Cream
Cream |
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Formed 1966 in London, England. Disbanded 1968.
During its relatively short lifespan, Cream revolutionized rock 'n' roll. For the first time, three established rock stars left three separate groups and joined forces--Clapton from the Yardbirds and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Baker from the Graham Bond Organization and Bruce from Graham Bond and the Manfred Mann band. They opted for the demanding trio format instead of the standard four- or five-piece band. In the span of just two years and four albums (more were released afterward), Cream blazed a trail for power trios, supergroups and wide-ranging, adventuresome music making. The group created crisp pop songs that were perfect for radio as well as fierce, rambling jams that combined the brute force of rock with the technical demands of jazz improvisation and a touch of the blues' emotional depth. The trio's excessive volume and exceptional talent set new standards for rock, and its music remains a major influence even 30 years later. Superstar egos, as well as Clapton's ravenous demands for new challenges, prompted Cream to split up in November 1968. (A box set anthology is expected in late 1996 or early 1997.)
Source: MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide
Personnel
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THE VERY BEST OF CREAMOrder from: |
1. Wrapping Paper |
Cream: Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker. Includes liner notes by Hugh Fielder. THE VERY BEST OF CREAM includes a 12-page booklet. Cream comprised Jack Bruce (bass, vocals), Eric Clapton (guitar), and Ginger Baker. In their two and a half years together, they became one of the most influential bands since the Beatles. They formed in London, Clapton from John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Bruce from Graham Bond and Manfred Mann, and Baker from the Graham Bond Organisation via Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated. Fresh Cream, their debut album, confirmed the promise with a mixture of blues standards and exciting originals, reaching number 6 in the UK charts. That same year, Disraeli Gears went even higher and firmly established Cream in the USA. This superb album showed a marked progression from their first, particularly in the high standard of songwriting from Jack Bruce and his lyricist partner, former beat poet Pete Brown. Already rumours of a split prevailed, as news filtered back from America of fights and arguments between Baker and Bruce. One disc of the two-record set, Wheels Of Fire, captured Cream live, at their inventive and exploratory best. Only one month after its release, they announced they would disband at the end of the year. The Royal Albert Hall farewell concerts were captured on film. The posthumous Goodbye repeated the success of its predecessors. Cream came and went almost in the blink of an eye, but left an indelible mark on rock music. |
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STRANGE BREW: VERY BEST OF CREAMOrder from: |
1. Badge |
Cream: Eric Clapton (guitar, vocals), Jack Bruce (bass, harmonica, vocals), Ginger Baker (drums). This set collects tracks from the 4 Cream albums along with a single, "Anyone For Tennis?". Cream comprised Jack Bruce (bass, vocals), Eric Clapton (guitar), and Ginger Baker. In their two and a half years together, they became one of the most influential bands since the Beatles. They formed in London, Clapton from John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Bruce from Graham Bond and Manfred Mann, and Baker from the Graham Bond Organisation via Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated. Fresh Cream, their debut album, confirmed the promise with a mixture of blues standards and exciting originals, reaching number 6 in the UK charts. That same year, Disraeli Gears went even higher and firmly established Cream in the USA. This superb album showed a marked progression from their first, particularly in the high standard of songwriting from Jack Bruce and his lyricist partner, former beat poet Pete Brown. Already rumours of a split prevailed, as news filtered back from America of fights and arguments between Baker and Bruce. One disc of the two-record set, Wheels Of Fire, captured Cream live, at their inventive and exploratory best. Only one month after its release, they announced they would disband at the end of the year. The Royal Albert Hall farewell concerts were captured on film. The posthumous Goodbye repeated the success of its predecessors. Cream came and went almost in the blink of an eye, but left an indelible mark on rock music. |
