Clapton phoned it in

I couldn't have said it better myself. Eric Clapton phoned it in (review, Feb. 27). I'm a fan from way back, have seen him various times over the years, and was stunned by his choice of songs.

Not playing "Layla" is like Billy Joel not playing "Piano Man." Ending on "Crossroads"? C'mon, the crowd was shocked when the lights went on. You could hear gasps and people mumbling "no 'Layla?' " And he never said one word to the crowd. For $80, I could have purchased many CDs and enjoyed his music.

Funny thing. I was in Rite Aid that afternoon and they were playing "Layla" over the loudspeaker, which was quite exciting, knowing that I would be attending the Clapton concert in a few hours. Little did I know that would be the last time I would hear "Layla" that day -- at my pharmacist!!

Debbi Casini
Churchill

Page not No. 1

Regarding "Scott Mervis' Top 10 Rock Guitarists" (Feb. 25), I always enjoy reading his articles because he has introduced me to bands I have never heard of and I thank him for that. But let's be honest, Jimmy Page has ripped off music many times, from "Dazed and Confused" to "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" to "Stairway to Heaven." Don't you think he should be disqualified? Yeah, the guy was great, but anyone can be that good if you pass off other people's riffs as yours.

Michael Simpson
The Netherlands/Philadelphhia

Beck is the man

Eric Clapton is the most vanilla blues player ever! And now he has his own line of Iphones or whatever it is. How sad for the "Clapton is God" movement. Jeff Beck is still the player.

Paul Zotter
Baldwin

Clapton's league

Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page were tops at making strange noises, but I doubt if either could have lived with Clapton's blistering improvisations at The Albert Hall 2005 with Jack and Ginger. I think Page is overrated -- nowhere near Clapton's league. I would much rather listen to Chris Spedding, John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny, John Scofield and Bill Frissell.

Dave Oswald
Radlett, UK

A vote for Jerry

Let me commend Scott Mervis for putting Jerry Garcia so high on the list. When I think of Garcia, I think of unmatched range -- rock 'n' roll, surreal feedback, moving ballads, orchestrated arrangements, bluegrass, blues, jazz fusion, and on and on. Mr. Mervis is dead-on when he says that when we hear Garcia we know instantly that it is him. May a new generation discover not just the work but the world of music that Garcia gave to us.

Stephen Murabito
Saltsburg

Prog and metal?

I saw the top 10 list and I guess Scott Mervis is not much of a prog-rock fan. If he were he would surely have Steve Howe near the top of list. He also must not like metal a lot. If he did he'd surely have Ritchie Blackmore, Steve Vai and John Petrucci. No Santana? No Fripp or Holdsworth?

OK, he qualified his list adequately by saying this is just his favorites. My point is, there are so many great ones in such a variety of genres that the list-making game is kind of pointless, unless you go to say 50. Maybe in a future piece? Enjoyed the article, though, and I agree about Clapton.

Steve Altherr
Upper St. Clair

Where's Eddie?

I have never responded to a newspaper article until today. It doesn't matter whether I am a fan of rock music or a student of guitar, Scott Mervis listed his top 10 rock guitarists and did not include Eddie Van Halen. I don't know which decade Mr. Mervis did the most drugs in -- the '70s, '80s or '90s -- but he has erased all rational thought from his brain. Richard Thompson? Andy Gill? My 3-year-old niece is a more influential guitarist than Neil Young. He's a skilled musician, not a guitarist.

Steve Wisyanski
South Side

Need a Beatle

Yes, a top 10 rock guitarist list is a dangerous place to go. I'll throw in my 2 cents worth. Scott Mervis did not mention George Harrison. George was not as technical as some of the guys on his list (although much more technical than Neil Young, Jerry Garcia and Keith Richards) but a more expressive guitar player you will not find. George's genius was his ability to create a "mini composition" in the frame work of a song via his guitar solos. Never content on just "playing scales" for a solo he crafted beautiful melodies for his as well as the Lennon-McCartney songs. Listen to his solo on "Something." It is simply beautiful. The slide solo on John's "How Do You Sleep" is unbelievable and, although Clapton played the solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," he admits he was trying to make it sound "Beatley," playing like George.

Mike Zoric
Peters

Editor's note: The Clapton stories and rock guitarist list prompted a barrage of e-mails. More can be found in the music section and pop noise blog at post-gazette.com.

Critics Andrew Druckenbrod and Scott Mervis talk about music on "The Beat," available exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.