Legendary Blues Classics Reinvented: Eric Clapton & Cream’s 1993 “Crossroads”

Jerry McCulley | 07.17.2008

Yep, you read that date right: A decade-and-a-half before Cream’s vaunted Albert Hall reunion and subsequent tour, the English blues rock titans performed their first show in a quarter-century to celebrate their 1993 induction into Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They performed only three songs that night, with the most interesting being this reinvented shuffle version of “Crossroads,” their Wheels of Fire staple that featured one of blues-rock’s most storied solos. It’s a radically different take on the Robert Johnson evergreen than Cream’s 1968 version, one that actually seems closer in spirit to the blues progenitor’s original.

 

And for those who think Cream’s 1968 take on “Crossroads” is still the definitive version, YouTube subscriber ftyfty123 in Japan offers up a note-for-note recreation of Clapton’s original 1968 landmark solo on his SG.