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FRESH CREAMOrder from: |
1. I Feel Free |
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DISRAELI GEARSOrder from: |
1. Strange Brew |
The remastered DISRAELI GEARS is also available in its entirety on the 4 disc set THOSE WERE THE DAYS. Cream: Eric Clapton (guitar, vocals); Jack Bruce (bass, vocals, harmonica); Ginger Baker (drums, vocals). Recorded at Atlantic Studios, New York, New York in May 1967. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Recorded in the U.S. in three and a half days in a race against visa expiration, DISRAELI GEARS continued to utilize the technical acrobatics of the power trio format pioneered by Cream on their debut FRESH CREAM. Released with a radical day-glo cover, the album was produced by Felix Pappalardi (who co-founded Mountain, yet another power trio) and featured more collaborations between Jack Bruce and beat poet Pete Brown. Co-written by Bruce and Eric Clapton, "Sunshine Of Your Love" was a Top 5 hit. The oddly acronymed "SWLABR" (She Was Like A Bearded Rainbow) featured some of Cream's most incendiary interplay. Despite the good humor suggested by the jokey acapella reading of "Mother's Lament," internal and external pressures broke up the band by the end of 1968. |
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WHEELS OF FIREOrder from: |
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Disc: 1
Disc: 2
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GOODBYEOrder from: |
1. I'm So Glad |
Cream: Eric Clapton (vocals, guitar); Jack Bruce (vocals, piano, organ, bass); Ginger Baker (vocals, drums, percussion). Additional personnel: L'Angelo Misterioso [George Harrison] (guitar); Felix Pappalardi (viola, piano, Mellotron, bass). Engineers: Bill Halverson, Adrian Barber, Damon Lyon-Shaw. All tracks have been digitally remastered. After less than 3 years in existence, and some 15 million albums sold, GOODBYE was Cream's farewell release. Baker, Bruce and Clapton indicated at the time that they were burned out on the concept, the touring, the improvisational "battles," and each other. The live cuts ("I'm So Glad," "Politician" and "Sitting On Top Of The World") are indicative of how the band's concert chemistry had evolved from earlier live recordings (such as those on WHEELS OF FIRE and LIVE CREAM, VOLUMES 1 & 2). But what's most striking about GOODBYE is the charm and craftsmanship of their last studio tracks, indicating that Cream was far from played out creatively, and illustrating how strong their songwriting skills really were. The Beatles' influence is readily apparent on each studio track, the most famous being Clapton's "Badge," featuring George Harrison. Bruce's "Doin' The Scrapyard Thing," with its mixture of funk and the English music hall, points to the directions he would pursue on SONGS FOR A TAILOR and his other underrated solo albums, while Baker's use of odd meters on "What A Bringdown" anticipates "Do What You Like" on BLIND FAITH. |
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LIVE CREAMOrder from: |
1. N.S.U. |
Cream: Eric Clapton (guitar, vocals); Jack Bruce (bass, harmonica, vocals); Ginger Baker (drums). Producers: Felix Pappalardi, Ahmet Ertegun, Robert Stigwood. Engineers: Adrian Barber, Tom Dowd, Bill Halverson. Recorded live at Fillmore West on March 7, 1968 and Winterland from March 9-10, 1968, San Francisco, California; "Lawdy Mama" was recorded in May 1967 at Atlantic Studios, New York City, New York. All tracks have been digitally remastered. During the brief three years that Cream was together, it set the standard for future blues-rock power trios by redefining the role of each corner of this musical triangle. While the traditional route was to have only the guitarist take a solo, the instrumental prowess of both Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce meant that a degree of improvisation was possible from all corners. Nowhere was this more evident than in a live setting as ably demonstrated by the four performances included on LIVE CREAM. Taken from some 1968 dates recorded at Winterland and Fillmore West, Clapton, Bruce and Baker all play with a ferocity that makes Jack Bruce's ten-minute version of "N.S.U." fly by. Bruce's other collaborations with co-writer Janet Godfrey, "Sleepy Time Time" and "Sweet Wine" show off his honeyed singing style while allowing Clapton to indulge his blues jones and Cream to flex its improvisational muscle. Coupled with a straight reading of Muddy Waters' "Rollin' And Tumblin'" taken from a Fillmore West performance is a previously unreleased studio recording of the traditional "Lawdy Mama" later re-written as "Strange Brew," a Cream original. |
