Marty Stuart on Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers:

Excellent point about the Prog audience, @stuartk! I’ve known some of those guys, who were exactly as you describe. Smug superiority to spare. I neglected to mention how much I dislike the attempt to combine Rock with Classical, a ridiculous notion imo. If I want to hear Pictures At An Exhibition, it sure ain’t gonna be by ELP. However, Matthew Fisher’s insertion of a J.S. Bach line in "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" is brilliant!

Clapton’s playing over the years has sure been hit-or-miss, all over the map. Seems like he wants to be first one thing, then another. I respect the guy, but own only one of albums---the debut.

   "I neglected to mention how much I dislike the attempt to combine Rock with Classical, a ridiculous notion imo"

I don't know if it's ridiculous but I don't like it. 

"Clapton’s playing over the years has sure been hit-or-miss, all over the map".

Yeah. I don't care for (or own) 461 O. Blvd. or anything after that but am still a fan of the earlier recordings. I stil own and listen to Layla, Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears, Blind Faith, the John Mayall Beano album and the London Howlin' Wolf Sessions. That's definitely enough EC for me. 

I kept my copy of Fresh Cream (and the John Mayall album, as well as it’s followup with Peter Green playing guitar), but ditched Disraeli Gears long ago. Did you hear Atlantic Records President Ahmet Ertegan’s reaction to hearing the album tapes? He characterized the music as "psychedelic h*rsesh*t." ;-)

I was surprised that after having disbanded Cream (in reaction to hearing Music From Big Pink), Clapton formed another band with Ginger Baker, whose drumming style is diametrically opposed to that of Levon Helm and Jim Gordon.

After the Blind Faith side project, Steve Winwood was back with Traffic full-time, and drummer/songwriter Jim Capaldi wanted to move to the front of the stage (on piano). He enlisted the services of two of his favorite drummers (mine too)---Jim Gordon and Roger Hawkins. Wish I had seen THAT lineup live!

Clapton asserts he never invited G. baker to join Blind Faith and given the ongoing war between Baker and Bruce, which had thrust Clapton into the thankless role of perpetual mediator, it makes sense that he wasn't eager for a reunion with either of them. According to the liner notes in my Blind Faith deluxe, Baker "just showed up" at Clapton's home during a rehearsal and apparently, EC didn't have the will to refuse him. It's not clear to me whether Winwood had invited Baker or not, but I happen to like his playing with B. Faith. 

While Disraeli Gears is admittedly dated, I still enjoy listening to it,once in a great while, although I tend to skip over S.O.Y.L. -- heard that one a few too many times. Fresh Cream is my favorite Cream album because it's more bluesy, less psychedelic. 

There is a concert dvd of the version of Traffic you mention: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocjSc7v83pk

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers had its roots in the Gainesville, FL music scene in the 60's consisting of a few small bands competing for gigs at local U of F fraternity houses and other local venues. Tom competed against another band made up of the Jourard brothers, who later rounded out Martha & the Motels. Jeff Jourard was certainly the superior guitarist to the player in Tom's band. In fact Tom asked Jeff to go on tour with his band once everyone moved to California to replace his original guitarist, who was leaving the band, but later returned. So unless you are counting the time when Jeff Jourard played with the Heartbreakers, than I can't see where they were the "greatest band" ever. Tom was surely a great song writer, but his band IMHO are light weights compared to another Florida band, the Allman Brothers, coming out of Ormond Beach FL. If you include Steven Stills also from Gainesville, then you begin to see what Tom and his band were competing against...some of the greatest musicians up and including now. Enjoy the music!!