010 ~artistmarty

This is a studie of pastel and color pencil.
 


Who cares what about this song....OMG....I have not heard this song since I was 19........God, If I could go back and do it all over ! Thanks Bill/Rebecca for choosing this.

This is SO WEAK compared to the Cowboy version with Duane Allman on dobro.

Eric clapton studie by ~artistmarty
martijn strietman  ©2009-2010 ~artistmarty

This is a studie of pastel and color pencil.


Love Eric, but much prefer the Duane Allman/ Scott Boyer (writer) / Tommy Talton version by that odd manifestation of 70's Cosmic Cowboy genre named (oddly enough) Cowboy. CLick the link, well worth a listen.

 Flashdog wrote:
I'm not sure how anyone can consider the guy who recorded "sunshine of your love,spoonfull, white room,why does love got to be so sad, layla,can't find my way back home,tell the truth,i shot the sherrif,cocaine, motherless child, willie and the hand jive,after midnight, blues power,prescence of the lord, blues power, let it rain ......... to be overrated! Sheesh I'm not sure what someone has to do to get a little respect on a long and brilliant career. Okay, I,m off my soapbox now.
 
I think its known as the "HSFUHAHCSHB" syndrome.  Haven't you heard of it?  There's a lot of it going around.  Its an acronym that stands for "Head So Far Up His Ass He Can Smell His Breakfast"  

Calling Clapton "over-rated"  is like calling Mozart "a flash in the pan"  Good God!!!!!  :-)

 Flashdog wrote:
I'm not sure how anyone can consider the guy who recorded "sunshine of your love,spoonfull, white room,why does love got to be so sad, layla,can't find my way back home,tell the truth,i shot the sherrif,cocaine, motherless child, willie and the hand jive,after midnight, blues power,prescence of the lord, blues power, let it rain ......... to be overrated! Sheesh I'm not sure what someone has to do to get a little respect on a long and brilliant career. Okay, I,m off my soapbox now.
 
       {#Clap}
very relaxing - very hippy - very non-clapton...

GOOD!
Clapton is a God! Saw him at the Royal Albert Hall in London once. Amazing!
I don't remember this song being on the album.
I must have played the opposite side all through college.
Time to go to the attic and pull 461 out for a play.

something about this song just tears at my insides.

also, much of it reminds me of Seldom Scene and that is a good thing, a very good thing 
 beelzebubba wrote:
Eric Clapton is a very overrated musician.

A tragedy really — he is an incredible guitar player and a master of his blues techniques.

But he wastes all his talents on sappy, listless love songs and crap like that. Really inane crap.

He is, after you peel away all the layers, just an overblown studio musican who happened to become more than he should have been due to his being in the right places at the right times.....
 
I really feel sorry for you, dude. I know times are tough, TRUST ME I know! But that does not give you any excuse to vociferously attack any of the artists, who have made it to the point where someone, anyone thinks their musical abilities rate high enough to score them time on vinyl or cd or hell the stage at a deli!  Just go hug your mama, or your bottle, and let go a good cry. We will still be here waitting when you return, and will give you a hug, or high five, as you prefer. But leave the musicians alone. {#Devil_pimp}


You're just wrong, with the exception that Clapton is an incredible guitar player.

 
beelzebubba wrote:
Eric Clapton is a very overrated musician.

A tragedy really — he is an incredible guitar player and a master of his blues techniques.

But he wastes all his talents on sappy, listless love songs and crap like that. Really inane crap.

He is, after you peel away all the layers, just an overblown studio musican who happened to become more than he should have been due to his being in the right places at the right times.....
 


I knew I'd heard that song way back yonder and really loved it. Great to hear it again. Nice job, Eric and Bob.

 
jhorton wrote:
The best version of this song was by a band named, " Cowboy," with a bloke named Duane Allman on dobro.

I think Cowboy was made up of the remnants of Delaney & Bonney. They recorded an album at Muscle Shoals when Duane was kind of the house guitarist there.

It's on the Duane Allman Anthology album. 
 


Bliss
coolness
The best version of this song was by a band named, " Cowboy," with a bloke named Duane Allman on dobro.

I think Cowboy was made up of the remnants of Delaney & Bonney. They recorded an album at Muscle Shoals when Duane was kind of the house guitarist there.

It's on the Duane Allman Anthology album. 
I had to shoot over to make sure this wasn't John Denver...

8, though.
461 Ocean Blvd's been on my Amazon wishlist for a while now on the strength of a couple of the better known tracks but this one tips it straight into the basket.

