I spent many a day in my teens working on Clapton's licks off the "Disraeli Gears" album. For those of us who only know his post-"Tears in Heaven" output, *this* is the music that made the "Clapton is God" graffiti so popular. Yeah, he lost his edge after the Layla album, but he was the hottest act in town around 1967 or so. OK, maybe aside from Hendrix, but I don't want to get into that argument...
Mike, Clapton was asked once in an interview who was better, him or Jimi, and he said, "Well, I'll play a lick, then Jimi will play a lick, then Jeff Beck will come along and beat both of us."