"Cream" Appreciation Thread

I bought this oddity a few months back. It's a boxed version of Wheels Of Fire on the Tjechoslovakian Supraphon label. It comes with a miniature booklet that looks like it's hand typed (probably is) and printed very cheeply. From what I could determine this is a book/record club edition. It's mono BTW, and the pressing is nothing to write home about.

Speaking of box sets. I saw Cream a few years back in the Royal Albert Hall (day 2) and cherish the vinyl box that came out later. Sound, performance, pressing, all top notch.

 

Very interesting.

Thanks for posting the picture.

 

I'll ask my brother if he was at any of the '68 shows...see if it jogs his memory about opening acts, etc. Of course, you remember what they say...if you can remember the 60's you weren't par of them (or something to that effect) so maybe it's GOOD you can't remember...

 

I absolutely love Cream. This is the only Clapton that interests me, frankly, apart from early Yardbirds. And Clapton's only one aspect of Cream, right? Jack Bruce was/is amazing, as a vocalist and an instrumentalist, and a songwriter. He wrote way more songs than Eric in that band (better ones, too, IMO. I think "Badge" is overrated. A lot of its legend comes from George Harrison's contribution.) And Ginger is one of my fave drummers. His musical sensibility was perfect for this band.

I like "Pressed Rat and Warthog". I like Ginger's accent, and the lyrics are hilarious. (I just wished I knew what they meant. I have my own picture though.)

I like "Live Cream Volume II" which was my second Cream purchase back in vinyl days (after Fresh Cream). I like it a lot in fact and was overjoyed to see all those tracks on the Those Were The Days set. "Deserted Cities" is the opener on the II album (wow) and "Steppin' Out" is the closer (wow again). Everything in between the two is also wow.

I like "Doing That Scrapyard Thing". The lyrics are great and so are all the various little instrumental touches. And the rhythm.

I think Jack's delivery of "psychedelic" lyrics a la "Tales of Brave Ulysses" is perfect, myself. I mean, he sings so kinda "matter of fact" that that actually gives those lyrics an added dimension of freakiness. You actually see the scenes he describes. (Whoa, or maybe it's just the kool-aid.) Better than any self-consciously obvious "freaky" vocal delivery anyway. At any rate I can't imagine Eric singing it (or, um, Ginger).

I agree that Clapton's best guitar tone was captured on the first album. Disraeli Gears, as great an album as it is (and it is) has a very thin, anemic guitar sound compared to Fresh Cream. Night and day, actually. I like both albums equally but when I want to play along (not very well) and rock out I put on the first one. When I want to kick back and relax I put on DG (it's trippier). I never did buy WoF on vinyl so my familiarity with those tracks really comes from the TWTD set, on which they sound great.

Re Ginger singing, he's also on "Mother's Lament" (in fact I think he wrote that one).

I think it's way cool that Eric got an afro in emulation of (or tribute to) Jimi Hendrix. (I've read that Eric was the first person Jimi wanted Chas to introduce him to once they hit England.) I think it's way cool that Ginger and Jack buried their hatchet in order to fulfill the mutual goal of playing with Eric in a new band. Even if it did come unburied later. I think it's neat, the various other talented people they had in their orbit, contributing lyrics (Pete Brown), album art (Martin Sharp), production (Felix Pappalardi, who also co-wrote one or two)... it's neat too that Jack's wife Janet co-wrote a couple early songs (one with Ginger).

Personal faves: Born Under A Bad Sign, We're Going Wrong, Politician, Passing the Time, World of Pain, Tales of Brave Ulysses, I Feel Free, The Coffee Song, I'm So Glad, Spoonful. (It's hard not to keep going.)

Great band, love 'em.

 

"Mother's Lament" is a traditional English "Music Hall Singalong" number the Vaudivillian singers used to sing in the 1800's...the group adapted it from the original. Michael Boyce

 

Yes, I knew someone would get that. It seems that everyone who saw that band live in 1969 was totally blown away. They said the record they did never gave them any justice. Carlos Santana called them the best band he had ever seen.

