Cream | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Although Cream were only together for a little more than two years, their influence was immense, both during their late-60s peak and in the years following their breakup. Cream were the first top group to truly exploit the power trio format, in the process laying the foundation for much blues-rock and hard rock of the 1960s and 1970s. It was with Cream, too, that guitarist Eric Clapton truly became an international superstar. Critical revisionists have tagged the band as overrated, citing the musicians emphasis upon flash, virtuosity, and showmanship at the expense of taste and focus. This was sometimes true of their live shows in particular, but in reality the best of their studio recordings were excellent fusions of blues, pop, and psychedelia, with concise original material outnumbering the bloated blues jams and overlong solos. Cream could be viewed as the first rock supergroup to become superstars, although none of the three members were that well-known when the band formed in mid-1966. Eric Clapton had the biggest reputation, having established himself as a guitar hero first with the Yardbirds, and then in a more blues-intensive environment with John Mayalls Bluesbreakers. (In the States, however, he was all but unknown, having left the Yardbirds before "For Your Love" made the American Top Ten.) Bassist/singer Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker had both been in the Graham Bond Organisation, an underrated British R&B; combo that drew extensively upon the jazz backgrounds of the musicians. Bruce had also been, very briefly, a member of the Bluesbreakers along with Clapton, and also briefly a member of Manfred Mann when he became especially eager to pay the rent. All three of the musicians yearned to break free of the confines of the standard rock/R&B;/blues group, in a unit that would allow them greater instrumental and improvisational freedom, somewhat in the mold of a jazz outfit. Eric Claptons stunning guitar solos would get much of the adulation, yet Bruce was at least as responsible for shaping the groups sound, singing most of the material in his rich voice. He also wrote their best original compositions, sometimes in collaboration with outside lyricist Pete Brown. At first Creams focus was electrified and amped-up traditional blues, which dominated their first album, Fresh Cream, which made the British Top Ten in early 1967. Originals like "N.S.U." and "I Feel Free" gave notice that Cream were capable of moving beyond the blues, and they truly found their voice on Disraeli Gears in late 1967, which consisted mostly of group-penned songs. Here they fashioned invigorating, sometimes beguiling hard-driving psychedelic pop, which included plenty of memorable melodies and effective harmonies along with the expected crunching riffs. "Strange Brew," "Dance the Night Away," "Tales of Brave Ulysses," and "S.W.L.A.B.R." are all among their best tracks, and the album broke the band big-time in the States, reaching the Top Five. It also generated their first big U.S. hit single, "Sunshine of Your Love," which was based around one of the most popular hard rock riffs of the 60s. With the double album Wheels of Fire, Cream topped the American charts in 1968, establishing themselves alongside the Beatles and Hendrix as one of the biggest rock acts in the world. The record itself was a more erratic affair than Disraeli Gears, perhaps dogged by the decision to present separate discs of studio and live material; the concert tracks in particular did much to establish their reputation, for good or ill, for stretching songs way past the ten-minute mark on-stage. The majestically doomy "White Room" gave Cream another huge American single, and the group was firmly established as one of the biggest live draws of any kind. Their decision to disband in late 1968 -- at a time when they were seemingly on top of the world -- came as a shock to most of the rock audience. Creams short lifespan, however, was in hindsight unsurprising given the considerable talents, ambitions, and egos of each of the bandmembers. Clapton in particular was tired of blowing away listeners with sheer power, and wanted to explore more subtle directions. After a farewell tour of the States, the band broke up in November 1968. In 1969, however, they were in a sense bigger than ever; a posthumous album featuring both studio and live material, Goodbye, made number two, highlighted by the haunting Eric Clapton-George Harrison composition "Badge," which remains one of Creams most beloved tracks. Clapton and Baker would quickly resurface in 1969 as half of another short-lived supergroup, Blind Faith, and Clapton of course went on to one of the longest and most successful careers of anyone in the rock business. Bruce and Baker never attained profiles nearly as high after leaving Cream, but both kept busy in the ensuing decades with various interesting projects in the fields of rock, jazz, and experimental music. Cream reunited for a handful of live shows in 2005 at Londons Royal Albert Hall and New York Citys Madison Square Gardens, but no further reunions were forthcoming, and Bruce died of liver disease in Suffolk, England in October 2014. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 26 Title: Fresh Cream Released: 1966-12-09 Tracks: 10 Duration: 38:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 N.S.U. (02:46) 2 Sleepy Time Time (04:22) 3 Dreaming (01:58) 4 Sweet Wine (03:20) 5 Spoonful (06:31) 6 Catʼs Squirrel (03:07) 7 Four Until Late (02:06) 8 Rollinʼ and Tumblinʼ (04:43) 9 Iʼm So Glad (03:59) 10 Toad (05:10) |