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LIVE CREAM VOL. 2Order from: |
1. Deserted Cities Of The Heart |
Cream: Eric Clapton (vocals, guitar); Jack Bruce (vocals, bass, harmonica); Ginger Baker (drums). Recorded live at Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California on October 4, 1968 & at Winterland, San Francisco, California from March 9-10, 1968. All tracks have been digitally remastered. During the brief three years that Cream was together, they set the standard for future blues-rock power trios by redefining the role of each corner of this musical triangle. While the traditional route was to have only the guitarist take a solo, the instrumental prowess of both Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce meant that a degree of improvisation was possible from all corners. Unlike VOLUME I, this sampling of Cream's live performances features less obscure numbers from the band's catalog. These recordings were taken from 1968 live performances at the Oakland Coliseum and San Francisco's Winterland. Included in this set are the epic "Tales of Brave Ulysses," the wah-wah-laden "White Room" and the psychedelic glory that is "Sunshine Of Your Love." The only time that Cream indulges in its improvisational side is during a 15-minute instrumental version of James Bracken's "Steppin' Out." Starting it out as a swinging shuffle, the gifted trio eventually launches into a mini-showcase of its playing ability that was indicative of the creative atmosphere encouraged during live performances of those times. |
ALTERNATIVE ALBUMOrder from: |
1. Lawdy Mama |
THOSE WERE THE DAYS
Order from: THOSE WERE THE DAYS is a four-disc set, the first half consisting of Cream's entire studio output and the last half featuring the band's concert performances. The package includes a 48-page booklet full of previously unpublished photos. Cream: Eric Clapton (guitar, vocals); Jack Bruce (bass, acoustic guitar, piano, organ, harmonica, cello, vocals); Ginger Baker (drums, percussion, vocals). Additional personnel: George Harrison (guitar); Felix Pappalardi (viola, organ, trumpet, tonette, Swiss hand bells, piano, mellotron, bass). Producers: Robert Stigwood, Felix Pappalardi, Ahmet Ertegun. Compilation producer: Bill Levenson Engineers: John Timperly, Tom Dowd, Adrian Barber, Bill Halverson. Includes liner notes by John McDermott. In the two years they were together, Cream's blend of blues, psychedelic rock and quirky lyricism forever altered the definition of rock music. After releasing four seminal albums, Cream broke up as quickly as they had come together, with all three members going on to solo careers of great acclaim. THOSE WERE THE DAYS brings together Cream's musical output in a deluxe four-CD set that's neatly halved between studio and live material. Meticulously compiled and remastered, DAYS includes every studio recording the band ever released, as well as previously unreleased demos, masters, rare and alternate takes. The live half of the box set is primarily culled from seminal performances at legendary venues like San Francisco's Winterland and Fillmore West. The sound has been considerably cleaned up allowing the listener to hear every nuance of these extended flights of jazz-flavored blues-rock improvisation. The package surrounding Cream's timeless musical output sports a DISRAELI GEARS-style day-glo cover and a 48-page color book. The accompanying notes, complemented by dozens of previously unpublished photos, provide an intimate glimpse into the brief, but groundbreaking career of the original power trio. Disc: 1
Disc: 2
Disc: 3
Disc: 4
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Disraeli Gears was a landmark album in the history of rock. The group Cream was made up of the power trio of Eric Clapton on guitar, Jack Bruce on bass, and Ginger Baker on drums. This album, their second, launched their US career with songs such as Strange Brew and Sunshine of Your Love. Includes interviews with all participants and first-hand accounts of their early concerts and recordings. John Platt, a club manager and writer in the late 1960s in London when Cream was first performing, produced a Cream box set for Polydor Records. He lives in New York City. |
| November 26, 1968, inside London's illustrious Royal Albert Hall, jammed to its gilded rafters with rock fans ready for the final concert of what many still consider the greatest band that ever played. | |
| A compilation of video footage from Clapton's career, from his days with Cream through Derek & the Dominoes and ending with his 1987 solo album. Includes "I Feel Free," "Sunshine of Your Love," "Layla" and "Forever Man." |
