The one song Eric Clapton was never particularly proud of was “Automatic Pilot.”
Whenever they go on tour, even the most well-known celebrities have bad days. While many musicians make it seem effortless when they pick up a guitar or take the stage, nobody is flawless, and performers have frequently shown their audience this by either missing cues or delivering a terribly executed guitar solo or vocal stutter. Even though Eric Clapton was typically over his technical mishaps by the 1970s, he was never comfortable with the way he stumbled through his time working with The Band on The Last Waltz.
Granted, at the time, anyone Clapton asked to collaborate with would have most likely said “yes” right away. “Slowhand’s” sound had only gotten more soulful with time, even though he was still getting established as a solo performer. On Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, he made the switch from being a caustic rocker in The Yardbirds to a blues tone most musicians would be jealous of.
Even though Clapton had a deep affinity for the blues, he was constantly searching for fresh inspiration. He had more uncharted territory to cover, and after hearing The Band perform live for the first time, he began to get the meaning of being a songwriter.
The Band, after all, was no strangers to internalizing a song—they had begun their careers as Bob Dylan’s backup group. Though they were capable of producing excellent music on their own, Clapton was blown away by Music From Big Pink and eventually expressed his desire to join the group while he was going through production hell with Cream.
The guitarist’s tone fit The Band’s sound better by the time he began working on solo projects like 461 Ocean Boulevard. Now, if only he had realized the amazing things that a guitar strap could accomplish, maybe he could have continued to jam with his favorite band for a short time.
Rewatching the video of his performance, Clapton was still ashamed when he entered the stage for The Last Waltz. He told Guitar World, “I was amazed at how young everyone looks.” However, as soon as the song starts, my strap comes off, and I start acting automatically. I’m not too proud of my bit since, as soon as I get the guitar solo, I have to give it to Robbie [Robertson]!”
In fact, though, the video serves to highlight how effectively Robertson performs while working with the group. Although he had years of experience working with Dylan, the way Clapton mishandles his solo and Robertson picks it up almost right away is so smooth that most people wouldn’t notice it if they didn’t watch the real video.
Even though it may not have been Clapton’s finest performance, it did highlight the direction he would be taking on his own. It makes sense that someone like him could transition from something as intense as Disraeli Gears to the softspoken sounds of Slowhand, especially considering how effectively he’s handling the rest of the group.