| Fresh Cream : Allmusic album Review : Fresh Cream represents so many different firsts, its difficult to keep count. Cream, of course, was the first supergroup, but their first album not only gave birth to the power trio, it also was instrumental in the birth of heavy metal and the birth of jam rock. Thats a lot of weight for one record and, like a lot of pioneering records, Fresh Cream doesnt seem quite as mighty as what would come later, both from the group and its acolytes. In retrospect, the moments on the LP that are a bit unformed -- in particular, the halting waltz of "Dreaming" never achieves the sweet ethereal atmosphere it aspires to -- stand out more than the innovations, which have been so thoroughly assimilated into the vocabulary of rock & roll, but Fresh Cream was a remarkable shift forward in rock upon its 1966 release and it remains quite potent. Certainly at this early stage the trio was still grounded heavily in blues, only fitting given guitarist Eric Claptons stint in John Mayalls Bluesbreakers, which is where he first played with bassist Jack Bruce, but Cream never had the purist bent of Mayall, and not just because they dabbled heavily in psychedelia. The rhythm section of Bruce and Ginger Baker had a distinct jazzy bent to their beat; this isnt hard and pure, its spongy and elastic, giving the musicians plenty of room to roam. This fluidity is most apparent on the blues covers that take up nearly half the record, especially on "Spoonful," where the swirling instrumental interplay, echo, fuzz tones, and overwhelming volume constitute true psychedelic music, and also points strongly toward the guitar worship of heavy metal. Almost all the second side of Fresh Cream is devoted to this, closing with Bakers showcase "Toad," but for as hard and restless as this half of the album is, there is some lightness on the first portion of the record where Bruce reveals himself as an inventive psychedelic pop songwriter with the tense, colorful "N.S.U." and the hook- and harmony-laden "I Feel Free." Cream shows as much force and mastery on these tighter, poppier tunes as they do on the free-flowing jams, yet they show a clear bias toward the long-form blues numbers, which makes sense: they formed to be able to pursue this freedom, which they do so without restraint. If at times that does make the album indulgent or lopsided, this is nevertheless where Cream was feeling their way forward, creating their heavy psychedelic jazz-blues and, in the process, opening the door to all kinds of serious rock music that may have happened without Fresh Cream, but it just would not have happened in the same fashion as it did with this record as precedent. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 26 Title: Disraeli Gears Released: 1967-11-02 Tracks: 11 Duration: 33:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Strange Brew (02:49) 2 Sunshine of Your Love (04:12) 3 World of Pain (03:05) 4 Dance the Night Away (03:36) 5 Blue Condition (03:32) 6 Tales of Brave Ulysses (02:49) 7 SWLABR (02:34) 8 We’re Going Wrong (03:29) 9 Outside Woman Blues (02:27) 10 Take It Back (03:08) 11 Mother’s Lament (01:47) |
| Disraeli Gears : Allmusic album Review : Cream teamed up with producer Felix Pappalardi for their second album, Disraeli Gears, a move that helped push the power trio toward psychedelia and also helped give the album a thematic coherence missing from the debut. This, of course, means that Cream get further away from the pure blues improvisatory troupe they were intended to be, but it does get them to be who they truly are: a massive, innovative power trio. The blues still courses throughout Disraeli Gears -- the swirling kaleidoscopic "Strange Brew" is built upon a riff lifted from Albert King -- but its filtered into saturated colors, as it is on "Sunshine of Your Love," or its slowed down and blurred out, as it is on the ominous murk of "Tales of Brave Ulysses." Its a pure psychedelic move thats spurred along by Jack Bruces flourishing collaboration with Pete Brown. Together, this pair steers the album away from recycled blues-rock and toward its eccentric British core, for with the fuzzy freakout "Swlabr," the music hall flourishes of "Dance the Night Away," the swinging "Take It Back," and of course, the old music hall song "Mothers Lament," this is a very British record. Even so, this crossed the ocean and also became a major hit in America, because regardless of how whimsical certain segments are, Cream are still a heavy rock trio and Disraeli Gears is a quintessential heavy rock album of the 60s. Yes, its psychedelic trappings tie it forever to 1967, but the imagination of the arrangements, the strength of the compositions, and especially the force of the musicianship make this album transcend its time as well. