Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin identified the guitarist Eric Clapton called “impossible to record.” Page was well-known for being a session guitarist and a producer for Immediate Records prior to forming Led Zeppelin. Clapton recommended a concept to record in a song while recording the overdub with two other musicians. He eventually ceased playing the idea and referred to the song’s original owner as being impossible to record. feed posted the memories along with a picture from the day the song was recorded to his Instagram feed. The guitarist began the narrative in the description by listing the titles of two songs he had written: “On Immediate Records, where I worked as a producer, John Mayall released the single Witch Doctor / Telephone Blues on this day in 1965. Jazz drummer Hughie Flint, bassist John McVie, keyboardist John Mayall, and guitarist Eric Clapton participated in the recording at Pye Studios.
In June 1965, it was captured on tape. Eric came up with the idea to add this feedback wail at the top of “Witch Doctor” when it was being overdubbed. I was in the studio with him when he set this up, and when I left, I went back and instructed the engineer to record the overdub.” He continued by describing the moment Clapton struggled with the song: He moved the faders down and declared, “This guitarist is impossible to record,” around two-thirds of the way through. The signal that was turning the meters red must have violated his technical ethics. I advised him to carry out his duties and leave that decision to me. Page also commended Clapton for his solo on Telephone Blues, the single’s B-side: “Eric’s solo on ‘Telephone Blues’ was just outstanding.
Ainsley Dunbar playing drums in the studio for “Witch Doctor” is something I would have liked to see. Along with “Sitting On Top of the World,” which demonstrated John Mayall’s hopes to reach the Top 20, I also produced “Double Crossing Time,” which had the ironic title because the next time I heard of them, they were in the very capable hands of renowned blues producer Mike Vernon. Eric’s decision to leave The Yardbirds, who were aiming for the Top 20, was a wise one. After coming together to record the song, they later reunited to make their debut album as the Blues Breakers, titled “The Beano Album,” in 1966. You can hear Clapton and John Mayall performing “I’m Your Witch Doctor” below.