Deal done.
Wow. I love this song. And I didn't think I liked Eric Clapton.
Wow I had no idea this was EC.
Possibly his best song, from his best album............10!
Someone below mentioned sappy - yeah, the background vocals on this version are sappy. And Clapton's singing is inexpressive, but his playing is sweet. I heard this version for the first time on youtube earlier today, and then was quite surprised to hear it again on RP 3 hours later. The original by Cowboy with Scott Boyer and Tommy Talton on acoustic and Duane Allman on slide is one of my all-time favorite tunes - especially with the way "The Innocence Song" seems to segue into it. For a really expressive singing version, check out Scott Boyer doing it at his own benefit concert in 2007 on youtube.
I don't agree he's overrated...I find his later stuff pretty boring though. I've seen him twice in the last ten years and at times "Slowhand" became so slow I thought he'd stop all together. He's still one of the greatest axemen alive
I'm not sure how anyone can consider the guy who recorded "sunshine of your love,spoonfull, white room,why does love got to be so sad, layla,can't find my way back home,tell the truth,i shot the sherrif,cocaine, motherless child, willie and the hand jive,after midnight, blues power,prescence of the lord, blues power, let it rain ......... to be overrated! Sheesh I'm not sure what someone has to do to get a little respect on a long and brilliant career. Okay, I,m off my soapbox now.
beelzebubba wrote:
Eric Clapton is a very overrated musician. A tragedy really -- he is an incredible guitar player and a master of his blues techniques. But he wastes all his talents on sappy, listless love songs and crap like that. Really inane crap. He is, after you peel away all the layers, just an overblown studio musican who happened to become more than he should have been due to his being in the right places at the right times.....
Clapton has made some less than desirable musical choices and he lost some time to booze and such, but the guy is a player and a half and he's done tons of great stuff. That post of yours is way over the top. And, I'm not a huge Clapton fan. Still, my collection would be lessened without my Cream and my Blind Faith. I love a few of his solo albums and I love his contributions to Pros & Cons of Hitch Hiking. And, BTW, the guy has his own style and sound. He's not just some talented copycat. He's broken plenty of ground.
veegez wrote:
That MTV unplugged bossa nova version of Layla is nauseating. (Hey, even Pete Townshend agrees with me on this one)
Absolutely right. Most of the Unplugged series succeeded in showcasing talented musicians at their absolute worst.
beelzebubba wrote:
Eric Clapton is a very overrated musician. A tragedy really -- he is an incredible guitar player and a master of his blues techniques. But he wastes all his talents on sappy, listless love songs and crap like that. Really inane crap. He is, after you peel away all the layers, just an overblown studio musican who happened to become more than he should have been due to his being in the right places at the right times.....
Yeah, 'cause Layla, Tulsa Time, Cocaine, Blues Power, After Midnight, I Shot the Sheriff, and a host of other rockers are just inane listless love songs. This guy has more talent in his left pinky finger than most other guitarists put together. His range, both vocally and on the guitar, are almost unmnatchable.
This is a great song by a master guitarist and also a tribute to his good friend Duanne Allman. The Cowboy version is well worth finding as well, as stated below.
beelzebubba wrote:
Eric Clapton is a very overrated musician. A tragedy really -- he is an incredible guitar player and a master of his blues techniques. But he wastes all his talents on sappy, listless love songs and crap like that. Really inane crap. He is, after you peel away all the layers, just an overblown studio musican who happened to become more than he should have been due to his being in the right places at the right times.....
You when then appreciate "Eric Clapton Shreds" on youtube this holiday season.
beelzebubba wrote:
Eric Clapton is a very overrated musician. A tragedy really -- he is an incredible guitar player and a master of his blues techniques. But he wastes all his talents on sappy, listless love songs and crap like that. Really inane crap. He is, after you peel away all the layers, just an overblown studio musican who happened to become more than he should have been due to his being in the right places at the right times.....
I agree. I think he probably was the one who spraypainted Clapton is GOD. Clapton is just lucky that everybody who is more talented than him has an untimely death.
Eric Clapton is a very overrated musician. A tragedy really -- he is an incredible guitar player and a master of his blues techniques. But he wastes all his talents on sappy, listless love songs and crap like that. Really inane crap. He is, after you peel away all the layers, just an overblown studio musican who happened to become more than he should have been due to his being in the right places at the right times.....
Originally Posted by TreborG2: I never liked Clapton until he got older and slowed down a little and played more acoustically.. .... or I should say he was heard playing mostly acoustically.. ie MTV unplugged and the like.. cause THEN his music sounded better, with more feeling.. etc..
I respectfully disagree. That MTV unplugged bossa nova version of Layla is nauseating. (Hey, even Pete Townshend agrees with me on this one) 461 Ocean Boulevard is (IMO) his best album. Maybe not his best guitar work, but 461 contains great, listenable songs, and this is one of them. :)
I never liked Clapton until he got older and slowed down a little and played more acoustically.. .... or I should say he was heard playing mostly acoustically.. ie MTV unplugged and the like.. cause THEN his music sounded better, with more feeling.. etc..
Originally Posted by frednic: This is a great song but the group Cowboy did it better with Duane Allman on slide guitar.
hey, i got that l.p.
Who told this guy it was OK if he sang? He could be the Mayor of Dullsville. Only the nice acoustic guitar work saves this from completely going into the dumper. Please, no more Crapton.
This is a great song but the group Cowboy did it better with Duane Allman on slide guitar.
ahhhh...Radio Paradise
Originally Posted by dcbill: Workin' at my first job, Korvettes dept store bike dept, I brought this record home right when it came out and it just blew me away, still does. The tour was great too, still have my program.
The Korvette's in Springfield or Bailey's?
Thanks RP. NEVER heard this on the radio and I totally forgot about it. Good to hear.
This is so good!
Eric maybe a big screw up, but he has had his moments. And this is certianly a little one of them !