• Clapton

  • The Autobiography
  • By: Eric Clapton
  • Narrated by: Simon Vance
  • Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,195 ratings)

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Clapton  By  cover art

Clapton

By: Eric Clapton
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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Publisher's summary

Eric Clapton is far more than a rock star. Like Dylan and McCartney, he is an icon and a living legend. He has sold tens of millions of records, played sell-out concerts all over the world, and been central to the significant musical developments of his era. His guitar playing has seen him hailed as "God". Tracks such as "Layla", "Sunshine of Your Love", "Wonderful Tonight", and "Tears in Heaven" have become anthems for generations of music fans. Now, for the first time, Eric tells the story of his personal and professional journeys in this pungent, witty, and painfully honest autobiography.

Eric was born illegitimate in 1945 and raised by his grandparents. He never knew his father, and until the age of nine believed his absentee mother to be his sister. In his teens his solace was the guitar, and he soon became a cult hero in the club circuits of Britain. With the foundation of the world's first super-group, Cream, in 1966, he became a world superstar.

But the rock-star lifestyle has had a darker side. In more than 40 years at the forefront of his profession, he has twice survived near fatal addictions to drugs and alcohol, the death of his four-year-old son, the deaths of friends such as Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon, the break-up of marriage, and the disintegration of relationships with a succession of beautiful women.

These are the memoirs of a survivor, someone who has reached the pinnacle of success, who has had it all, but whose demons have never left him. At the age of 62, Eric is now ready to tell his story as it is, hiding nothing, with a directness and searing honesty that will make this book one of the most compelling memoirs of our time.

©2007 E. C. Music Limited (P)2007 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"Both the youthful excesses and the current calm state are narrated with an engaging tone that nudges Clapton's story ahead of other rock 'n' roll memoirs." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Clapton is honest - sometimes, as in the account of his son's death, even searing - and often witty, with a hard-won survivor's humor." ( The New York Times)

What listeners say about Clapton

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...INSPIRATIONAL...

...it is very unique in it's honesty & high degree of integrity. Thank you, E.C. !!!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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  • JY
  • 05-13-20

No pdf

It would have bees even better had there been pdf pics to view on audible. Excellent book. Like most if the 1960 musicians, it filled with alcohol, drugs and sex. I think a lot if these guys write these for the therapy.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing!

Awesome story about an amazing man! A life filled with Astounding Highs and Breath taking lows..

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • TB
  • 03-08-20

Powerful and inspiring story of loss, love, recovery, and hope.

Thank you for sharing your powerful story, Eric. I especially appreciated your message of recovery. You demonstrate the fact that one can stay sober no matter if another loves you, leaves you, or dies. Thank you for giving away what was so freely and lovingly given to you, one day at a time.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

God Saved Clapton!

Painfully honest and unfiltered account of the life of a true music legend of our generation. Ang though, I always prefer the author narrate the audible book, Simon Vance was superb and careful to honor every word with grace and dignity. Excellent.

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Better Than Expected!

Being a huge Eric Clapton fan I knew a little about his life but not about how he got started etc. This book is filled with details, honestly and insight. I loved every minute.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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I really enjoyed this book...

I am a fan of Eric Clapton's music. And I am even more of a fan after listening to this.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book on clapton, simply written

This is exactly what I wanted it to be. A great book chronicling Clapton's life. It's not exceptionally beautifully written and it pretty superficially covers his song writing, with the exception of anything related to Patti Boyd, but it ticks all of the boxes for a great book about sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Kind of a let down...

First off I had an extremely hard time listening to the narrator. I love British accents but his voice bugged me to the point I almost quite listening. As to Eric, this book truly shows that celebrities are just people like us who have a lot of issues. He is an amazing musician but as a human seems to be very woe is me. I don’t know how many times you can do the same thing over and over and be surprised by getting the same result ie, women and personal relationships. Some other person in a review I read said he is narcissistic. That is totally the best way to describe him. As stated before he did the woe is me ALOT and that made me kinda lose a little respect for him. I don’t want to sit here and bash him because to err is to human and we all have our flaws. Just wasn’t super impressed.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Not riveting

It’s unfortunate that Clapton’s story is told chronologically with a lot of unnecessary, irrelevant and uninteresting details. The narration is unimaginative and often monotone. Read Keith Richards’ “Life” for an excellent example of effective narration and the value of starting out with what Richards calls “a bang.” His story begins in the middle of one of his colorful experiences, thus making it difficult to put down. This is not the case with Clapton; I could have easily put his story down at any random point. There’s a lot of compelling material in Clapton’s book. Too bad the writing style and narration make it difficult to enjoy.

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