Cream

There have been many a supergroup that have come and gone. There have been many influential power trios as well. But one band can claim to be both. Cream was just that band. Taking their name literally, the were the Cream of the crop at the time. Consisting of Bassist/Vocalist Jack Bruce, Guitarist/Vocalist/God Eric Clapton and Madman Drummer Ginger Baker, Cream existed for a short period. 2 years to be exact, 66-68. Think about that, in that time they released 2 studio albums and essentially 2 live albums, 'Goodbye'  was a mix of live and studio cuts. Oh and toured quite a bit too. So for the LP rip I dug into the vault and pulled out 'Disraeli Gears'.

1967 in America started what turned out to be the Hippie Movement. New and groundbreaking artists that were making noise in the UK were making a splash in the US finally. Acts like Hendrix, The Who, Big Brother And Holding Company, Otis Redding and Cream. The band broke through in the states with their 67 release 'Disraeli Gears', which contained hits like "Strange Brew" and the ever catchy "Sunshine Of Your Love", which in time Hendrix would actually cover and occasionally play live. The album took a mere three days to record. A feat that is now unheard of. Also this was in the days before technology, that's pretty damn impressive. Also the record was produced by future Mountain Bassist, Felix Pappalardi. This is a prime example of music in 67. The blues influence mixed with the cutting edge of rock that was happening at the time. Some would even to go as far as crediting Cream as one of the first Heavy Metal bands. While it's disputed, you can definitely hear the influence in future Metal bands.

Cream sadly broke up many years before my existence. Sadly the band never ended on good terms and everyone went on to do their own thing. Clapton of course went onto a nice career with Derek And The Dominos and then a solo career. Bruce went onto a solo career and occasionally played with Baker. Baker of course went on to play again with Clapton in Blind Faith and pursue a solo career and a career is pissing people off and getting kicked out of countries. Seriously the man is a living bad ass who can play the hell outta the drums. The band hasn't followed suit like many older bands and reunited much over the years. Playing a handful of reunion shows in 05 was about all we were ever gonna get. However both Baker's and Bruce's kids carry on the legacy and play under the moniker Sons Of Cream.

Vinyl info, this is a rip of the original American release on ATCO Records, SD 33-232. I picked this up a while back down here in STL at Vintage Vinyl for a mere $5. The album has very slight wear, but sounds so good.

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