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 26 Title: Wheels of Fire Released: 1968 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:20:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 White Room (04:59) 2 Sitting on Top of the World (05:01) 3 Passing the Time (04:37) 4 As You Said (04:22) 5 Pressed Rat and Warthog (03:18) 6 Politician (04:16) 7 Those Were the Days (02:57) 8 Born Under a Bad Sign (03:12) 9 Deserted Cities of the Heart (03:39) 1 Crossroads (04:15) 2 Spoonful (16:46) 3 Traintime (07:01) 4 Toad (16:15) |
| Wheels of Fire : Allmusic album Review : If Disraeli Gears was the album where Cream came into their own, its successor, Wheels of Fire, finds the trio in full fight, capturing every side of their multi-faceted personality, even hinting at the internal pressures that soon would tear the band asunder. A dense, unwieldy double album split into an LP of new studio material and an LP of live material, its sprawling and scattered, at once awesome in its achievement and maddening in how it falls just short of greatness. It misses its goal not because one LP works and the other doesnt, but because both the live and studio sets suffer from strikingly similar flaws, deriving from the constant power struggle between the trio. Of the three, Ginger Baker comes up short, contributing the passable "Passing the Time" and "Those Were the Days," which are overshadowed by how he extends his solo drum showcase "Toad" to a numbing quarter of an hour and trips upon the Wind & the Willows whimsy of "Pressed Rat and Warthog," whose studied eccentricity pales next to Eric Claptons nimble, eerily cheerful "Anyone for Tennis." In almost every regard, Wheels of Fire is a terrific showcase for Clapton as a guitarist, especially on the first side of the live album with "Crossroads," a mighty encapsulation of all of his strengths. Some of that is studio trickery, as producer Felix Pappalardi cut together the best bits of a winding improvisation to a tight four minutes, giving this track a relentless momentum thats exceptionally exciting, but theres no denying that Clapton is at a peak here, whether hes tearing off solos on a 17-minute "Spoonful" or goosing "White Room" toward the heights of madness. But its the architect of "White Room," bassist Jack Bruce, who, along with his collaborator Peter Brown, reaches a peak as a songwriter. Aside from the monumental "White Room," he has the lovely, wistful "As You Said," the cinematic "Deserted Cities of the Heart," and the slow, cynical blues "Politician," all among Creams very best work. And in many ways Wheels of Fire is indeed filled with Creams very best work, since it also captures the fury and invention (and indulgence) of the band at its peak on the stage and in the studio, but as it tries to find a delicate balance between these three titanic egos, it doesnt quite add up to something greater than the sum of its parts. But taken alone, those individual parts are often quite tremendous. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 26 Title: Wheels of Fire: In the Studio Released: 1968 Tracks: 9 Duration: 36:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 White Room (04:59) 2 Sitting on Top of the World (04:56) 3 Passing the Time (04:31) 4 As You Said (04:19) 5 Pressed Rat and Warthog (03:13) 6 Politician (04:11) 7 Those Were the Days (02:52) 8 Born Under a Bad Sign (03:08) 9 Deserted Cities of the Heart (04:36) |
 | Album: 5 of 26 Title: Goodbye Released: 1969 Tracks: 6 Duration: 30:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I’m So Glad (live) (09:13) 2 Politician (live) (06:20) 3 Sitting on Top of the World (live) (05:04) 4 Badge (02:45) 5 Doing That Scrapyard Thing (03:18) 6 What a Bringdown (03:57) |
