For those who don’t know, Eric Johnson is a guitarist who was particularly popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Even though this performance was recorded way back in 1988, people still come to visit this YouTube video just to admire Johnson’s flawless performance of his original hit, “Cliffs of Dover.” In six minutes of tirelessly fingerpicking, Johnson nails every part without a problem.
He played the song much better than his studio version!
The risk of performing something live is that you could essentially create new mistakes along the way, but the fact that he accurately hit each note perfectly and made the song a hundred times better truly shows the mastery of his craft.
The video has amassed more than two million views since it was published on YouTube in 2012. Even now, people are still swarming to appreciate this legend.
“Cliffs of Dover” is a masterpiece that that many people probably don’t know.
This composition by Eric Johnson was released around 1990, and it starts with an ad-libbed guitar solo intro in which there is no distinct time signature to be followed. Because of that, it’s easy for Johnson to add in more ad-libs using various techniques when he plays it live. After the intro, the percussion kicks in to accompany the song, though it reverts back into a freer structure again right after that.
The song is considered as one of the best guitar compositions—and Johnson even won the “Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance” for it! If you were a hardcore Guitar Hero player, then you should have played it at least once on Guitar Hero III.
It is really amazing to know that this legend is still making waves with his music in 2020.
Johnson started his career around 1976 to 1978.
During that time, Johnson recorded his debut album, Seven Worlds. Later he won a Grammy for “Cliffs of Dover,” which was one of the songs on his Capitol Records debut album in 1990. He won several awards and was recognized as one of the best rock instrumental composers at that time. His 1990 album, “Ah Via Musicom,” was also certified Platinum. He has since been listed among the “100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century,” and was inducted in the “Guitar Player Gallery of Greats.”
Despite these successes, Johnson is not yet ready to settle in and put his guitar on the shelf.
To this day, Johnson continues to deliver joy and inspiration with his music. He started a 55-date tour around the US on January 3, 2020, and his tour is expected to be done at the end of March. The tour was entitled “Classics: Present and Past” which features selections of songs from his previous and current albums.
In music, there are always plenty of comparisons between a song’s studio quality and live versions.
In the studio, they make many improvements by straightening some out-of-tune parts and adding in some effects. But in a live show, the performer has the freedom to extend the music with improvisations that you cannot hear from the released studio version.
People may have their own preferences, but no matter which you prefer, there’s no denying his talent in this video!
There are definitely arguments to made for both sides. Either way, we’re just going to keep watching this video again and again.
Be sure to check out the entire thing in the link below:
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