 

Hendrix jams with Cream
1 October 1966

"In 1966 Eric Clapton was the undisputed king of rock guitar in Britain. That was until Hendrix turned up on the scene. Jimi had only been in England for a week, yet there was already talk of this amazing American guitarist who had been creating a storm in London's blues clubs.

In a particularly over confident gesture Hendrix asked if he could jam with Cream at their gig at Central London Polytechnic. Hendrix took the stage and tore through a version of 'Killing Floor' in double time.
Cream soon regretted allowing him to join them. Hendrix's outrageous stage antics and dazzling guitar playing caused Clapton to leave the stage in a state of shock. He asked Chas Chandler afterwards "Is he always that f***ing good?"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/sevenages/events/blues-based-rock/hendrix-jams-with-cream/

 

Oops ! My mistake about the location Jim !

Here's part of what the book says :

Monday, August 7th, 1967

Jack Bruce talking : "We did the Locarno Ballroom in Glasgow, which I also used to do in the danceband: I was the bass player in the Palais band,and to go back and do it with this band that I really loved and believed in was really quite sweet. That's a funny (gig), because it has one of those revolving stages where the warm-up band keeps playing, and then you start playing and it rolls around. Except that they hadn't worked out how to plug things in. I remember also that it wasn't very full. Our fame hadn't reached Glasgow yet."

Does this sound like the gig you were at ?

Personally I would rather believe that you were there at the other gig that I mentioned, trying to put out Eric Clapton's eye with a penny.

 

Wow, that cover is so cheesy that it reigns supreme ! I love goofy oddities like the one you have.

 

Leonard Bernstein was apparently a fan, and reportedly said, "They've [Cream] even got a drummer who can keep time."

 

Oh, that's harsh.

 

Cream is nice Band! All their albums have strong songs,like I feel free,In the White Room,Politician etc.Their sound is very distinguish with other bands of 60-s .

 

Love them... Disraeli Gears is a top favorite of mine.

Recently found a promo copy of Wheels of Fire, monaural, but not in very good shape. A scarce item, collector-wise, but audiophilicly not, as I understand there was no dedicated mono mix in the U.S.

 

Oops, forgot to add my opinion that if they ever do a thread on the epitome of psychedelic music, "White Room" would be my nominee. Never get tired of hearing that song.

 

Englishman, Irishman, Scot - great combo!

 

That's the one, I'm fairly sure it was July though, maybe not. I would certainly have been back by the 7th August, but I still feel it was in July.

If I'd been in the audience at the Bristol gig, I'd have got'im, dead good in a stone fight, me....or used to be. It would have done his career as a bluesman no end of good....Blind Eric C, sounds good to me, sorree....Glenns' imagination is running away with me.

 

Speaking of Cream...I found a Mofi "Goodbye" used today and the short running time also made me wonder if the mono version was a fold down as well (like Wheels) or if it was a dedicated mix.

 

Even more proof is the recording made from the audience that night. Exactly the same as the pro recording.

 

Goodbye is a fold.

 

I have a clean promo copy like this but man, it does sound good in Mono, even if it is a fold down mix, especially Sitting On Top of The World, lots of punch. I have an UK polydor mono copy of Wheels as well and I don't hear any difference. The Atco Promo is cut a littler hotter but the mix is not different than the UK. They must both be folds.

 

That would explain why they elected not to include the mono mixes.

I was impressed with the mofi but not as much as the work that SH did on "Wheels"still I like the "Goodbye" album. Any idea who mastered that particular mofi (a pet peeve of mine was that Mofi never had credits for who did what).

 

Enjoying the 2005 Reunion DVD in DTS...LOUDLY.

 

I agree, the reunion dvd is excellent.

 

Thanks to Clay, I've gotten some great sounding Disraeli Gears and Live Volume 1 on UK Reaction vinyl, and as good as the MFSLs and DCCs sound digitally, these old Cream albums sound best on my vinyl setup, so lately I just can't seem to get enough Cream.