| Goodbye : Allmusic album Review : After a mere three albums in just under three years, Cream called it quits in 1969. Being proper gentlemen, they said their formal goodbyes with a tour and a farewell album called -- what else? -- Goodbye. As a slim, six-song single LP, its far shorter than the rambling, out-of-control Wheels of Fire, but it boasts the same structure, evenly dividing its time between tracks cut on-stage and in the studio. While the live side contains nothing as indelible as "Crossroads," the live music on the whole is better than that on Wheels of Fire, capturing the trio at an empathetic peak as a band. Its hard, heavy rock, with Cream digging deep into their original "Politician" with the same intensity as they do on "Sitting on Top of the World," but its the rampaging "Im So Glad" that illustrates how far theyve come; compare it to the original studio version on Fresh Cream and its easy to see just how much further theyre stretching their improvisation. The studio side also finds them at something of a peak. Boasting a song apiece from each member, it opens with the majestic classic "Badge," co-written by Eric Clapton and George Harrison and ranking among both of their best work. Its followed by Jack Bruces "Doing That Scrapyard Thing," an overstuffed near-masterpiece filled with wonderful, imaginative eccentricities, and finally, theres Ginger Bakers tense, dramatic "What a Bringdown," easily the best original he contributed to the group. Like all of Creams albums outside Disraeli Gears, Goodbye is an album of moments, not a tight cohesive work, but those moments are all quite strong on their own terms, making this a good and appropriate final bow. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 26 Title: Best of Cream Released: 1969 Tracks: 10 Duration: 34:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Sunshine of Your Love (04:12) 2 Badge (02:45) 3 Crossroads (04:13) 4 White Room (03:04) 5 SWLABR (02:31) 6 Born Under a Bad Sign (03:12) 7 Spoonful (06:31) 8 Tales of Brave Ulysses (02:50) 9 Strange Brew (02:49) 10 I Feel Free (02:48) |
| Best of Cream : Allmusic album Review : The first of a long line of Cream anthologies, the 1969 Best of Cream (released originally on Atco, since reissued on Polydor) was a ten-track compilation featuring nearly all of Creams U.K. and U.S. single hits. The exceptions were "Wrapping Paper" and "Anyone for Tennis," which were not much missed, especially when instead you got tracks like "Born Under a Bad Sign" and "Tales of Brave Ulysses." In fact, for a long time Best of Cream served as the best one-record distillation of Cream. It has been superseded, however, by 1995s The Very Best of Cream (Polydor 314523752), which contains all of its selections and ten more. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 26 Title: Live Cream Released: 1970-04 Tracks: 5 Duration: 41:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 N.S.U. (10:13) 2 Sleepy Time Time (06:50) 3 Lawdy Mama (02:47) 4 Sweet Wine (15:08) 5 Rollin’ and Tumblin’ (06:36) |
 | Album: 8 of 26 Title: I Feel Free Released: 1972 Tracks: 12 Duration: 43:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 White Room (04:59) 2 I Feel Free (02:48) 3 Badge (02:45) 4 Anyone for Tennis (02:38) 5 Wrapping Paper (02:26) 6 Spoonful (06:30) 7 N.S.U. (02:45) 8 Strange Brew (02:48) 9 Sunshine of Your Love (04:12) 10 Im So Glad (03:59) 11 Politician (04:14) 12 Take It Back (03:10) |
 | Album: 9 of 26 Title: The Best of Cream Live Released: 1972 Tracks: 11 Duration: 1:22:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 N.S.U. (10:13) 2 Sleepy Time Time (06:50) 3 Lawdy Mama (02:47) 4 Sweet Wine (15:08) 5 Rollin’ and Tumblin’ (06:36) 1 Deserted Cities of the Heart (04:32) 2 White Room (05:39) 3 Politician (05:05) 4 Tales of Brave Ulysses (04:44) 5 Sunshine of Your Love (07:22) 6 Steppin’ Out (13:42) |
 | Album: 10 of 26 Title: Live Cream, Volume 2 Released: 1972 Tracks: 6 Duration: 41:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Deserted Cities of the Heart (04:34) 2 White Room (05:41) 3 Politician (05:07) 4 Tales of Brave Ulysses (04:46) 5 Sunshine of Your Love (07:26) 6 Steppin’ Out (13:39) |
 | Album: 11 of 26 Title: Heavy Cream Released: 1972-10-09 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:22:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Strange Brew (02:45) 2 White Room (04:37) 3 Badge (02:45) 4 Spoonful (06:31) 5 Rollin’ and Tumblin’ (04:41) 6 I Feel Free (02:53) 7 Born Under a Bad Sign (03:12) 8 Passing the Time (04:31) 9 As You Said (04:19) 10 Deserted Cities of the Heart (03:10) 1 Cat’s Squirrel (03:05) 2 Crossroads (04:13) 3 Sitting on Top of the World (05:01) 4 Swlabr (02:31) 5 What a Bringdown (03:54) 6 Tales of Brave Ulysses (02:45) 7 Take It Back (03:04) 8 Poltician (04:11) 9 I’m So Glad (03:55) 10 Sunshine of Your Love (04:08) 11 Those Were the Days (02:52) 12 Doing That Scrapyard Thing (03:14) |
| Heavy Cream : Allmusic album Review : This 22-track double album presented consumers with a more extensive hits collection than Best of Cream (1969). The same hits were included, plus more of Creams better album tracks, making this the most comprehensive compilation of a band that only made four albums to begin with. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 26 Title: Strange Brew: The Very Best of Cream Released: 1983 Tracks: 12 Duration: 43:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Badge (02:45) 2 Sunshine of Your Love (04:12) 3 Crossroads (04:15) 4 White Room (04:59) 5 Born Under a Bad Sign (03:12) 6 SWLABR (02:34) 7 Strange Brew (02:49) 8 Anyone for Tennis (The Savage Seven Theme) (02:39) 9 I Feel Free (02:53) 10 Politician (04:16) 11 Tales of Brave Ulysses (02:49) 12 Spoonful (06:31) |
