Old Polydor CD "Strange Brew-The Very Best Of Cream" mastered by Dennis Drake. Best sound, cheap!

Never been much of a Clapton fan but this is a great cd. Both the sound and the track listing. Thanks for the recommendation Steve and well done Dennis.

 

I bought this to fill the Cream gap in my CD collection. It sounded good and I loved it but I never noticed it was mastered by Dennis. Just my good luck!

 

My Aussie copy has the cheap knockoff cover art, as noted in earlier posts. Mr. Drake has the credit on the sleeve.
Differing from earlier description, " STRANGE BREW" is included on the cd printed contents.
The matrix number is : 811639-2* #06. Made by PMI.
Timing is 43.54.
BADGE is crackle free.

 

Thanks to both Steve and Dennis, I'm really getting into--and enjoying--this comp like never before.

 

I've been burned on Discogs where sellers don't list their items correctly

 

I wish Steve would do this once or twice a month. Just throw out some older cd title that he really loves. I went and picked up a used copy and will be giving it a spin tomorrow.
And very cool that Mr. Drake popped in. I always love hearing the technical side of the music biz.

 

Yeah, I've only had 21 out of 21 perfect transactions there, myself.
.

 

My boy Ginger hated it.

 

That's good. Recently I bought 2 Cream albums Wheels of Fire and Disraeli Gears thinking they were Monarch pressings. Wheels was from MGM and Disraeli was a Columbia Records pressing. Disraeli is going back but I'm keeping Wheels. It's a nice pressing.

Had an issue with a Beatles pressing too. So, that's my experience. Better to ask questions

 

I know this CD because of an old Rolling Stone Album Guide that actually gave it the highest rating of any Cream album (I think 4.5 stars), taking the position that it was the only Cream album free of their indulgences. When the single CD The Very Best of Cream was issued in the mid-'90s, it was basically this compilation with an additional 8 tracks, but with a new limited and harder-sounding mastering.

If you're new to Cream or prefer them in concentrated doses instead of long jams, you can't go wrong with this CD. The fact that it's a good mastering by Drake is gravy.

 

I think this is The Very Best of Cream album C6H1206 is referring to:



1. "Wrapping Paper" (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) – 2:21
2. "I Feel Free" (Bruce, Brown) – 2:54
3. "N.S.U." (Bruce) – 2:47
4. "Sweet Wine" (Ginger Baker, Janet Godfrey) – 3:19
5. "I'm So Glad" (Skip James) – 4:01
6. "Spoonful" (Willie Dixon) – 6:30
7. "Strange Brew" (Eric Clapton, Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins Pappalardi) – 2:48
8. "Sunshine of Your Love" (Bruce, Brown, Clapton) - 4:10
9. "Tales of Brave Ulysses" (Clapton, Martin Sharp) - 2:46
10. "SWLABR" (Bruce, Brown) – 2:31
11. "We're Going Wrong" (Bruce) – 3:29
12. "White Room" (Bruce, Brown) – 4:58
13. "Sitting on Top of the World" (Walter Vinson, Lonnie Chatmon; arr. by Chester Burnett) – 4:59
14. "Politician" (Bruce, Brown) – 4:11
15. "Those Were the Days" (Baker, Mike Taylor) – 2:56
16. "Born Under a Bad Sign" (Booker T. Jones, William Bell) – 3:09
17. "Deserted Cities of the Heart" (Bruce, Brown) – 3:41
18. "Crossroads" (Robert Johnson, arr. by Clapton) – 4:14
19. "Anyone for Tennis" (The Savage Seven theme) (Clapton, Sharp) – 2:38
20. "Badge" (Clapton, George Harrison) – 2:46

_____

I can't see "Toad" on this list, or it fitting onto a single disk with 19 other tracks!

The 8 tracks not common to the Strange Brew Best Of would be:

1. "Wrapping Paper"
3. "N.S.U."
4. "Sweet Wine"
5. "I'm So Glad"
11. "We're Going Wrong"
13. "Sitting on Top of the World"
15. "Those Were the Days"
17. "Deserted Cities of the Heart"​

 

I thought I'd augment my initial post with a scan of my copy #2 (the one without the center PDO since the other's already represented here), and to show the "lighter" track list font used on both my CDs:

 

Not to threadpoo but, how does that Cream Gold 2-CD set sound?

 

So nice to see Dennis M. Drake on this forum.

I have many CD's with your mastering, and I have always seen it as a very good sign to read the respective mastering credits.

 

Sure did!

 

Yep, that's the one - and I don't need to hear "Toad" ever again!

 

I have this CD, and was listening to it the other night, and I noticed "I'm So Glad" is in mono here.
Is that track the real mono mix on this CD, or a fold?

 

I just picked up a used copy with the same pressing; the tray label on my copy indicates it was made for BMG Direct Marketing (record club?). The CD looks like it hardly had the easiest life, with some scratches on both top and bottom. Indeed, ripping it with EAC indicated problems with two tracks; but CUEtools was able to repair them, and a playthrough of the tracks in question revealed no audible problems. As you mentioned, great sound overall!

 

This is the one I have and it does really good.

@Dennis Drake Thanks for all of your great work! A big fan here.

 

My Polydor Made in USA copy - Matrix 811 639-2 09% OK
In clear plastic - MADE IN USA BY PMDC IFPI 0346
Total time 43:54
Sounds like a Drake mastering - natural relaxed open sound.

 

I don't think there was ever a stereo mix of "I'm So Glad". I'm no Cream expert so I could be wrong though.

 

It'd be a smaller list, for things Ginger doesn't hate