Sorry about your hearing. Does your amp go to 11? Maybe you should turn it down.
My hearing is just fine. Not picking on Clapton; a fine player, no doubt about it. I've listened to him since his Cream days (even got a DVD for Christmas of the Cream Reunion held last year). Has done outSTANDing work. It's just the solo from "Crossroads" isn't one of his better pieces of guitar work, IMHO, and is nowhere near the quality that would put it on a "best" list such as this one. It's fun to listen to, but more than a little pedestrian.