| Strange Brew: The Very Best of Cream : Allmusic album Review : What the title implies, all the finest tracks from the bands four studio albums. The best was brilliant. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 26 Title: Cream Released: 1984 Tracks: 11 Duration: 48:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Sunshine of Your Love (04:12) 2 Badge (02:45) 3 Crossroads (04:15) 4 White Room (04:59) 5 Strange Bow (02:50) 6 Sitting on Top of the World (05:01) 7 Born Under a Bad Sign (03:12) 8 Spoonful (06:31) 9 Tales of Brave Ulysses (02:45) 10 I Feel Free (02:53) 11 I’m So Glad (09:06) |
 | Album: 14 of 26 Title: Creme de la Cream Released: 1992 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:07:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 I Feel Free (02:53) 2 N.S.U. (02:46) 3 Spoonful (06:10) 4 Iʼm So Glad (03:59) 5 Toad (05:10) 6 Strange Brew (02:49) 7 Sunshine of Your Love (04:12) 8 World of Pain (03:03) 9 Tales of Brave Ulysses (02:49) 10 SWLABR (02:32) 11 Outside Woman Blues (02:26) 12 White Room (04:59) 13 Politician (04:16) 14 Those Were the Days (02:57) 15 Born Under a Bad Sign (03:12) 16 Deserted Cities of the Heart (03:39) 17 Crossroads (04:15) 18 Anyone for Tennis (02:38) 19 Badge (02:45) |
 | Album: 15 of 26 Title: White Room - Best Released: 1992-08-03 Tracks: 21 Duration: 1:14:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 White Room (04:59) 2 Tales of Brave Ulysses (02:48) 3 I Feel Free (02:47) 4 Wrapping Paper (02:22) 5 Dance the Night Away (03:36) 6 N.S.U. (02:45) 7 Strange Brew (02:48) 8 SWLABR (02:34) 9 Outside Woman Blues (02:26) 10 Politician (04:13) 11 Those Were the Days (02:56) 12 Four Until Late (02:08) 13 Born Under a Bad Sign (03:12) 14 Deserted Citys of the Heart (03:39) 15 Sunshine of Your Love (04:11) 16 We’re Going Wrong (03:26) 17 Badge (02:45) 18 Sitting on Top of the World (05:01) 19 Anyone for Tennis (02:39) 20 Crossroads (04:14) 21 I’m So Glad (09:05) |
 | Album: 16 of 26 Title: Live Cream & Live Cream, Volume II Released: 1995-01-17 Tracks: 11 Duration: 1:23:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 N.S.U. (10:15) 2 Sleepy Time Time (06:53) 3 Sweet Wine (15:18) 4 Rollin’ and Tumblin’ (06:44) 5 Lawdy Mama (02:46) 1 Deserted Cities of the Heart (04:34) 2 White Room (05:41) 3 Politician (05:07) 4 Tales of Brave Ulysses (04:46) 5 Sunshine of Your Love (07:26) 6 Steppin’ Out (13:39) |
 | Album: 17 of 26 Title: The Very Best of Cream Released: 1995-05-09 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:11:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Wrapping Paper (02:23) 2 I Feel Free (02:53) 3 N.S.U. (02:46) 4 Sweet Wine (03:20) 5 Iʼm So Glad (03:59) 6 Spoonful (06:31) 7 Strange Brew (02:49) 8 Sunshine of Your Love (04:12) 9 Tales of Brave Ulysses (02:49) 10 SWLABR (02:34) 11 We’re Going Wrong (03:29) 12 White Room (04:59) 13 Sitting on Top of the World (05:01) 14 Politician (04:16) 15 Those Were the Days (02:57) 16 Born Under a Bad Sign (03:12) 17 Deserted Cities of the Heart (03:39) 18 Crossroads (04:15) 19 Anyone for Tennis (02:38) 20 Badge (02:45) |
| The Very Best of Cream : Allmusic album Review : There have been many compilations drawn from the four albums Cream originally released between 1966 and 1969. But the one most commonly available since the early 80s was the ten-track Strange Brew: The Very Best of Cream (1983), a barebones collection focusing on the groups hit singles. Note, then, that this album, despite the similar title, is a newly compiled 1995 CD/cassette containing all of the recordings on Strange Brew, plus ten more. It is thus the most comprehensive Cream anthology on the market, and includes all the groups essential tracks on a single disc with superior sound in a package containing good annotations. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 26 Title: Those Were the Days Released: 1997-09-23 Tracks: 63 Duration: 5:05:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Wrapping Paper (02:23) 2 I Feel Free (02:53) 3 N.S.U. (02:46) 4 Sleepy Time Time (04:22) 5 Dreaming (02:01) 6 Sweet Wine (03:20) 7 Spoonful (06:31) 8 Catʼs Squirrel (03:07) 9 Four Until Late (02:10) 10 Rollinʼ and Tumblinʼ (04:43) 11 Iʼm So Glad (03:59) 12 Toad (05:10) 13 Lawdy Mama (version 1) (02:01) 14 Strange Brew (02:49) 15 Sunshine of Your Love (04:12) 16 World of Pain (03:05) 17 Dance the Night Away (03:36) 18 Blue Condition (03:32) 19 Tales of Brave Ulysses (02:49) 20 SWLABR (02:34) 21 We’re Going Wrong (03:29) 22 Outside Woman Blues (02:27) 23 Take It Back (03:08) 24 Mother’s Lament (01:47) 1 White Room (04:59) 2 Sitting on Top of the World (05:01) 3 Passing the Time (alternate version) (05:58) 4 As You Said (04:22) 5 Pressed Rat and Warthog (03:18) 6 Politician (04:16) 7 Those Were the Days (02:57) 8 Born Under a Bad Sign (03:12) 9 Deserted Cities of the Heart (03:39) 10 Anyone for Tennis (02:38) 11 Badge (02:45) 12 Doing That Scrapyard