I had originally posted this Stills medley because it was just too good not to share with y'all. But a coincidental performance by Eric Clapton on the same day I found this Stills take was too cool to pass up so what we have here is an appreciation of one of the signposts of blues rock, the Robert Johnson song "Crossroads". You can delve into the history of the song here and the strange legacy of the great Robert Johnson has been explored endlessly elsewhere but for today here are some fun stabs at this essential blues rave-up.
First, Robert Johnson's slightly looser version leads the column above. His other version (also from 1936) can be heard here.
Vintage Stills, this solo acoustic version of his medley of Robert Johnson's "Crossroads" and Chuck Berry's "You Can't Catch Me" is a very different take on the tune, uniquely Stillsian. Circa 1983 from TV's "Rock N Roll Tonight" show. See more of his set from this broadcast here featuring rare duo performances of Stills & Graham Nash.
Most of the electric versions here owe a huge debt to Creams's classic renditions of the song which we'll end the blog with. The version of "Crossroads" below is from Eric Clapton's recent set at Madison Square Garden for the 12/12/12 Sandy Relief concert. See more from his set here.
Before shredding was a musical term, the kings of shred. CREAM from the film Farewell Cream Filmed at their final concert at the Royal Albert Hall on November 26, 1968...
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