from a 1996 interview in the CD-ROM music magazine Undercover --
Paul Cashmere: You and Eric Clapton go back a long way. When did you first meet?
George Harrison: I think I met him ... I'm not sure which year ... it was probably '63. No, must have been after that ... must have been '64 or '65 at the Hammersmith Odeon. He was in the Yardbirds. We did a Christmas season there ... two or three weeks we played there. That's the first time I met him. Then, later I met him ... somehow Brian Epstein was managing the Cream and the Bee Gees, and I used to see him hanging around at that point. That was when that guy (Robert) Stigwood had come to work for Brian Epstein. That's when I really got to know him quite a bit. It must have been 1966, '67.
George's first collaboration with Eric was for the recording in December of 1967 for a soundtrack George was working on for Wonderwall, a sexy-psychodelic movie that not many people saw. The soundtrack was made up of Indian ragas and rock instrumentals. Eric is most noticeable on the track called "Ski-ing." Eric is credited on the album under the pseudonym "Eddie Clayton."
It was "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" that first clued the world into the friendship/musical partnership between the two guitarists. George invited Eric to the White Album sessions and prodded Eric to do the solo on 6 September 1968.
George returned the favor by writing a song called "Badge" for the next Cream album. Eric's band recorded George's song in October of 1968 for their Goodbye album.
Then on December 2 through December 12 of 1969, George and Eric Clapton went on a tour of England playing with Delaney and Bonnie. An album featuring the December 7 show was released in 1970 called On Tour with Eric Clapton by Delaney and Bonnie & Friends. Delaney Bramlett is the one who turned George onto slide guitar.
Then on December 15 in 1969 George and Eric played guitar for John Lennon's band at the UNICEF Peace for Christmas charity show at the Lyceum Ballroom in London. They played "Cold Turkey" and "Don't Worry Kyoko." These songs would later turn up on John Lennon's Sometime in New York City album.
Next, Eric helps out from May 1970 to September 1970 on George's monumental All Things Must Pass triple album box set. He plays guitar on "I'd Have You Anytime," "My Sweet Lord," "Wah Wah," "What Is Life," "Let It Down," "Beware of Darkness," "Awaiting on You All," "All Things Must Pass," "I Dig Love," "The Art of Dying," "Isn't It a Pity (Version 2)," "Hear Me Lord," "I Remember Jeep," "Thanks for the Pepperoni," and "Plug Me In."
Then Eric appeared as part of George's band for the Concert for Bangla Desh on August 1 of 1971. Eric was in the throes of his heroin addiction at the time and couldn't make the sound check, but he performed admirably during the shows.
In 1978 on December 7th, George played guitar for the last song on the last date of Eric's Backless Tour. The concert was in Surrey, England, and the song was "Further on up the Road," which also featured Elton John on piano.
Eric made an appearance in George's 1985 Handmade Films movie called Water starring Michael Caine, Valerie Perrine, and Billy Connolly. At the end of the film, a band called the Singing Rebels perform a song called "Freedom" at the United Nations building. The band consists of George and Eric, Jon Lord, Ringo, and Billy Connolly.
Also in 1985, on October 21 George, Eric and Ringo appear in London for a concert paying tribute to Carl Perkins, called Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session.
On June 6, 1987 Eric and George performed "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at Wembley Stadium for the Prince's Trust benefit concerts. Then Ringo came out, and they all played "With a Little Help from my Friends."
Starting from January 5 to March 1987 George recorded his Cloud Nine album, on which Eric plays on several songs. Listening to Eric and George trade guitar leads throughout the whole title track is, for me, pure bliss.
George wrote a song for Eric's 1989 Journeyman album called "Run so Far." George later recorded his own version of this song which he included on the last album he created, Brainwashed.
Also in 1989 Eric wrote instrumentals for the Lethal Weapon 2 soundtrack. George contributed the excellent song "Cheer Down" that was included in the soundtrack.
The Beatle wives put together an album to raise money for Romanian orphans called Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal that was released on July 24, 1990. Eric performs a song called "That Kind of Woman" that is included on this album. George wrote the song and plays guitar on it as well.
At the Forum in Inglewood, California, on May 1, 1990 during Eric's Journeyman Tour, George joined Eric on stage for three songs: "Instrumental Jam," "Crossroads," and "Sunshine of Your Love."
Then Eric was in George's band when Eric pushed George to do a short tour of Japan in 1991 that lasted from December 1st to December 17th.
Then, after George's passing, Eric organized and performed at the Concert for George at the Royal Albert Hall in London on November 29, 2002.
Finally, Eric recorded a cover of George's "Love Comes to Everyone" that he included on his 2005 album, Back Home.