Thing (03:18) 13 What a Bringdown (04:01) 14 The Coffee Song (02:46) 15 Lawdy Mama (version 2) (02:49) 16 You Make Me Feel (demo version) (02:42) 17 We’re Going Wrong (demo version) (03:49) 18 Hey Now Princess (demo version) (03:33) 19 Swlabr (demo version) (04:33) 20 Weird of Hermiston (demo version) (03:14) 21 The Clearout (demo version) (04:03) 22 Falstaff Beer Commercial (01:02) 1 N.S.U. (12:38) 2 Sleepy Time Time (06:51) 3 Rollin’ and Tumblin’ (06:28) 4 Crossroads (04:24) 5 Spoonful (16:39) 6 Tales of Brave Ulysses (04:43) 7 Sunshine of Your Love (07:24) 8 Sweet Wine (15:08) 1 White Room (06:21) 2 Politician (05:10) 3 I’m So Glad (09:32) 4 Sitting on Top of the World (04:55) 5 Stepping Out (13:29) 6 Traintime (07:02) 7 Toad (17:38) 8 Deserted Cities of the Heart (04:16) 9 Sunshine of Your Love (04:40) |
| Those Were the Days : Allmusic album Review : Those Were the Days is an ambitious four-disc, 63-track box set that divides Creams career into two halves. The first two discs feature every studio track the group ever released, plus a handful of unreleased cuts, alternate takes, and rarities. The other two discs are devoted to live material, which is segued together in an attempt to recreate the "ideal" Cream concert. Its a remarkably comprehensive collection, complete with an extensive booklet and remastered sound, yet it doesnt reveal any new insights about Cream, nor does it offer any invaluable rarities. Therefore, its only for die-hard collectors or listeners wanting to acquire the entire Cream catalog at once; casual fans will be satisfied with individual albums or greatest-hits collections. | ||
 | Album: 19 of 26 Title: 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Cream Released: 2000 Tracks: 11 Duration: 41:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Feel Free (02:53) 2 N.S.U. (02:46) 3 Sweet Wine (03:20) 4 Spoonful (06:31) 5 Strange Brew (02:49) 6 Sunshine of Your Love (04:12) 7 Tales of Brave Ulysses (02:49) 8 White Room (04:59) 9 Politician (04:16) 10 Crossroads (04:15) 11 Badge (02:45) |
| 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Cream : Allmusic album Review : Lets be clear from the outset -- 20th Century Masters does not contain all of Creams essential moments. Its missing such mind-warps as "SWALBR," trippy folk-psychedelia as "Anyone for Tennis," flights of fancy as "Wrapping Paper," crushingly inevitable blues as "Im So Glad," and the brilliant throwaway "Doing That Scrap Yard Thing," all of which added to Creams character. Still, if youre just looking for the hits, this has most of them, from "I Feel Free" and "Spoonful" to "Strange Brew," "Sunshine of Your Love," "Crossroads," "White Room," and "Badge." For those who like to skim the surface, sampling what they know, this will certainly satisfy, but if youre curious, youre advised to dig deeper than this. | ||
 | Album: 20 of 26 Title: BBC Sessions Released: 2003-05-25 Tracks: 26 Duration: 1:08:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Sweet Wine (03:27) 2 [Eric Clapton interview 1] (00:54) 3 Wrapping Paper (02:30) 4 Rollin’ and Tumblin’ (03:03) 5 Steppin’ Out (01:50) 6 Crossroads (01:54) 7 Cat’s Squirrel (03:38) 8 Traintime (02:50) 9 I’m So Glad (04:22) 10 Lawdy Mama (01:53) 11 [Eric Clapton interview 2] (00:48) 12 I Feel Free (02:54) 13 N.S.U. (02:55) 14 Four Until Late (01:56) 15 Strange Brew (03:00) 16 [Eric Clapton interview 3] (00:44) 17 Tales of Brave Ulysses (02:55) 18 We’re Going Wrong (03:25) 19 [Eric Clapton interview 4] (00:37) 20 Born Under a Bad Sign (03:03) 21 Outside Woman Blues (03:18) 22 Take It Back (02:18) 23 Sunshine of Your Love (04:09) 24 Politician (03:59) 25 SWLABR (02:32) 26 Steppin’ Out (03:36) |
| BBC Sessions : Allmusic album Review : This compilation of 22 Cream BBC tracks from 1966-1968 marked a major addition to the groups discography, particularly as they released relatively little product during their actual lifetime. All of but two of these cuts ("Lawdy Mama" and the 1968 version of "Steppin Out," which had appeared on Eric Claptons Crossroads box) were previously unreleased, and although many of these had made the round on bootlegs, the sound and presentation here is unsurprisingly preferable. As for actual surprises, there arent many. Its a good cross section of songs from their studio records, though a couple, "Steppin Out" and "Traintime," only appeared on live releases, and some of these BBC takes actually predate the release and recording of the album versions, which makes them of historical interest for intense Cream fans. (There are also four brief interviews with Eric Clapton from the original broadcasts.) Theres a mild surprise in the absence of a version of "White Room," but otherwise many of the groups better compositions and covers are here, including "I Feel Free," "N.S.U.," "Strange Brew," "Tales of Brave Ulysses," "Sunshine of Your Love," "Born Under a Bad Sign," "Outside Woman Blues," "Crossroads," "Were Going Wrong," "Im So