The inception of the band Cream was in July of 1966. Drummer Ginger Baker had been feeling increasingly stifled as part of the jazz fusion ensemble Graham Bond Organisation and had decided to leave and form a new band to pursue new directions. He happened to run across guitarist Eric Clapton who was feeling similarly confined within John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Ginger asked Eric if Eric would like to join up with him in a new band. Eric agreed, with the provisal that they include bassist Jack Bruce with whom Eric had played briefly in the Bluesbreakers. Ginger had previously feuded bitterly with Jack in the Graham Bond Organisation with the two having gone so far as sabotaging each other's equipment before Ginger ousted Jack from the band. Nonetheless, Ginger reluctantly agreed and the new power trio was formed.
All three fellows were well regarded in the U.K. at the time of the Cream's formation although it was Eric who had the most formidable reputation. They were, however, almost complete unknowns across the Atlantic including Eric who had left the Yardbirds before "For Your Love" had become a hit in North America. The three therefore had their work cut out for them if they wanted to make a splash across the Atlantic. They accordingly applied themselves diligently to the task with Ginger and Jack putting aside their differences and working together in relative harmony. It was also decided that Jack would be the lead singer.
The Cream's first album was released in December 1966. It featured mainly traditional blues covers such as "Spoonful" and "I'm So Glad" together with tracks composed by Jack such as "I Feel Free". It reached #6 on the U.K. charts but topped out at only #39 in the States.
"Cat's Squirrel" (Traditional, arranged by S. Splurge) – 3:03
"Four Until Late" (Robert Johnson, arranged by Eric Clapton) – 2:07
"Rollin' and Tumblin'" (McKinley Morganfield) – 4:42
"I'm So Glad" (Skip James) – 3:57
"Toad" (Baker) – 5:11
(original text by Aerozep) Next tuesday I will be going to see Cream at the garden in NYC...
Can't wait....they are only doing three shows in this country and I'm going to one of them.....YEAH BABY !!!
I'll let you all know how it goes.. :cool:
PEACE)
It was the "Are You Experienced?" release by the Jimi Hendrix Experience that then prompted the Cream to experiment with a more psychedelic sound for their second album, "Disraeli Gears". It was released in November 1967 and vaulted the Cream to superstardom on both sides of the Atlantic with tracks such as "Sunshine of Your Love", "Strange Brew" on which Eric sang lead vocals and "Tales of Brave Ulysses". It peaked at #5 in the U.K. and #4 in the U.S.
Disraeli Gears
Side One
"Strange Brew" (Eric Clapton, Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins) - 2:46
"Sunshine of Your Love" (Clapton, Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 4:10
"World of Pain" (Pappalardi, Collins) - 3:03
"Dance the Night Away" - (bruce, Brown) - 3:34
"Blue Condition" - (Ginger Baker) - 3:29
Cream's third album was a two disc set released in July 1968. The second disc consisted of live recordings. It peaked at #3 in the U.K. but got to #1 in the States.
Wheels of Fire
Side One
"White Room" (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) – 4:58
"Sitting on Top of the World" (Walter Vinson, Lonnie Chatmon, arranged by Chester Burnett) – 4:58
"Passing the Time" (Ginger Baker, Mike Taylor) – 4:37
"As You Said" (Bruce, Brown) – 4:20
Side Two
"Pressed Rat and Warthog" (Baker, Taylor) – 3:13
"Politician" (Bruce, Brown) – 4:12
"Those Were the Days" (Baker, Taylor) – 2:53
"Born Under a Bad Sign" (Booker T. Jones, William Bell) – 3:09
"Deserted Cities of the Heart" (Bruce, Brown) – 3:38
Pressures of touring had by this time reopened the rift between Ginger and Jack forcing Eric to constantly play the peacemaker. Worse yet, the three virtuoso instrumentalists had taken to competing instead of cooperating on stage. Each was turning up the volume on his own instrument in an effort to be heard over the other two, antics which Jack now says left him with permanent hearing loss. Eric notes that at one concert he himself stopped playing and the other two did not even notice! Ginger says they reached a point where they were just getting worse and worse on stage.
Moreover, Eric had been knocked out by the album "Music from Big Pink" by the Band and determined that he wanted to explore a more broad based sound in the company of flexible multi-instrumentalists. The three fellows therefore decided to break up the band and go their separate ways. They released one last album after their goodbyes. It featured the Eric Clapton/George Harrison composition "Badge" on which Eric sang. It got to #1 in the U.K. and #2 in the States.
Goodbye
Side One (Live)
"I'm So Glad" (Skip James) – 9:13
"Politician" (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) – 6:20
Side Two
"Sitting on Top of the World"(Live) (Walter Vinson, Lonnie Chatmon, arranged by Chester Burnett) – 5:04
"Badge" (Eric Clapton, George Harrison) – 2:47
"Doing That Scrapyard Thing" (Bruce, Brown) – 3:18
"What a Bringdown" (Ginger Baker) – 3:57
"Anyone For Tennis" (Clapton, Martin Sharp) - 2:37
All that remains of the band now are memories, and of course whatever compilations Polydor has seen fit to issue every few years. Here are three:
(original text by Music Wench) You're one lucky dog.
__________________ "Reality is just a collective hunch." Lily Tomlin
on black cat bone there's a few threads on it.
the general consensus seems to be that, given they haven't played together for so long and that Clapton's style has changed a lot...
that it's better than they expected. maybe a little rough around the edges.
I still have a cruddy old cassette of THIS around somewhere. I like it a LOT.
sure, it's fake Cream but it's really good! Like Rutles or something. Only Masters of Reality I ever heard all the way through.
Baker sure adds a lot.
The tune he talk/sings about a 'proper cup of tea' is a lot of fun.
good review of the first Madison Square Garden show on Rolling Stone Online! http://www.rollingstone.com/news/sto...ion=6.0.12.872
probably a good sign when the worst part of the review is the light show!!
still, I wish Clapton would have POOFED out his hair and wore some love beads!
boy, Ginger Baker looks 100 years old!
I hear he's still got his chops, though!
Remember the word in the sixties was that Ginger was a BAD speed freak and had aqbout six months to live? He wound up playing polo and living the good life!
I really like those albums he did with Bill Laswell in the 80's.
I guess he cleaned up his act and had an olive farm and did some nice laid back music for a while.
Actually 'The Ginger Baker Trio' was a little too laid back for me but, it beats being a casualty, you know?
He's telling the British Press that he quit Cream in the 60's because they played too loud!!!
HA! I love that!!
Cream (Official Thread) 
He was a phenominal drummer on that CD as he was with Cream.
Linear Mode