Glad," "SWLABR," and "Politician." Cream took better advantage of the live-in-the-studio BBC format than some groups of similar stature. Theres a lean urgency to most of the performances that, while not necessarily superior to the more fully realized and polished studio renditions, do vary notably in ambience from the more familiar versions. The sound quality is good but not perfect, and variable; sometimes its excellent, yet at other times there seem to be imperfections in the tapes sourced, with "Sunshine of Your Love" suffering from a (not grievously) hollow, muffled quality. If theres any other slight criticism of this set, its that a handful of BBC tracks dont appear, including some that dont make it onto this CD in any version, like "Sleepy Time Time," "Toad," and "Sitting on Top of the World." Given Creams tendency to over-improvise on the bands live concert recordings, however, the concise nature of these BBC tracks (none of which exceed five minutes) makes them preferable listening in some respects. | ||
 | Album: 21 of 26 Title: I Feel Free: Ultimate Cream Released: 2005-05-02 Tracks: 23 Duration: 1:20:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Wrapping Paper (02:23) 2 I Feel Free (02:53) 3 N.S.U. (02:46) 4 Sweet Wine (03:20) 5 Iʼm So Glad (03:59) 6 Strange Brew (02:49) 7 Sunshine of Your Love (04:12) 8 World of Pain (03:05) 9 Tales of Brave Ulysses (02:49) 10 SWLABR (02:34) 11 We’re Going Wrong (03:29) 12 White Room (04:59) 13 Sitting on Top of the World (05:01) 14 Passing the Time (04:37) 15 Politician (04:16) 16 Those Were the Days (02:57) 17 Born Under a Bad Sign (03:12) 18 Deserted Cities of the Heart (03:39) 19 Crossroads (live) (04:15) 20 Anyone for Tennis (02:38) 21 Badge (02:45) 22 Doing That Scrapyard Thing (03:18) 23 What a Bringdown (03:57) |
 | Album: 22 of 26 Title: Cream Gold Released: 2005-08-29 Tracks: 29 Duration: 2:30:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 I Feel Free (02:53) 2 N.S.U. (02:46) 3 Sweet Wine (03:20) 4 Iʼm So Glad (03:59) 5 Strange Brew (02:49) 6 Sunshine of Your Love (04:12) 7 World of Pain (03:05) 8 Tales of Brave Ulysses (02:49) 9 SWLABR (02:34) 10 We’re Going Wrong (03:29) 11 White Room (04:59) 12 Sitting on Top of the World (05:01) 13 Passing the Time (04:37) 14 Politician (04:16) 15 Those Were the Days (02:57) 16 Born Under a Bad Sign (03:12) 17 Deserted Cities of the Heart (03:39) 18 Anyone for Tennis (02:38) 19 Badge (02:45) 20 Doing That Scrapyard Thing (03:18) 21 What a Bringdown (03:57) 1 N.S.U. (10:13) 2 Sleepy Time Time (06:51) 3 Rollin’ and Tumblin’ (06:34) 4 Spoonful (16:46) 5 Crossroads (04:15) 6 Sunshine of Your Love (07:26) 7 I’m So Glad (09:12) 8 Toad (16:15) |
 | Album: 23 of 26 Title: Royal Albert Hall: London May 2-3-5-6 2005 Released: 2005-10-04 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:48:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 I’m So Glad (05:27) 2 Spoonful (07:14) 3 Outside Woman Blues (03:58) 4 Pressed Rat & Warthog (02:51) 5 Sleepy Time Time (05:46) 6 N.S.U. (05:39) 7 Badge (03:58) 8 Politician (04:37) 9 Sweet Wine (06:07) 10 Rollin’ and Tumblin’ (05:03) 11 Stormy Monday (07:33) 12 Deserted Cities of the Heart (03:40) 1 Born Under a Bad Sign (05:11) 2 We’re Going Wrong (08:27) 3 Crossroads (03:53) 4 White Room (05:27) 5 Toad (09:47) 6 Sunshine of Your Love (08:05) 7 Sleepy Time Time (alternate) (05:48) |
| Royal Albert Hall: London May 2-3-5-6 2005 : Allmusic album Review : For one reason or another, Cream reunited in the spring of 2005, setting aside nearly 40 years of acrimony for a series of gigs at the Royal Albert Hall in May, which was later followed by a few shows at Madison Square Garden about a month after souvenirs of the London shows -- a double-CD set and a double-DVD set -- were released. By that time, tickets for the New York concerts were long gone, which was understandable, since Cream had not only remained a legendary band, but it seemed extremely unlikely that they would ever play live again, so the chance to see the original power trio in the flesh was tempting. Fans who anxiously awaited this reunion might find the record of the event, bearing the unwieldy title Royal Albert Hall: London 2-3-5-6 2005, a bit anticlimactic, or a mixed blessing at the very least. The chemistry between guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, and drummer Ginger Baker is still palpable on this compilation of highlights from the four Royal Albert Hall shows -- its just quite a bit more subdued than it was the last time they played together, which, discounting a one-off reunion at their 1993 induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, was 36 years ago. Thats a long time ago and the guys are no longer restless young psychedelic bluesmen -- at time of the concerts, Eric Clapton had just turned 60, Jack Bruce was a couple weeks shy of his 62nd birthday, Ginger Baker was 65. Of course, theyre hardly the only group of 60s veterans who have remained active -- the Rolling Stones released a new album of material a month before this live album, and theyre all in their sixties, but theres a big difference between the two bands, and thats that the Stones kept playing together throughout the past four decades. While all three members of Cream remained relatively active (Baker recently had retired to his ranch, but kept playing professionally into the 90s, even teaming up with Bruce on occasion), they never played a unit, so theyre a little rusty in terms of inter-bandmember relations, which winds up making them sound their age. Not only do they never rock as hard as the Stones do on A Bigger Bang, but Cream never approximate the furious rush of energy that the band did at its prime and theres never a sense of the push-and-pull dynamics between the three members that made the best of their lengthy jams sound alive and at times unpredictable. Part of this is down to age, not just in the sense that theyre a little bit older and a little bit slower, but because those four decades have changed their style a little. Baker is a tighter drummer, lacking the reckless, volatile energy that wound up either as thrilling or turgid. Bruce cant hit the high notes anymore and doesnt roam as much on the bass, but he still manages to dominate with his fluid instrumental and vocal phrasing; plus, his bass just sounds enormous, as if it could conquer the earth. Clapton plays like a millionaire with impeccable taste, yet in this stripped-down setting, hes forced to play more than he has in years; at times, hes too refined and relies on familiar licks -- plus, his reliance on a Strat over the Gibsons that fueled his Cream sound does give this a noticeable lack of heft, even if he gets a good approximation of his classic warm tone -- but there are times, like when he holds a single note longer than Neil Young on "Cinammon Girl," that he takes greater risks than he has in years. So, this winds up being not necessarily exciting, but its far from embarrassing, either, and theres a certain sense of admiration in hearing the trio pull it together for a respectable performance. In no way does this replace the groups original studio albums -- or the excellent BBC Sessions or even the patchwork live albums they released just after their breakup -- but this does act as a nice coda to their brief career. | ||
 | Album: 24 of 26 Title: Their Fully Authorised Story in a 2 Disc Deluxe Set Released: 2006 Tracks: 5 Duration: 27:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 NSU (04:23) 2 Steppin Out (03:54) 3 Traintime (05:53) 4 Toad (07:33) 5 Im So Glad (05:15) |
 | Album: 25 of 26 Title: Icon Released: 2011-07-08 Tracks: 11 Duration: 42:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Iʼm So Glad (03:59) 2 White Room (04:59) 3 Strange Brew (02:49) 4 Tales of Brave Ulysses (02:49) 5 Born Under a Bad Sign (03:12) 6 Crossroads (04:15) 7 Spoonful (06:31) 8 Politician (04:16) 9 Badge (02:45) 10 Sunshine of Your Love (04:12) 11 I Feel Free (02:53) |
| Icon : Allmusic album Review : This collection gathers 11 tracks featuring "the best" of the seminal power trios recordings from 1966-1969. All the usual suspects are here, including "Sunshine of Your Love," "Strange Brew," "White Room," and "Crossroads." While this is a tolerable retrospective of Creams glory days at a budget price, the superior compilation is the double-disc Icon 2 on Polydor/Universal. That set provides the full Cream experience with the first CD devoted to their studio work and the second to live recordings which show the intensity and improvisation not always captured by the band in the studio. | ||
 | Album: 26 of 26 Title: Icon 2 Released: 2011-07-19 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:33:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Im So Glad (03:59) 2 White Room (04:59) 3 Strange Brew (02:47) 4 Tales of Brave Ulysses (02:47) 5 Born Under a Bad Sign (03:12) 6 Spoonful (06:29) 7 Politician (04:13) 8 Badge (02:45) 9 Doing That Scrapyard Thing (03:15) 10 Sunshine of Your Love (04:11) 11 I Feel Free (02:52) 1 Sweet Wine (15:15) 2 Rollin and Tumblin (06:42) 3 Crossroads (04:16) 4 Deserted Cities of the Heart (04:34) 5 Sunshine of Your Love (07:26) 6 Im So Glad (09:14) 7 Sitting on Top of the World (05:02) |
| Icon 2 : Allmusic album Review : This two-disc version of Cream’s Icon entry gathers 14 tracks featuring "the best" of the seminal power trios recordings from 1966-1969. All the usual suspects are contained on the studio disc, including "Sunshine of Your Love," "Strange Brew," "White Room," and "Tales of Brave Ulysses." The second disc is devoted to live recordings, highlighted by such classic performances as “Crossroads,” “Rollin and Tumblin,” and “Sweet Wine,” which clocks in at 15:16. Icon 2 is the better set in the series, as it provides an excellent contrast between the intensity and improvisation of Cream’s live gigs and their relatively straightforward approach in the studio. | ||